Stop the impulse buy: How to spend less at Costco

For this week’s Reality Cheque column, we’re looking at the myth that shopping at Costco always results in savings, and sharing some expert tips on saving more.

Canadians love Costco for its money-saving deals. But sometimes it can do too good of a job getting you to buy, leading you to spend more than you anticipate. I’m not a card-carrying member myself, but I’ll join my mom or my sister, who are members, on their Costco runs a few times a year. We’ve made a game of estimating the cost of our carts and our guesses are usually way under our actual totals, sometimes by hundreds of dollars. Impulse shopping, sales and deals have led us way off track, we’ve fallen for some common Costco temptations and our wallets have taken the hit.

---

From our sponsor

---

I spoke with two shopping experts with a Costco specialty, to get their tips for what to buy and what not to buy, how to time your purchases and how to budget wisely.

Buying too much fresh food

Considering the price of food these days, Costco’s produce deals can be a welcome reprieve for our weekly grocery store spends. But Ashly Fraser, a Campbell River, B.C.-based Costco fan who visits a warehouse two or three times a week, says that purchasing too much fresh food can be a trap.

“Large packages of produce only save you money if you actually eat them before they spoil,” says Fraser, who posts deals on Instagram to over 57,000 followers under the handle @ashly_finds.favorites. “Having a rough meal plan before shopping really helps.”

Meats, which can be portioned and frozen, are still a great deal. But I’ve thrown out countless mouldy raspberries and kale salad kits because I wasn’t able to eat them (or, in the latter case, got tired of eating them) before they went bad.

Paying regular price for items that often go on sale

Steve Sottile has seen most staples—everything from pantry items to fresh and frozen food, body care and small appliances—go on sale on a fairly predictable cycle. “Almost everything goes on sale,” says Sottile, promotions manager for the Costco East and Costco West fan blogs.

How can you find out when the sticker price will drop? Online price trackers and resources like Sottile’s blogs can help you track and predict when necessities go on sale so that you can stock up then and save. “Do not pay full price,” Sottile says. “Use the tools that are online, and you know you’ll save tons of money.”

Buying in bulk just because it looks like a good deal

In 2021, I bought a 473-millilitre bottle of vanilla extract at Costco. Five years later, I’ve only used a third of the bottle, and it just passed its best before date. The Costco bottle was significantly cheaper—around $15 or around $0.03 per millilitre, compared to around $0.10 per millilitre at No Frills and $0.12 per millilitre at Walmart.

While I saved some money, I’m now stuck with the sub-par remnants. I would’ve been better off buying smaller portions at a higher price that I’d actually use while fresh.

Fraser says that buying spices, sauces and condiments can seem like a good deal at Costco, but because the sizes of these products are so huge, it can be difficult to use them up before they pass their prime.

“Something isn’t really a deal if you end up throwing half of it away,” Fraser says. “I always think about whether my family will realistically use that amount before buying it.”

Blowing your budget on impulse buys

Making a shopping list before you enter the sliding doors is a tip that even rookie shoppers know. But where most people go astray is not leaving room for the tempting deals, sales and those Costco “finds” so that those impulse buys don’t end up taking over your cart.

Sottile says Costco finds are part of the fun. “You can say ‘I’m not going to buy anything that’s not on my list,’ but that’s not why people go to Costco,” Sottile admits.

So, add to that shopping list budget, if you know you’ll cave. He recommends setting yourself an extra $50 or $100, if you can afford it, for impulse buys and unexpected deals. This can help you stay on track and keep their fun purchases contained.

“Often, people go nuts with impulse deal shopping and blow too much dough,” says Sottile. And Fraser agrees. She says this is the most relatable Costco hazard for her.

Another frictionmaxxing strategy for shopping she uses is to avoid adding a tempting item to her cart, literally: “I’ll sometimes take a picture of something I like instead of buying it right away,” says Fraser. “If I’m still thinking about it later, I can go back to buy it.”

Thinking everything at Costco is cheaper

It’s tempting to buy everything you need at Costco, but for some items, your neighbourhood grocery store might actually be cheaper.

“I look at Canadian grocery flyers all the time and regular grocery store sales can definitely beat Costco,” Fraser says. “Costco has great prices, but it isn’t always the cheapest. I recommend comparing the price per unit rather than just looking at the total price.”

I use the Flipp app to browse flyers and see what’s on sale, while the North Bay, Ont.-developed app Gofer Run uses AI to analyze your shopping list and compare prices of products at competing stores, including Costco, by weight or volume.

Missing out on price adjustments for big-ticket items

Consider Costco’s generous price adjustment policy. The big-box retailer issues credit for products that go on sale within 30 days of purchase.

Sottile says that big-ticket items like appliances and electronics often go on sale, so it’s worth checking whether their prices have gone down before the price adjustment window expires.

“I set a reminder in my calendar for 27 days after I buy something big from Costco,” Sottile explains. He once got $1,000 back in credit for a log splitter that he bought for $1,900, which went on clearance within a month.

And “Costco keeps your receipts on file, so you don’t even have to bring the receipt in,” says Sottile. “You just have to bring your card to the customer service desk.”

Costco still has great deals, so long as you don’t make these mistakes

Both Sottile and Fraser are huge fans of shopping at Costco and attest that the retailer does have some fantastic deals that regularly beat other stores. And if you’re a savvy shopper, you can take advantage of Costco’s low prices without these common hazards getting the best of your wallet.

Read more from this issue of The Get:

1. When social media complaints serve as scammer bait
2. The actual life of a showgirl, with Allie Goodbun
3. The cold tax: How to save on cold and flu meds in Canada
4. How can I raise my credit limit in Canada?