4 Ways to Shop at Costco Without a Membership
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Do you wish you could reap all the benefits Costco has to offer without having to pay for a yearly membership? Maybe the wholesale retailer is a little too far for you to get to regularly enough to make it worth it or perhaps you just want to go a couple times a year before you host a bunch of people? Whatever your reasons, it is possible to get their deals on everything from bulk paper towels to rotisserie chicken (and those famous free samples!) without becoming a member. Read on and soon you’ll no longer have to be jealous of all your Costco member friends.
READ THIS NEXT: Costco Is Under Fire From Shoppers for Getting Rid of This Popular Product .
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One of the easiest ways to shop at Costco without a membership is with a gift card, also known as a Costco Shop Card , that can be delivered through mail or email. You just need to know someone with a Costco membership who is willing to do you a little favor.
In a TikTok video, user @faaresq says, “You don’t need a membership if you use their gift card, all you have to do is ask someone with a membership to get you a gift card , then you can use it for anything like gas, shopping, and food—you get all the perks without paying the fee.”
Please don’t feel guilty using this hack: Costco’s customer service website states that “ non-members as well as members may use Costco Shop Cards.” Of course, if you feel nervous about going in to Costco, you can use your gift card online to avoid any interactions with potential skeptics.
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If you know someone who is a member of Costco, it’s totally fine to join in on their shopping trip (with their permission, of course) and have fun walking down the wondrous aisles of food, technology, and clothing.
According to Costco’s website, “Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the Warehouse during each visit. Keep in mind that purchasing items is exclusive to Costco members.” While it’s okay to tag along with a Costco member, they will need to be the one who ultimately purchases your jumbo snack packs and Kirkland water at the register. This is what good old Venmo and PayPal are for!
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Instacart is super convenient and quick and can come in handy when you’re too busy to go to the grocery store or you need something right away. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there! Sometimes it’s worth it to spend a little extra money just to give ourselves a break.
It’s also another way to get your favorite Costco items from shampoo to frozen dinners without a membership. But you have to be willing to pay a higher price tag than if you were at the store. The markup for Costco items on Instacart is usually around 20 percent , reports Ridester—but this includes the delivery fee. If you’re not going to go to Costco that often, you might still come out ahead of paying those membership fees.
The other catch? You have to spend at least a minimum of $35, but that doesn’t seem too difficult with the myriad products the wholesale retailer has to offer and that earlier mentioned price hike. But note, if you’re looking to save a little, you can check out the Instacart deals section to see if Costco is having any specific sales of the day.
READ THIS NEXT: JCPenney Is Closing Even More Locations, Starting Next Month .
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If you’re not in a big hurry to get your items, you can just head to Costco.com and shop online today. And no, you don’t need to be a member to do this.
Of course, this option also has some drawbacks to consider. If you’re a non-member, you will have to pay a five percent surge . Secondly, prices online may be higher than if you were to shop in store. You also won’t have access to the fresh fruit or veggie options that you could get in person.
Finally, as a non-member, you won’t get the perk of free two-day shipping and instead will have to wait three to five days. However, if you’re wanting something really specific from Costco or need to buy in bulk, this is still a great option.
JCPenney Is Closing Even More Locations, Starting Next Month
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While JCPenney has, in many ways, withstood the test of time, it’s not immune from the challenges that have felled other department stores . The 121-year-old retailer has faced ongoing issues in recent years, even filing for bankruptcy and closing 200 stores after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. As with Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy’s, it now finds itself in “ the mushy middle ,” retail experts told NPR, meaning it doesn’t have a unique online presence, but also doesn’t have a “big-box” label, where shoppers know they’re scoring an awesome deal. Even with an improving economy, things still aren’t looking great, as JCPenney is shuttering more stores. Read on to find out which JCPenney locations are closing this spring, with liquidations starting next month.
READ THIS NEXT: Popular Bookstores, Including Barnes & Noble, Are Closing Locations, Starting Feb. 11 .
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“JCPenney has kind of always been one of those places that has always helped to bring people to that area, even if they weren’t going to the mall, they were going to JC Penney,” Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce President Levon Johnson told the outlet.
Concord Mall has had five different owners in recent years, Johnson said, citing lease pricing negotiations as the primary reason for the closure. “Little bit of a surprise, you know they’ve recently invested, in the last six months a great deal of money in the renovation and lighting in the store,” he added.
In a statement to WDNU, JCPenney confirmed the closure, but didn’t include any details about lease negotiations.
“ Our JCPenney store at the Concord Mall will be closing its doors. The liquidation process will begin this February, with the store closing by May of this year,” the statement reads. “The decision to close a store is never an easy one. We are grateful for our dedicated associates and the loyal customers who have shopped at our Elkhart, Indiana location.”
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In Oswego, New York, another longstanding JCPenney is closing up shop. A store employee confirmed the closure to Oswego County News Now, and a spokesperson for JCPenney told Best Life that this location will also begin the liquidation process in February and close by May of this year.
The store, located in Oswego Plaza, has been mainstay since 1977, narrowly escaping closure in 2020, Oswego County News Now reported. “They’ve been saying it would close for years and now I guess it’s true,” Pat Walsh , an Oswego resident who worked at the store until 2013, told the outlet.
Still, shoppers are sad to see it go. “That’s a shame. I don’t know why they can’t stay open,” customer Bob Nolan said, while Charry Snyder , another Oswego resident, expressed her disappointment as a frequent shopper. “This is the biggest store we have for clothes,” she told Oswego County News Now.
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Since summer 2022, rumors have circulated about a JCPenney store in Pleasanton, California, but the company spokesperson told Best Life , “JCPenney has no plans to close our Pleasanton, CA store.”
However, the spokesperson did confirm that a third JCPenney store in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, will also be closing this year, beginning the liquidation process in February and closing by May.
“We are grateful to our dedicated associates and the loyal customers who have shopped at our Elkhart, Oswego and Detroit Lakes locations,” the spokesperson said.
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According to a report from CNN Business in Nov. 2022, JCPenney is attempting to “ make a comeback ” under CEO Marc Rosen , who took over in 2021.
“I believe in taking on large scale transformation,” Rosen told CNN Business in a video interview. “There was an opportunity to really take this brand and make it relevant again.”
The department store recently ended a partnership with beauty retailer Sephora, but under Rosen, the company has remodeled brick-and-mortar locations, introduced new brands, and also improved its online experience, CNN Business reported. The CEO confirmed that these strategies had successfully drawn more customers to JCPenney ahead of the 2022 holiday shopping season.
