Costco is a popular retailer that offers groceries, general merchandise, and even some luxury items like handbags.
Since customers buy items in bulk, you may wonder if the store also offers curbside pickup.
Here’s what you need to know about Costco’s delivery programs including curbside pickup.
Does Costco Have Curbside Pickup?
Yes, Costco does have curbside pickup, but it’s only available at a few of its stores.
There are two main ways that you can check to see if your local Costco offers curbside pickup.
The first is to call the store and ask an employee.
They can tell you immediately whether the store has that service available.
The other way you can tell is to try and order curbside pickup.
To do that, you need to go to Costco’s online shop and order your items.
If you see an option for curbside pickup after you check out, then you know it’s an option at your store.
Costco has several delivery options for your groceries.
However, it only has curbside pickup available at a few locations.
How To Do Curbside Pickup At Costco
If you’ve never done a curbside pickup order before, then you may be unsure of the process.
The good news is that it’s relatively simple.
Here are the steps you need to complete your curbside pickup order.
1. Order Items On Costco Online
You first need to do your shopping.
On Costco’s online store, you should find almost everything that they have available inside the store, too.
As you add items to your cart, you can see how much your total is going to be.
Once you’re done ordering, you can check out.
2. Choose Same-Day Delivery
Before you choose your pickup options, you need to make sure that you have the right option clicked.
To get a curbside pickup, you need to click the Same-Day Delivery option.
You may see a few options here like Instacart or other methods of delivery.
You want to click “curbside pickup.”
If you don’t see this option, then it likely isn’t available at that location.
You can still choose to have your items delivered to your home with Instacart, however.
That said, for curbside pickup, click that option and fill out any information it might ask of you.
Then submit your order.
3. Arrive At Costco
You should receive a text or email about your order.
Within that text is information about when your order will be ready.
They may also mention that they’ll send you another notification when your order is ready for pickup.
In most cases, you’re able to choose the general time for your pickup.
Once you’ve chosen your pickup time, you only have an hour to get there and pick up your order.
If you don’t pick up your order within an hour of it being ready, then you’ll lose your order.
You’ll get a refund, but you’ll have to start the process all over again.
This is because Costco has a limited amount of space to hold items.
If you have perishables, they also have to be mindful of how long they’re out before they spoil.
The text that Costco sends you will include information about where to park.
When you arrive at the store, park in the designated area.
4. Follow Instructions
The text will also give additional information about preparing your car for your delivery.
Once you’ve arrived and are ready, you can inform the Costco employee charged with your order that you’re there.
You can do so through text or the app.
Once the employee receives the notification that you’ve arrived in the designated parking area, they’ll bring your items to you.
They’ll even load them into your car for you.
5. Leave
Once your groceries are in the car, you can leave.
It’s always worth checking the bags to ensure they got everything.
If you forgot to add something to your order, then the good news is that Costco is right there.
You can run in and buy the forgotten item.
Otherwise, you’re free to head back home with your items.
Does Curbside Pickup At Costco Cost Extra?
When choosing curbside pickup as a way to get your groceries, you may wonder if it will cost you extra.
Yes, there is a service fee that you need to pay for curbside pickup.
The service fee pays for the employee’s time.
They have to take time away from their regular duties to go shopping on your behalf.
This means that they receive a list of the items that you want, and then go around the store and pick up those items.
They then ring those items up and get them prepared for delivery to your car.
Since it takes time, Costco needs extra money to cover the loss of profit they’re taking by pulling that employee away from something else.
That said, the service fee isn’t too expensive.
It’s less than what you might tip a delivery driver.
Also, you don’t have to tip the employee since it’s part of their job.
If you’re interested in having someone else get your groceries but want to save on delivery charges and tips, then curbside pickup is the cheapest way to go.
Is Curbside Pickup At Costco Contact-Free?
One of the reasons that curbside pickup has become so popular at stores was the promise of contactless service.
Before the pandemic, it was rare to see any store with curbside pickup options.
During and after, it has become the norm.
Curbside pickup is popular because it does offer a contactless way to get your groceries.
The only contact you have is with the worker who brings your groceries.
They don’t linger long, however.
Their purpose is to load the groceries into your car, then head back to the store.
As such, they’re only in contact with the outside of your car.
If you get out of the car and speak with them, then you’re in contact with them.
If you remain in the car and let them deliver the groceries, then the service is contactless.
For those who want to ensure their families remain healthy, curbside pickup is a great option to receive contactless deliveries.
It also helps because you don’t have to go into the store to pick up the groceries, yourself.
Someone else handles all the shopping for you.
That also means they’re the ones mingling with the other guests at the store while you remain safe in your car.
As such, curbside pickup is a contactless service that can keep your family safe.
What Are Costco Pickup Lockers?
In an effort to offer more contactless services, Costco has also introduced Costco Pickup Lockers.
These lockers are similar to what Amazon has for its deliveries.
They work similarly to curbside pickup in that you order groceries or items, then pick them up.
Costco Pickup Lockers are more widely available than their curbside pickup service.
However, they’re not yet available at every store either.
Costco plans to continue to offer lockers to more of its stores in the years to come.
For those who do have access to Costco Pickup Lockers, you access them the same way that you would a curbside service.
You first order your groceries online or through the Costco app.
