**The Art of Costco Navigation: Uncovering the Store's Secrets**

As we walk through the aisles of Costco, it's easy to get disoriented and lost in the vast store. But have you ever wondered why the aisles within the stores are not labeled? It's not just a matter of convenience; there's a deliberate strategy behind this design. According to experts, the goal is to create an environment that encourages impulse purchases and wandering around the store. By not labeling the aisles, customers are more likely to stumble upon unexpected products and make unplanned purchases.

**The Rotisserie Chicken: A Loss Leader**

One of the most iconic items in Costco's stores is the rotisserie chicken. At first glance, it seems like a straightforward product – a cooked chicken at a reasonable price. But what you might not know is that this item is actually a loss leader for the store. Costco loses around $50 million annually on these chickens due to their low profit margins. However, by getting customers in the door and encouraging them to walk through the entire store, they increase the chances of making additional sales.

**Sample Stations: Tempting Customers**

Costco's sample stations are another clever tactic used to tempt customers into buying more. Research has shown that if you try a sample in the store, you're 30-40% more likely to purchase that item. This is because the act of sampling creates a psychological connection with the product, making it more appealing and desirable. So, if you want to avoid temptation, be sure to steer clear of those sample stations.

**Transaction Size: A Surprising Average**

When it comes to buying at Costco, many customers underestimate the average transaction size. According to experts, the average transaction size is around $130, which is significantly lower than the estimated $300. So, next time you're shopping at Costco, take a closer look at your total – you might be surprised by just how much you can fit into your cart.

**The Number One Best-Selling Item: A Surprising Truth**

So, what's the number one best-selling item at Costco? According to estimates, it's not something you'd typically expect. With sales of over $400 million annually, the answer is... toilet paper! Yes, you read that right – toilet paper is the top-selling item at Costco. It makes sense when you consider the high demand for this essential household product.

**Food Court Secrets: Pizzas and Hot Dogs Galore**

When it comes to food court items, there's one place that stands out from the rest: Costco. Their pizzas are huge, with 18-inch slices that are simply irresistible at just $9.95. And if you're a fan of hot dogs, you'll be pleased to know that Costco sells more hot dogs annually than every major league baseball stadium combined! It's clear that these food court items are a hit with customers.

**Private Label Partnerships: A Key to Success**

Costco has an impressive array of private label partnerships, including Duracell batteries. But what makes these partnerships so successful? The answer lies in the store's leverage and ability to negotiate favorable deals with suppliers. By partnering with top brands, Costco can offer high-quality products at competitive prices, which helps drive sales and customer loyalty.

**Membership Options: What You Can Do Without a Membership**

Not everyone has the luxury of joining a Costco membership. But don't worry – there are still ways to shop at Costco without breaking the bank. For example, you can use the Costco shop card, which is essentially a gift card that allows you to shop in-store without a membership. Additionally, many states offer the option to purchase alcohol at Costco without a membership.

**Additional Membership-Only Deals**

Some items are exclusive to Costco members only. While this might seem like an added incentive for joining, it's worth noting that there are still ways to access these products even without a membership. For instance, you can use Instacart to shop online and have items shipped directly to your doorstep – but be aware of the added fees.

**State Laws: Buying Alcohol at Costco Without a Membership**

In some states, it's possible to purchase alcohol at Costco without a membership. These states include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

**The Food Court: A Membership Requirement**

One of the most surprising changes in Costco's recent history is the shift to requiring a membership for dining at the food court. This change was made as part of a larger effort to implement more cost-saving measures and increase revenue streams. While this might seem like an added hurdle, it's worth noting that there are still ways to access the food court without a membership – albeit with some caveats.

