If You Live in One of These 13 States, You Should Check Out These Special Costco Stores

Every Costco store offers a slightly different experience, but if there's one thing that unifies them, it's the crowds. Unless you go on a Monday morning, you're likely going to be competing for parking, slowing and stopping for other shoppers, waiting in long checkout lines, and avoiding eye contact with drivers waiting on you to load your car so they can take your parking spot.

If crowds are the price we pay for cheap groceries, I'll certainly take it. But what if I told you there's another breed of Costco store that offers the same great prices with fewer people? And no -- I'm not talking about BJs. I'm talking about Costco Business Centers. And if you're lucky enough to have one of these special Costco stores near you, it might just become your new favorite store.

Why you should check out Costco Business Centers

Costco Business Centers are warehouses stocked with business merchandise and other goods geared toward small business owners. But don't get the wrong impression -- even though they're designed for small businesses, any Costco member can shop there. And sometimes doing so will actually save you money.

Many products that you typically see at a Costco warehouse you'll also find at a Business Center -- just in bigger quantities. For example, though you can find 12 to 20 pound bags of rice at Costco, you can find 50 pound bags at Business Centers. You might even find the same products with the same weights sold cheaper at a Business Center. A 20 pound bag of Royal Basmati Rice, for instance, costs $24.99 online from Costco, whereas the same bag costs $22.99 from a Business Center.

Admittedly, the quantities can sometimes be too large for consumer use, like a 7 pound jug of Nutella. But if you're throwing a party, hosting a gathering, or sponsoring an event for charity or church, the large quantities could help you feed more mouths at a much lower cost than even traditional Costcos.

Of course, these are Business Centers, so you'll find a lot of business merchandise there, too, like cooking equipment, industrial-sized refrigerators, and office supplies. But even that could work to your advantage, especially if you work from home and need cheap office supplies, like chairs, desks, and paper.

Where are Business Centers located?

Business Centers aren't located everywhere, and the chances of one being close to you are fairly slim. Costco strategically places Business Centers close to highways and major business areas. And while "highways" and "businesses" may seem pan-American, these centers are currently limited to the following metropolitan areas:

• Anchorage
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Orlando
• Phoenix
• Reno
• Sacramento
• Salt Lake City
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Seattle
• Tacoma

If you live near one of these areas, there's a chance Costco Business Centers will deliver directly to you. Keep in mind that prices online are typically more expensive than in warehouses, and there's a $25 surcharge for orders under $250.

With inflation still relatively high, a Costco Business Center might help your personal finances by cutting grocery bills and saving you money. If you're fortunate enough to have one of these centers near you, check out the prices and goods. If anything, it's a fun experience, as it's not every day you see 50 pound bags of onions and enough Nutella to fill all of France's croissants.