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Costco offers lots of features that members should take advantage of. But there’s one service that can be especially valuable for those who have memberships to the warehouse club. This feature could save you both time and money if you use it wisely.
Make sure you’re using this Costco feature
The must-use Costco feature you need to take advantage of is the warehouse club’s food and grocery delivery service.
Costco actually offers multiple different options for delivery including:
Same-day deliveryTwo-day deliveryCold and frozen delivery
While same-day delivery comes with higher prices for delivered items and a delivery fee, both two-day delivery and cold and frozen delivery are free provided that you meet minimum spending requirements ($75 for two-day, and $100 for cold and frozen).
Each of the two free options offer many different products that can be brought to your home, including meats, poultry, seafood, deli, cheese and dairy, and beverage products for cold and frozen delivery. Two-day delivery includes snacks, breakfast items, bakery and desserts, candy, pet supplies, and pantry staples. You can order these items from the comfort of your own home after logging into your Costco account and you won’t have to go into the store to make your purchases.
Why is this Costco feature such a great one?
Costco’s free grocery delivery options rival those offered by competitors, such as Amazon Fresh. These no-cost shipping services through Costco give you the chance to take advantage of the warehouse club’s bargain prices on food staples for your pantry or freezer so you can pay less for groceries and keep more money in your bank account.
Being able to get your grocery items delivered from Costco also means you don’t have to physically go into the store to buy the items on your list. And that can be a money-saver too. You can avoid using gas to drive to the store, which makes a difference at a time when prices remain high at the pump. But, more importantly, you can reduce the chance of impulse buys.
When you visit your local Costco store, there are tons of products set up to entice you to purchase things that were not on your list. This is especially true if the store is offering free samples of food products at a time when you are visiting.
While it may be fun to try these tasty morsels or to take a look at new products, you’re also going to be much more tempted to spend money when you’re walking around the warehouse club than if you’re just searching for items and adding them to your cart online. If you can cut out these impulse buys, you can reduce your unplanned spending and better stick to your budget.
Because of the high shipping minimums, though, you should use this Costco service only when you have a large order in mind. You don’t want to buy unnecessary things just to get up to the minimum required to avoid delivery fees, so make up a big list and order every few weeks or every few months to make the most of the grocery delivery services Costco offers.
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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, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
