Claudia Byatt
Money & Banking

Financial guru reveals how to shop at Costco without membership

With the cost of living crisis, people have started abandoning their local supermarkets and heading to Costco to do a shop that doesn't break the bank.

While best known for its deals, shoppers must have a membership with the wholesaler, meaning they pay a yearly fee of $60 to shop there.

However, one bargain hunter and money-saving expert has revealed how to shop at the supermarket without paying the membership fee.

To access a Costco without a membership, shoppers need a shop card, financial guru Little Birdie explained.

The cards can be preloaded with any amount from $25 to $999.99, with recipients then able to use them for purchase in store.

There is a catch - the cards have to be bought by a current member, and can’t be used online, or in fuel stations, Birdie continued in her TikTok.

Currently, there are only 15 stores across Australia.

Parents of larger families have reported getting hundreds of dollars off their grocery bills by buying in bulk at Costco.

“Every time I go to Costco, my favourite part is seeing how much money I saved. Yesterday was my first trip there in a few years. I spent $593,” one woman wrote on Facebook.

“I did a (fake) online order with Coles, selecting equal quantities as what I have purchased at Costco. Coles would have cost me $783.”

She claimed the quality of the products, particularly meat, is better than other stores and is the ideal place to purchase expensive dog food in bulk at a quarter of the price.

“We actually ended up saving around $35, on approximately six weeks food for our dogs. But the real win is that we have it already, and don't have to get stress when we're running out and all the supermarkets are out of stock!”

The wholesaler has served to help many families in desperate times with one woman saying she saved a whopping $600 by shopping at Costco.

Image credit: TikTok

Tags:
Costco, Bargain hunter, Savings, Cost of living