**Winning a $250 Costco Gift Card**

Finally, we have one last opportunity for our loyal subscribers! To win a $250 Costco gift card, simply enter your email address into the designated field on this page. We'll randomly select a winner and notify them via email. Good luck, and happy shopping at Costco!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhoa whoa whoa is this you is this you right here are you brittany vassar i'm not letting you in here you're not getting in here excuse me what are you talking about that's not me that looks nothing like me hello and welcome back to my channel i am back today with another juicy costco video and today i'm sharing some secrets shopping secrets that will save you money so we're spilling the tea while i'm sipping the tea ow the tea is piping hot if you are new here if you're a costco enthusiast like i am definitely subscribe and i'm going to pick one person at random who is subscribed and leaves any comment down below to win a 250 costco gift card there is a lot to cover today i'm going to move through these quickly and we are going to start with the basics just in case you don't know needs to be covered first and foremost on the price tag if you see that little asterisk what does it mean i like to call that the death star that means that product will no longer be sold in that location so stock up if it's something you love get it before it's gone and usually that product is at a discount and the way you can tell if a product at costco is discounted is the price will end with a nine seven or two zeros if it ends with a nine seven that means it is a national deal at all costco's and if it ends with a double zero that means it's a local deal and if a label is green that means it's organic so those are kind of the basics to keep in mind as you're browsing through the store looking at the price tags now i have always wanted to know what is the best time to go shopping at costco to minimize crowds so my costco insiders tell me the best time to go to costco is 30 minutes before closing that's the number one time and the second best time is to go between three to five p.m on a weekday if you buy something at costco let's say you get a new tv or a couch or a big ticket item and then you see that item has gone on sale costco will actually price match that so they don't price match to other stores but if that item goes on sale at costco within 30 days of purchase they'll refund you the difference the only exception here though is black friday deals so you can't beat the system that way now on the flip side there are many retailers that will price match to costco i'm going to list them here on the screen it has to be the exact item so if you bring in the store flyer or even show that price on the costco website these stores will match the price also a lot of people don't realize that costco has an amazing return policy with very few exceptions everything in the store is returnable at any time and even opened food items that you've already tasted let's say you don't like it you can return it i would say don't abuse this policy it is on your record you never want to abuse something like this so now let's get into some ways you can save even more money at costco a lot of people don't know this but every year groupon runs a special deal on costco memberships it's usually in september or october where if you buy a membership for sixty dollars you get a forty dollar gift card to shop at costco and a 40 voucher off of a 250 order on costco.com you get 80 in vouchers so it's basically like getting a free membership plus 20 bucks do not sleep on the costco gift card section you can get crazy deals at various retailers just by buying those gift cards through costco for example ryan and i we love outback steakhouse give me a bloom and onion any day of the week i went in there and you can buy a 100 voucher to outback steakhouse for 80 bucks right there i just saved 20. the best deal you're gonna find for organic frozen vegetables is this costco five and a half pound bag it comes down to 10 cents an ounce these are organic frozen vegetables when vegetables are frozen they're frozen at their peak freshness and the price of this for organic frozen vegetables is less than you're going to find for non-organic in the regular grocery store one thing we do to really get our value from the frozen items is we have a deep freezer in the garage now it was only a hundred dollars we got it black friday last year so when we do buy these larger frozen bulk items we make sure that we're going to actually use it get our value from it and we have storage space for it the costco executive membership which is 120 a year will pay for itself if you spend on average 250 a month at costco but here's the thing if you get the executive membership and you don't end up getting your value from it they will refund you now there is a seasonal schedule calendar at costco when certain things come in when certain things go on sale and knowing that you're gonna have an advantage so i will have all the months listed down in the description box but for january that is when the new furniture comes in and that is when the winter outerwear and jackets go on sale and for february coming up for valentine's day this is the best place to get your roses you can get a dozen long stem roses for 39.99 which i can almost guarantee is the best price you're gonna find on those they also have the chocolate covered strawberries that come in the week of valentine's day and oh that's a win you can save 150 a year by getting your electronic devices at costco because they offer free tech support other retailers like best buy they charge you 150 to have access to their geek squad whereas at costco that is free they have a number you can call and they offer free unlimited tech support costco should be the first place you look for your vacation deals they offer some amazing vacation packages so make sure you check there now let's talk about some costco layout secret understand what's going on in the store so first and foremost the aisles within the stores are not labeled and that's for a reason they want you to be disoriented they want you to wander around because that makes it more likely that you're going to get some impulse purchases and you may also notice that every costco store has a slightly different layout for the same reason they want you to be lost in there and have to search around and go through the aisles they also put the famous five dollar rotisserie chickens all the way at the back of the store you want to know why because it forces you to walk through the entire store and pass by all the aisles to get to it and let's talk about the costco chickens quickly because those are actually a loss leader for the store they lose on average 50 million dollars a year on those chicken because again you know why they get you in the door and what they do a lot of people don't know this is that any unsold rotisserie chickens at the end of the day they remove the chicken legs and package them together at an even bigger discount and they put those out first thing in the morning when you're in the store and you hear belding like this that means there is a hot fresh batch of rotisserie chickens that just went out in the back did you know that if you try a sample in the store you are 30 to 40 percent more likely to purchase that item so if you don't want to be tempted avoid the sample stations the average transaction size at costco is 130 for us it's definitely closer to 300 so let me know down in the comments what is your average transaction size when you go what is your guess for the number one best-selling item at costco to the tune of 400 million dollars a year just on this one item put your guests down below and it is toilet paper i mean look it makes sense when you think about it the past couple years we've had do you ever wonder why the food court items are so extremely cheap and the price never goes up that's because just like the rotisserie chickens they are lost leaders and it is something that the ceo of costco himself is very dedicated and attached to another food court tip you guys gotta get on the costco pizzas they're huge like 18 inch tastes amazing like 9.95 you can't eat it domino's try and beat that papa john's so costco sells so much pizza and hot dogs that they are considered the 15th largest pizza chain in the united states and they sell more hot dogs annually than every major league baseball stadium combined and if you watch my last costco video you know that all kirkland products are private labeled but costco has so much leverage that they're able to get some of the best private label partnerships i already exposed several of them in my last video so if you have not seen that one i'm gonna have it linked here and down below so definitely check it out like for example duracell makes the kirkland brand batteries not everyone out there needs or wants a costco membership maybe you're a student or you just don't purchase enough to justify the membership price there are several things you can do without a membership first if you know someone with a costco membership they can get a costco shop card which is like a gift card and you can use that to shop in the store without a membership anybody can use the costco pharmacy and you can use the vision center to get an eye exam they offer 65 eye exams which is a great price however if you're not a member you cannot purchase glasses prescriptions contacts anything like that through their vision center but you can get the exam you can also shop at costco without a membership via instacart however just know there's a lot of added fees so you're gonna end up paying quite a bit more you can purchase some items online there are many things that are membership only deals but a lot of things you can purchase online however there is a five percent surcharge there are several states where you can purchase alcohol at costco without a membership and i will list those states on the screen here now you used to be able to dine at the food court without a membership however that is no longer true as of march 2020 you need a membership to eat at the food cart don't forget to leave a comment down below if you want to be entered to win a 250 costco gift card you just have to be subscribed to this channel and i will be announcing the winner to that over on my instagram stories so with all of that being said thank you as always so much for watching and i will see you next time with another video please don't take me to costco jail please should have thought about that before you came out with your clever little videos you\n"