With so many Costco superfans out there preaching about the benefits and low prices at this warehouse store, you may feel like you’re missing out if you’re not a member and therefore aren’t able to shop there. But with rising membership prices, you may also be hesitant to start paying for your own—especially if you’ve previously been able to get away with card-sharing. Unfortunately, the company has recently started cracking down on this violation of store policy by checking IDs.
However, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily time to become a member right away. There are a few loopholes that non-members might want to consider. These include visiting the store as a member’s guest, shopping online, and using a Costco gift card. Learn more about each of these tricks (and their potential downsides) below.
1. Shop as a member's guest
Don't have a Costco membership? If you know someone who does—and if you can get on your good side—you may still have a way into the warehouse store so that you can take advantage of all those killer deals. That's right: members are allowed to bring two guests on every visit to the store.
The only small issue is that only the member can make purchases when it's time to check out. But if you work it out so that you can add the items that you want to the cart and pay your friend or family member back later, you've got a great opportunity on your hands. Let's just hope your schedules can line up!
2. Shop online
Who doesn't love online shopping?! As it turns out, even if you don't have a Costco card, you can purchase Costco items right from the comfort of your own home. Those who don't have Costco memberships can shop directly from Costco.com, or use Instacart to get same-day delivery on a range of products.
Unfortunately, though, you won't find as wide of a selection or as great of prices online as you would in the store. Additionally, members will have to pay an extra 5% surcharge. Ultimately, it may be better to just shop elsewhere, like at Walmart (who offers their fair share of great deals), or simply pay for a membership.
3. Receive a gift card from a member
Gift cards may have a reputation for being lazy gifts, but when as far as Costco gift cards go, they can be a serious blessing—especially to non-members. That's because even if you don't have a Costco membership, you can shop in the store if you have a Costco gift card (a.k.a. a Shop Card).
As you may suspect, only Costco members are able to purchase the gift cards. Additionally, they can only be loaded with a minimum of $25—but when you consider a great Costco haul, it shouldn't be too hard to spend all of that money.
The bottom line
As you can see, if you don't have your own Costco card, there are still several ways you can get your hands on all of the great items on store shelves. In most cases, you'll just need to know someone who's willing to help you out by giving you a gift card or taking a trip with you so that you can visit the store as their guest. Otherwise, you may just have to bite the bullet and invest in a membership. It's probably worth it in the long run.
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