If You Do One Thing Before Shopping at Costco, Do This

If you're a Costco member, it often makes sense to buy many of your household items at the warehouse club to take advantage of the discounted prices. But, you'll want to be smart about how you shop.

One way you can do that is to avoid unnecessary trips to the store, as each time you visit a Costco, you're at risk of making impulse buys that could drain your bank account. It also takes time and effort, and costs gas money, to visit a Costco.

To avoid wasting a trip -- while also maximizing the value of your membership by scoring in-person deals -- there's one key thing you should always do before shopping at Costco.

Making this move before shopping at Costco can save you time and money

To ensure you aren't wasting your time with a Costco visit, the one thing you should do before you head out to the warehouse is to make sure the crucial items you want are actually in stock and available.

See, the stock at each local club can vary at any given time, and the last thing that you want is to drive all the way to the store and not find the TV you want or the groceries you need.

By taking the important step of checking the stock before you go, you can avoid being forced to shop elsewhere (and potentially pay higher prices) if Costco doesn't have the items you need. You can change your meal plan before you head out if a key ingredient is missing, or wait to go until the stock has been replenished.

This can save you from wasting time and gas money -- and potentially setting yourself up to spend on your credit cards for either impulse buys or an inferior item you use as a substitute.

How to check if an Item is in stock at Costco

The good news is, it's easy to make certain the things you need will be available. One of the best ways to do that, if you're shopping for groceries or household items, is to use Instacart to check the stock before you head to the store. Instacart offers grocery delivery or pickup from Costco. So when you go on its website and search for items, you can see what's available.

You don't need to actually arrange for Instacart to deliver your stuff (and you probably shouldn't, since there are added costs). But, you can still take advantage of the site's inventory tracker to make certain the items you're going to buy at Costco will be in the store aisles when you get there.

If you're looking for Dave's Organic Bread, for example, you could search for that item on Instacart after selecting your local warehouse club as the store you want pickup or delivery from. The site should show if Costco is running low or if there are several in stock waiting for you.

Costco also indicates that you can call customer service to ask if it has the desired item in stock, although you should be prepared with the item number or a description of it. While this can be more hassle than just using Instacart, it's still worth doing for items not available through Instacart delivery.

Taking the step of making sure your items are in stock may seem annoying, but if it saves you one or two unnecessary visits to Costco, it's well worth it.