Buzz
Just when you thought you had mastered every trick for shopping at Costco without a membership, a new method has surfaced to bypass those $45-plus annual fees: delivery. Depending on your location, you could use Instacart to have orders delivered from Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Warehouse.
Strategically playing the numbers could lead to significant savings if you don’t typically spend enough on groceries to justify a warehouse membership. CNBC highlighted this clever hack, noting that Instacart isn’t free—charging $99 annually for unlimited orders. A la carte delivery fees vary based on time of day and distance, and a minimum order of $35 is required if you don’t have an annual subscription. For instance, delivery from my local Sam’s Club costs $8.99 anytime, whereas delivery from Publix through the service ranges between $3.99 and $5.99.
Instacart’s pricing policy reveals that Costco’s prices are higher than in-store prices, and members miss out on the 2% executive reward when using Instacart. BJ’s mentions that item prices 'vary' from in-store prices. Sam’s Club indicates that prices may be higher online compared to in-store, but members can enter their customer number to access membership rewards and pay member prices.
Let’s quickly compare prices under the assumption that I’m in the mood for some processed macaroni and cheese, which is entirely possible.
Sam’s Club through Instacart offers an 18-pack of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for $16.75, while the same amount is priced at $14.78 online and $13.96 in-store at Sam’s Club.
Publix via Instacart carries the same mac and cheese, but the largest available size for the classic version is a four-pack priced at $6.19. If I’m preparing for future macaroni and cheese cravings, it makes more sense to pay Instacart’s higher price for Sam’s Club’s larger quantity than to buy multiple smaller boxes from Publix.
Another factor to consider: You may also be able to get alcohol delivered from these warehouse clubs. It’s one of the worst-kept secrets of bulk shopping that you can usually purchase alcohol from warehouse clubs without a membership, but the convenience of ordering from home makes it even more tempting. Instacart offers same-store pricing on items from Sam’s Club Liquors (which is a separate entity from Sam’s Club, just so you can find it in your app).
I know I’ve spent plenty of time criticizing bulk buying just to get lower prices. But when it’s time to stock up for a special occasion, this approach could be your best bet, even though you might lose a bit of savings due to delivery fees and Instacart’s extra charges.