Then you choose same-day delivery as the delivery option when checking out.
If your store supports pickup lockers, then you should see an option for it.
Click that and you’ll receive information about your locker.
It will tell you where to locate your locker and how to access it.
In the meantime, employees are going to be filling your order.
Once they have everything, they’ll put it in the locker for you to pick up.
Once you arrive at Costco or wherever your particular locker is located, you can unlock it and get your groceries.
Costco offers pickup lockers as an alternative to having high-value items delivered to your home.
For example, if you buy an expensive handbag or gaming console from Costco, then you might not like the idea of it sitting on your front porch until you arrive home.
By having them deliver to a pickup locker instead, you can be sure that it’s kept locked and safe.
Only you can access the locker, which means that the high-value item is going to be there when you open it.
This cuts down the risk of having items stolen by thieves.
Costco Pickup Lockers can be a great way to ensure your items aren’t stolen.
What Delivery Options Does Costco Offer?
If you don’t want to shop in the Costco store, then you may wonder what different delivery options it offers.
In an effort to better serve its customers, Costco has several different ways that you can receive your items.
Here are the different delivery options that you can receive through Costco.
1. Instacart
One of the best delivery options that Costco has is with Instacart.
Instacart offers a same-day delivery service.
It’s a third-party app that hires freelancers and employees to shop for you.
They go through the Costco store with your shopping list, then check out with your items and head to your home.
They deliver your items right to your door or wherever you instruct them to deliver.
One of the perks of using Instacart is that you don’t have to take the groceries directly from the delivery workers.
You can have them put the bags down by the door, then pick them up when they leave.
That means you can have a completely contactless grocery shopping experience.
Instacart offers same-day delivery, so you can order your groceries early in the day and receive them a little later.
You can also order earlier in the week and have them delivered later that week.
The shopping always happens within the block of time that you select when setting your delivery preferences.
Keep in mind that Instacart is a third-party delivery service.
As such, you should expect additional charges like delivery fees, slightly elevated shopping prices, and tips.
If you don’t tip your delivery worker, then they might not be so willing to pick up your order in the future.
Instacart is a great same-day delivery service that you can access through Costco’s online store or app.
2. Second-Day Delivery
When shopping on Costco’s online store or through their app, you’ll also see an option for second-day delivery.
This option is best served for dry goods and non-perishables.
When you select this option, you’ll receive your groceries and items the next day instead of the same day.
Costco partners with UPS and other delivery services for handling these orders.
The service will pick up your groceries, then deliver them to your home the next day.
Because they can take a day to arrive at your home, you shouldn’t order perishables with this service.
They’ll likely arrive spoiled.
That said, second-day delivery is often cheaper than same-day delivery.
If you have items that you don’t mind waiting for, then this service may be more up your alley.
3. Regular Delivery Service
Finally, Costco has its own regular delivery service.
Whether you need to buy furniture or other general merchandise, they’ll process it like a normal delivery.
As such, you can expect the item or items to arrive anywhere from two days to five business days after you order them.
Big-ticket items may take as long as a week to arrive.
You should think of their regular delivery service as the standard delivery service that they had before the pandemic.
It’s like ordering from any other store and having it arrive a week or so later.
Depending on what you’re purchasing, the regular delivery service may be the best option since you can sometimes get free shipping out of it.
Is Using Instacart At Costco Worth It?
If you don’t want to grocery shop yourself, then you may be thinking about using Instacart at Costco.
If this is your first time using a grocery shopping delivery app, then you may not be sure if it’s worth the extra cost.
Here are a few reasons Instacart is worth using at Costco.
1. Same Savings
One of the reasons some people worry about using Instacart at Costco is that they lose out on savings.
That isn’t the case.
Costco is a warehouse and sells bulk items at low prices.
Because of that, they don’t always have sales or discounts as other stores do.
Their sales are a little different.
Instacart shows you these discounted items and ensures you still save money when a campaign is running.
You don’t miss out on any rare sales events that Costco may be running when using Instacart.
In fact, Instacart might even make you more aware of sales.
Unless you’re paying attention to coupons and promotions regularly, then there’s always a chance that you might miss out on a sale price.
Instacart automates coupons and promotions.
As soon as you click on something, Intacart will show you if it’s on sale.
This ensures that you’re able to crank up your savings and spend even less money at Costco.
Because Instacart makes it easy to see sales, using it at Costco is worth your while.
2. Customized Delivery Options
Instacart lets you completely control your delivery experience.
You can write a note to the delivery worker that tells them where to put the delivery and any other instructions.
For example, if you don’t want them to knock or ring your doorbell, then you can tell them in the app.
It’s also helpful to let them know if you have any oddities about your yard like a driveway that has new asphalt on it or dog poop in the yard that they need to cross.
Aside from notes, you can choose the date and time for your delivery.
This ensures that you’re home and ready to accept the order as soon as they arrive.
3. Convenience
Perhaps the biggest reason Instacart is worth using at Costco is the convenience that it gives you.
Costco is a busy place with tons of shoppers in its stores every day.
Whether you want to avoid COVID or just stay home and relax, Instacart allows you to do just that.
You can have someone else deal with the hectic lines and fight over parking spaces.
You’re able to stay at home and take care of other errands or simply relax.
The convenience that Instacart affords you makes it well worth using.
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