Reddit Has A Costco Hack That Saves You Time In The Checkout Line

Costco is known for its great deals, but there is no denying that sometimes, trekking through the giant warehouse to score some savings can be a time-consuming, not to mention exhausting, process. It's no wonder, then, that many people are on the lookout for ways to make the shopping experience quicker, easier, and less painful. Recently, one Costco shopper devised a helpful method to cut down their time spent in the store. Since the last thing you want to do after tracking down all your items is to wait at length to pay for your purchases, they came up with an efficient way to get through the checkout line, which they shared on Reddit.

U/Konigbreaker posted a picture of their Costco cart, in which all of their items were arranged with the barcodes facing upward, in view of the cashier. This way, employees can easily scan the groceries without loading them onto the conveyor belt. Many Reddit users were impressed with this time-saving hack, with one bragging that they "made it through checkout in under two minutes" using the method. A Costco worker chimed in, "I certainly appreciate when people are all ready to go with barcodes up and membership card out. Goes way faster for both of us." However, others acknowledged that the trick might not work at every location.

A few Reddit users warned that the barcode trick won't necessarily help you out at every Costco. Some employees said they prefer to place items on the conveyer belt no matter what, as it can be easy to miss smaller items when they're left in the cart. Others are required to do so per store policy. Luckily, this is only one of many Costco hacks you need to know if you want to save time at the store — and deliver an extra bang for your buck on that annual membership fee.

Shopping only at edges of the store, rather than venturing through the interior, for example, will help you save both time and money, according to It's Rosy. Since the warehouse is intentionally set up to draw customers' eyes to tempting — but non-essential — items, limiting your shopping to the outer aisles will likely get you back to your car faster and with more money in your wallet. Other tricks include visiting the store during quieter hours (typically on weekdays around 3 p.m.) and ordering your food court pizza ahead of time instead of waiting in line.