5 Surprises From My First Costco Shopping Trip

As it turns out, my fellow writers and editors here at The Ascent are shepherds, and I am just a sheep, following them to the Costco promised land. I managed to spend 35 years on this Earth without ever having set foot in a Costco store…until last month. I am now a proud card-carrying Costco member.

After spending years reading and editing hundreds of Costco articles, you'd think I would have been fully prepared for my first visit. But, as it turns out, the following five things still managed to surprise me.

1. Costco is BUSY

OK, so maybe that's not much of a secret. Costco is a notoriously busy store to shop at. I've heard advice that it's best to shop right as the store opens or right before closing on a weekday. But I never do my grocery shopping in the morning or the evening… I've always been more of a mid-afternoon, right-after-I-finish-up-work kind of shopper. So I decided to compromise and take off a little early and head out at noon. My reasoning? Most 9-to-5 professionals are still at work at that time, and kids are still in school, so how busy could it really be?

The answer: BUSY! The store was packed full of shoppers, all navigating their oversized carts down aisles that I was trying to take my time to browse and acclimate myself with for the first time. Not ideal. Next time, I think I'll opt for a just-after-opening shopping trip, and see how much better that works out for me.

2. Your items won't be bagged at checkout

I surely knew this one. But just as sure as I knew it, I forgot it by the time of my shopping trip. And I spared no category during my shop: clothing, food (both refrigerated and pantry staples), paper goods, cleaning supplies, you name it. So by the time I made it to checkout, my oversized cart was bursting at the seams. As I wheeled my car to the associate that began to scan my items and reorganize them in my cart, it dawned on me. All of these items would be going into the trunk of my car however I could fit them, willy-nilly, without the structure or boundaries that grocery bags provide.

Don't let this sneak up on you, too. Be sure you have the space in your vehicle for all your Costco treasures. I highly recommend preparing your trunk or backseat in advance with reusable bags, cargo netting, or cardboard boxes to help secure your items.

3. Receipt checkers at exit can cause a bit of a backup

Costco positions associates at the exit to check and mark all receipts as customers leave the store. Because the store is so busy, there is constantly a group of shoppers entering and exiting the store at one time. Unfortunately, several shoppers leaving at once can cause a bit of a backlog at the exit, as folks wait patiently to have their receipts checked. In my experience, this took no longer than a couple minutes, but if you're not expecting the delay, or you're just flat out in a hurry on the day you shop, it's something to keep in mind.

4. Pizza from the Costco food court offers great value

Costco's food court may be most famous for its $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, but if you're looking for a good deal and hotdogs aren't your thing, the club's pizza deal is equally as impressive. You can get one slice of cheese or pepperoni for $1.99. "Slice" doesn't really do this meal justice, as the slice takes up an entire paper plate. With crust of medium thickness and plenty of sauce, melty cheese, and pepperoni, one slice is all you'll need to fill up.

Feeding a family or headed to a party? Order an entire pizza or pizzas to go. A whole 18-inch pizza costs just $9.95. To put that in perspective, most pizza joints consider 18-inch pies to be XL or jumbo-sized pizzas. So to get one of these giants -- that's not at all lacking in taste or flavor, I might add -- for under $10, is simply a steal these days.

5. My Costco TP dreams were dashed

I had big plans to start stockpiling giant packs of Costco toilet paper in my basement, you know, just in case. But alas, those dreams were dashed when, shockingly, I learned that toilet paper is actually a better deal at my regular grocery store.

Costco offers a 30-pack of Kirkland 2-ply toilet paper, 380 sheets per roll, for $19.49 in store. This means each sheet of toilet paper comes out to approximately $0.0017. My regular grocery store, on the other hand, offers a 30-pack of its store-brand toilet paper, also 2-ply, with 429 sheets per roll, for $19.99. That makes each sheet approximately $0.0015. So, while I may still stockpile some TP, it looks like I'll be doing it from the aisles of my regular grocery store instead!

Do your homework to lessen potential surprises

Costco warehouses are huge. They offer a lot of good deals for shoppers to make the most of their personal finances, from its food court to its store shelves, pharmacy, gas stations, and tire centers. But as I learned, not everything at Costco offers the best value. Compare prices with your local grocery store, and consider using coupons and cash back apps to ensure you're getting the best deal, no matter where you shop.