Should You Order Same-Day Delivery Through Costco, or Through Instacart? The Answer Might Surprise You

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If you’re going to order grocery delivery, you might as well spend the least amount of money. 

Some people love the experience of heading to Costco, walking the aisles, and scoping out different products. But for other people, visiting Costco isn’t always in the cards.

Perhaps you live far from your closest Costco, so driving there will mean racking up a large credit card tab on gas alone. Or maybe you don’t have a car, or you have such a jam-packed schedule there’s no way you could possibly make time for a weekly Costco run.

Thankfully, you don’t have to set foot inside Costco to take advantage of its wide range of products. Not only are many Costco snacks and pantry staples available for delivery, but you can also order same-day delivery from Costco. That will allow you to purchase perishable goods in bulk, from milk to fruit to muffins.

Now, as you might imagine, you’ll spend more to have Costco groceries delivered than you will to buy them yourself in the store. But when it comes to ordering same-day delivery, you have choices. You could order through Costco’s website, or you could order through Instacart. The question is: Which is better?

The same service at different prices

Costco’s same-day delivery service is powered by Instacart. And Costco states explicitly on its website that it charges a markup for same-day delivery items to account for the service and delivery fees charged by Instacart.

Meanwhile, Instacart itself allows you to order groceries from Costco through the app. And there, you’ll also pay a markup compared to what you’ll pay at an actual Costco store.

But will it cost you the same amount of money to order same-day delivery through Costco.com as it will through Instacart itself? Not necessarily.

As an example, the cost of a 24-pack of Kirkland signature cage-free eggs comes up as $8.07 on Instacart for delivery to Central New Jersey. On Costco.com, that same item costs just $7.59 for same-day delivery.

Clearly, a $0.48 difference isn’t going to break the bank. But if you’re ordering multiple items, and they’re all a bit less expensive on Costco.com, then it could be worth going that route rather than placing an order through Instacart.

Also, when you order through Instacart, you generally incur service and delivery fees on top of the total cost of your items. Costco’s higher cost per item accounts for service and delivery costs already, so you can avoid that extra surcharge.

Be sure to compare your costs

In this example, ordering same-day delivery through Costco seems to be more cost-effective than ordering through Instacart. But it’s definitely worth noting that the cost for both services can vary by location. And you may find that Instacart is your less-expensive option depending on what you’re ordering and where you live.

As such, it pays to do a sample order through both Costco.com and Instacart and compare your totals. If you’re going to treat yourself to the convenience of grocery delivery, you might as well do so in the most inexpensive manner possible.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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