These Are My 3 Most Common Costco Impulse Buys — and Why I Don’t Feel Bad About Purchasing Them

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When I shop at Costco, I don’t always stick to a list. But that’s also not such a terrible thing. Here’s why. 

I shop at Costco almost every week. Financially speaking, it makes sense for me to buy a lot of my groceries and household staples there because the bulk price is lower than what I’ll spend at a supermarket or big-box store.

When I visit Costco, I generally do my best to stick to a list to avoid a whopping credit card tab. But sometimes, temptation gets the better of me.

I’ve been known, for example, to scoop up a seasonal Costco cheesecake on a whim and bring it home knowing full well that I’m not having guests over and am largely looking at eating that giant dessert on my own. And I’ll occasionally pick up a cozy fleece top at Costco if it’s available for a good price.

But thankfully, my impulse purchases in the cheesecake and fleece top departments aren’t so common. Most of the time, when I make unplanned purchases at Costco, it’s for these items that I can easily justify buying.

1. Socks

Socks aren’t meant to be disposable. But unfortunately, that’s a memo my kids and husband seem to have missed.

For some reason, we go through socks in short order in my house and I’m constantly ordering new ones on Amazon to replace ripped or worn pairs. So when I see a good deal on socks at Costco, I’ll commonly grab a few pairs knowing full well that we’ll need them.

2. Snacks

In my household, there’s pretty much never a shortage of snacks. Sometimes, when I notice a snack item my kids like on sale, I’ll buy a bulk supply because I know it’ll get eaten eventually — either by my kids or their hungry friends. And while that means shelling out extra money on the spot, I find that Costco’s snack prices are really hard to beat.

Case in point: A 36-pack of Pringles mini cans is $27.99 online at Costco, which means it’s even cheaper in the store. That’s about $0.78 per can.

At my local supermarket, you can’t even find individual-sized cans. You can usually only find Pringles cups, which are much smaller, which means my kids go through two at a time. So while a 12-pack of Pringles cup is $7.49, or about $0.62 per cup, I’m paying more per actual serving by buying this item at my local supermarket.

Plus, packaged snacks tend to have a reasonable shelf life. I could bring home a case of Pringles in January and they’d still be perfectly edible in March.

3. Fruits and veggies

Given that I just owned up to buying cheesecake and snacks on a whim, it may surprise you to learn that I tend to impulse-buy fruits and vegetables at Costco a lot. But sometimes, if the peppers look bright or the raspberries look super plump, I’ll buy those items even if they’re not on my list.

I’m fine with this sort of impulse buy, though, because while I am spending extra money, I’m bringing home a nutritious product for people in my house to eat. And hey, I need to do something to offset all of those Pringles.

When you spend a lot of time at a store like Costco, you’re apt to make impulse purchases at least on occasion. If you’re not in debt and can afford to spend a little extra at the store, then there’s nothing wrong with buying unplanned items provided you’ll get good use out of them or they fulfill an essential need.

But don’t make the mistake of giving in to impulse purchases that won’t really serve you well, like cheesecakes. I’ve learned my lesson in that regard and won’t be falling into the trap of bringing home a perishable item I can’t consume before it goes bad. If you’re careful with the impulse purchases you make, they may not end up being such poor financial decisions.

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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.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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