I've shopped at Costco for over a decade. Here are the 8 biggest mistakes I see customers make.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
The outside of Costco with a white exterior and blue-and-red sign with the sky in the background
Costco is a great chain to affordably buy products in bulk.

Olivia Yi

Costco shoppers love the chain's cheap gas. We did the math to see how fast savings add up in 13 US cities.

Tech Insider : Business
Drivers wait in line to pump gasoline into vehicles at a Costco Wholesale Corp. warehouse gas station in Hawthorne, California, on June 12, 2024.
Costco has been selling gas at bargain prices since 1995.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

I used my Costco membership to save over $11,000 buying my car. Now, I won't ever shop for a vehicle any other way.

Tech Insider : Business
Author Vincent Rives posing with a car in field
Using the Costco Auto Program, I was able to save money on my recent car purchase and skip the negotiation process.

Vincent Rives

How Costco's membership fees are key to keeping the wholesale club profitable

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Customers line up at a Costco Wholesale food court on December 12, 2025 in San Diego, CA.
Customers line up at a Costco Wholesale food court on December 12, 2025 in San Diego, CA.

Kevin Carter/Getty Images

As a dietitian and mom, I focus on boosting my kids' immune system during cold months. Here's what I buy.

Tech Insider : Business
Family with two kids
The author buys certain Costco items to keep her family nourished and protected during the cold months.

Courtesy of the author

I compared Costco in the suburbs and the city. The layouts were the same, but the experiences felt completely different.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
costco nyc
The first Costco in Manhattan opened in 2009.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I'm a Costco executive member who hates cooking, but loves a good deal. I buy these 12 products every month.

Tech Insider : Business
The writer with her cart of groceries at Costco.
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Annmarie Gajdos

I've had an executive Costco membership for 10 years. It pays for itself — and then some.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Gabrielle holds up a Costco executive member card in front of the store.
I've had a Costco executive membership for 10 years.

Gabrielle Lenart

Costco has 3 ways to shop without a membership, but the math still favors paying the fee

Tech Insider : Business, Style
costco nyc
You can shop at Costco without a membership, but it doesn't really make sense to.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I recently became an executive member at Costco. Here are 11 items I buy for my family that make the $130 annual fee worth it.

Tech Insider
Chicken pot pies from Costco in the bakery section of the store.
Although Costco's chicken pot pie is huge, every bite is delicious.

Anne James

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