16 Reasons You Should Stop Shopping at Costco (#12 Is a Dealbreaker)

Millions of people love Costco. Shopping at the beloved retailer is one way to save money on groceries and other goods.

However, Costco might not be the right choice for everyone. Here are 16 reasons you shouldn’t shop at Costco.

One great Costco hack is to buy in bulk so you can save money. But this doesn’t always work out.

For example, do you really need 300 paper plates? Or 4.5 lbs. of chocolate chips? Or five tubes of toothpaste?

Costco’s bulk packaging can easily lure you into buying larger quantities than you need, causing you to allocate too much of your budget to items you will never fully use.

Surprisingly, it’s not always more economical to buy in bulk at Costco. Often, the price per ounce at Costco is similar to what you would pay in a traditional grocery store.

In many cases, waiting for a good sale at a normal grocery store can save you money compared to buying the item at Costco.

Even the cheapest Costco membership is $60. That means you have to save that much money on Costco purchases before you break even on the membership cost.

If you don’t shop often at Costco, it might take a while before you spend enough to get to that point.

Perhaps you can get a great deal when you buy 10 pounds of potatoes, or purchase cheese in 2.5-pound bags.

However, if your items go moldy or sour before you can eat them, you haven’t really saved any money.

If you’re in a small apartment, you might not have room for all the bulk purchases you would make at Costco.

If you simply don’t have space, your $60 membership fee might be better spent somewhere other than Costco.

Costco has many generic items for sale under its Kirkland Signature brand. But for many other products, only name-brand choices are available.

If you don’t care about brand names, you might get better deals by shopping for generic brands at a traditional grocery store.

If you don’t love chatting it up with the cashier, know that many Costco locations don’t offer self-checkout or express lanes.

That means you are stuck waiting in line like everyone else.

Costco has two sizes of carts: huge and huger.

Smaller folks or those who have trouble steering a massive shopping cart will find maneuvering through a Costco warehouse — which averages 147,000 square feet — to be challenging at best.

There’s something to be said for entertaining your little ones with a ride on a double-wide silver chariot, stopping for free samples as you cruise through the aisles.

However, some parents find fighting through Costco with kids to be a nightmare. After all, there is more room for them to run, climb, and hide in a warehouse.

In a normal grocery store, you can avoid getting in a line behind customers with full-to-the-brim shopping carts. But at Costco, that’s everyone.

The lines can make Costco shopping trips longer than usual.

Getting free snacks while you shop can be a perk, but it can be a drawback too.

Those who are watching what they eat or simply don’t want to interact with pushy salespeople might just as soon avoid Costco’s sample-dispensing crew.

Paying with a MasterCard or American Express? If so, you’re not shopping at Costco.

Costco does not accept those forms of payment. Instead, you will need to use one of the following:

• Cash
• Checks
• Costco Shop Cards
• Visa

Costco also accepts EBT cards, as well as FSA and HSA debit cards in its pharmacies and optical and hearing aid departments.

Costco does accept MasterCard for online orders.

Costco staff members check your receipt at the door. That might deter some theft, but it doesn’t do much for the shopping experience.

No one likes to feel interrogated when they leave a store with their purchases. The receipt inspectors are another reason some might choose to skip Costco.

Meal planning and shopping during sales at your local grocery store are easy ways to spend less on food without wasting hours at a warehouse buying it. You will find a greater variety of food and brands — including generics — at your local grocer.

Even if you have a large family, you don’t need an expensive Costco membership to save on groceries. So, consider boosting your financial fitness by purchasing items at your local grocery store instead.