How To Shop At Costco If You're Single, According To Reddit

According to Zippia, behind Walmart and Amazon, Costco is the largest American retailer, with revenue figures jumping from $87 billion in 2011 to $196 billion just 10 years later. The company operates 825 warehouses around the world, the bulk of which are located in 46 US states. On average, shoppers make about 23 trips annually, throwing down about $114 per trip on about nine products (the retailer's most popular: Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue, which rakes in $400 million per year.) Over the years, Costco's dramatic uptick in sales has been accompanied by a steady rise in revenue from membership fees, but, per Zippia, the store's most common American shopper is an Asian-American woman who is between 35 and 44 years old, earns a six-figure income, and is married.

The Motley Fool estimates there are about 64 million Costco members in America, which means roughly 26% of US adults shop at the warehouse store. Business Insider cites figures that show the number is closer to one-third of all Americans. Membership to Costco's warehouse club starts at $60 per year (plus tax), which entitles shoppers access to its big-box retail stores as well as online shopping. Tellingly, it comes with two membership cards, "for you and someone in your household" (via Costco). So, non-members may be wondering: Is it worth the price of membership for one-person households that typically don't need to buy items in bulk, however attractive their discounted prices might be?

Consumer finance experts seem divided over the question of whether Costco memberships are a good deal for shoppers who are single or live in one-person households (via Go Baking Rates). According to some people, the concern lies not just in bulk-portioned items like spinach that are practically guaranteed to spoil before a single person can go through them, because products like olive oil and over-the-counter medications will often also expire before they can be used in time. Others argued shoppers can easily freeze items like bread and cheese so they can benefit from bulk discounts without anything going to waste. Of course, there are also countless variables to consider before deciding whether to buy a Costco membership, such as whether one's home has enough storage space to accommodate bulk-packaged items or whether purchases can be split with friends and family.

One Reddit thread offers advice on individual items that single shoppers consider worth the price of membership. Among them: pet medications, gas (a product mentioned in multiple comments), shelf-stable milk alternatives, clothing, bottled water and canned seltzer water, paper goods, soap, laundry detergent, frozen chicken breasts, muffins (which can be frozen, as commentors pointed out), dried fruit, pizza (another popular choice), and spices. Additionally, Redditors offered other "hacks" that can help members get the most bang for their buck, such as buying an additional chest freezer and using vacuum seal food storage.