As someone who’s been a Costco member for roughly 20 years (and an Executive member for most of those years), I’ve clearly paid my fair share of money just to get into the store.
But the amount I’ve spent on membership fees through the years was more than worth it when you consider the savings I’ve reaped these past couple of decades.
If I had to guess, I’d say that shopping at Costco saves me $20 a week at a minimum. And that’s when I’m only buying mundane stuff like food and cleaning supplies.
I once snagged a kitchen gadget at Costco for about $60 less than the going price. That year, that single bargain basically made up for half of my membership fee.
I’m also a big fan of how Costco treats its members. And that’s a big reason I keep coming back.
“The most important item we sell is the membership card,” Costco CEO Ron Vachris told Fortune in May 2024. And he talked about how important it was to never grow complacent.
“We can’t become arrogant,” Vachris said. Rather, he recognizes that the company must continue putting members first if it wants to thrive.
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Costco has many fantastic member policies
While it’s easy to justify the cost of a Costco membership due to the potential savings, for many people, those fees are worth it for the shopping experience alone. And there’s perhaps no other retailer that treats its guests as well as Costco does.
Costco is well known for several customer-friendly policies.
- Flexible returns. Members can bring back any item at any time for any reason for a full refund, with few exceptions.
- Risk-free memberships. Members can cancel at any time and receive a full refund.
- Extended fuel station hours. Costco gas stations are open longer than the company’s warehouse club stores. This makes it easier and more convenient for members to fill up.
Costco also makes a point to be very strategic on prices to keep members happy. While the company’s Kirkland Signature brand is known for quality, it’s also known for its affordable price tag.
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“We evaluate the potential for new high-quality Kirkland Signature items with a goal of providing at least 20% value versus what we would sell the national brand item as,” CFO Gary Millerchip said during the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call.
And remember, that 20% is on top of the fact that Costco sells national brands for less.
One Costco rule may leave members frustrated
Another nice Costco policy is that members are allowed to bring their children to the store with them, plus up to two guests.
In fact, a lot of people view a trip to Costco as a family outing. You can browse the aisles, enjoy free samples, and buy a cheap food court meal on the way out.
But there’s one member of the family you may not be able to bring into Costco — your dog.
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Unfortunately, Costco does not allow dogs to enter its warehouse club stores unless they’re service animals. And this policy extends to dogs of all sizes. (So if you’re thinking a workaround is to carry your 12-pound Maltipoo into the store by cramming him into your oversized purse, sorry — that won’t work.)
It’s also worth noting that emotional support dogs are not considered service dogs. As such, they’re not allowed to enter Costco, either. Of course, there’s a reason Costco has this policy in place.
If you’ve ever walked around Costco, you know that there’s food out all the time. Allowing dogs as a general rule would likely constitute a health code violation.
Plus, if you’ve ever been to Costco on a weekend in particular, you know how jam-packed those stores can get. It’s hard enough navigating the aisles and dodging people. Adding dogs to the mix could only make things worse.
Of course, you may be tempted to try to sneak your dog into Costco. But doing so is a good way to get yourself banned. Rather than push your luck, it’s probably better to follow this one Costco rule, even if you don’t particularly love it.
Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.
