Costco Employees Just Revealed Game-Changing Shopping Hack
Ask any Costco member about their least favorite part of the shopping experience at the warehouse, and, besides certain items that don't live up to their expectations, they'll likely mention the crowds. From the parking lot and the long lines that can form at the entrance, to bumping into people in the aisles, Costco's popularity often comes at a frustrating price—your time.
That's why savvy shoppers strategize about when their local Costco will be least busy. And theories abound! Some point to specific times of year when it's best to hit Costco if you prefer an empty store: during the Super Bowl; on the evening of February 14, aka Valentine's Day dinner; and even Halloween. Others swear by best days of the week and hours of the day—Tuesdays at 10 a.m., when many warehouses first open (hours vary across locations). In fact, many have figured out that opening time is a good bet, which makes the whole undertaking counterproductive as you'll frequently find lines snaking to the front door as early as 10:01 a.m.
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But a little know, let's call it "hack," on the timing of your shopping trip was just revealed by Costco employees on Reddit. One that could actually help you avoid waiting in line to get in at opening time.
"Are opening hours just sort of "suggested"?" one shopper wrote, pointing out that they arrived at their warehouse at 9:57 a.m. one morning, thinking they were early. "I was going to sit in my car for a couple minutes because the weather was lousy, but I noticed people leaving the store. So I went in, and sure enough, there was already a stream of customers leaving with purchases, and it wasn't even 10:00. I double-checked the printed hours at the store itself, which confirmed 10:00."
Several Redditors that identified themselves as Costco employees confirmed that the warehouses actually tend to open their doors to early-bird shoppers 15 minutes before 10 a.m. "The goal is to always open 15 minutes early. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't," one person wrote. "Can confirm, Costco employee here. It depends how busy the morning crew is, if we had a lot of sick calls or not," another wrote.
More shoppers chimed in with a similar observation. "I had the very same experience and asked employees about the opening time. They said when all the forklifts are off the floor they will sometimes open as much as 15 minutes early. The employee also specified 'don't count on the store opening early.'"
"Sounds like we've all had a similar experience! I used to time my errands to arrive no earlier than 10, except one day it was 9:45. I saw lots of people walking into the store, no one waiting outside, and even some people walking out with purchases. So I went in. I was surprised! It looked like self-checkout was open but staffed registers were still closed until 10."
The consensus is that while you can't rely on the doors opening before the official opening time, it is very likely you will be able to get in early if you arrive before 10 a.m., and in some cases, even walk out with your entire purchase before the store fills up with buzzing customers.
"My Costco is like this also. They just randomnly open 15-20 minutes early. You never know when, or if, it will happen," one person wrote, additionally pointing out that everyone, regardless of membership tier, can take advantage of this early-bird hack. "As far as I know, there are no special hours for different types of card holders. Used to do that a long time ago but not anymore."
And for an even smoother shopping experience, make sure you take advantage of other ingenious tips that could save you time, money, and get you the best possible products at Costco.
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