Why You Should Always Shop At Costco With A Friend

Shopping at Costco can be a delight for those who love a good bargain. But for others, buying items at the warehouse club is simply not practical for a variety of reasons. Luckily, many of these concerns can be addressed with a simple trick — just bring a friend along with you.

Shopping with a companion allows you to take advantage of deals that might not make sense otherwise. For one, there's the freshness angle, where certain households may not consume the entirety of Costco's massive packages of perishable items before they go bad. Splitting an item up ensures less goes to waste while still getting a great bargain. Others may be short on storage space, preventing them from grabbing that massive pack of toilet paper, paper towels, or other long-lasting items. There's no such problem when splitting them with a friend.

Beyond these concerns, shopping with a friend at Costco can help you save on membership fees, too. Each Costco card allows the cardholder to bring up to two guests on each trip, allowing you to effectively split a membership up to three ways, as long as the official cardholder is always present.

For those living alone or with smaller households, splitting your Costco trips with a companion has one other significant benefit — you're able to try a lot more than you would otherwise, including some underappreciated Costco items. Without investing so much money or space in a product, you won't feel as bad if you end up disliking it and getting rid of it.

Naturally, there are some downsides to this strategy, too. It'll require you to coordinate your shopping trips with your friend, which can be tricky if you both have busy schedules. More importantly, you'll need to pick a friend with similar tastes or needs as yours. If you're both buying different things, you'll miss out on the main benefits of shopping together. And don't forget the need to coordinate payment with whoever checks out — which, considering Costco prices, can involve significant sums. Regardless, whether you're shopping with a friend or going solo, you can make the most of your next trip by brushing up on Costco price tag secrets before you go.