FAQ – Costco Scan and Go?

Costco Scan and Go

We’re often asked how to use the Costco Scan and Go? We’re also BIG fans of the Scan n’ Go App…scanning while we shop saves so much time! Unfortunately, we have bad news…Costco stores do not have a self-serve Scan & Go mobile app like Sam’s Club. We know time spent in the checkout line can be really frustrating, and we do have some great time-saving tips for checking out your cart at Costco!

We’ve heard rumblings of Costco stores testing a scanner device you can take and use like the Scan and Go app to checkout your Costco cart without waiting in line…but I think way too early to count chickens on a Costco Scan and Go app quite yet!

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Save Time in Line Without Costco Scan and Go

If you’re shopping at Costco and looking for ways to lessen your wait time to checkout…here are a few ideas and suggestions to help expedite getting through the Costco checkout line! The in-store checkout options will require scanning all items into a cash register….but saving time is saving time so here you go:

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  1. Self Check Out – Although you can’t check yourself out using a Scan and Go App at Costco, you can check yourself out! The self checkout lines move way faster in my opinion. Although the exact set up at each store is different, there are 3 self-checkout cash registers per 1 line in my Costco in Marina Del Rey – so although the length of the line looks the same as the others, the line moves 2-3x faster. There are a few caveats like no wine/booze, no cash, no checks…but if you don’t need those the self-checkout line at Costco can save a lot of waiting in line time!
  2. Turn Product Bar Codes Up – When you checkout at Costco in the regular line, place only the small items on the belt, and turn the bar codes up for all items in the cart – this makes it much easier (and faster) for the cashier to ring out all groceries and requires less packing up of the cart after checkout.
  3. Order on Same Day Costco – You can skip the line at Costco all together by using the Same Day Costco service – this is operated by Instacart so it’s basically ordering via Instacart – you should note however that prices are higher plus there are fees and a tip and all added together it can be quite a bit more. I struggle with the substitutions in ordering, but given the amount of time it saves (not to mention all the random things I find and buy lol!)…it’s sometimes worth paying for IMO.

We’d love to see a Costco Scan and Go app as much as you, and we hope it’s in development! But for now, we use self-checkout whenever possible to check out at Costco.

Do you have any time-saving checkout tips for shopping at Costco? We’d love to hear them in the comments!

Read Next: Costco Organic Shopping List or How to Save Money at Costco

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2 Comments

  1. I live a mile from Costco but will drive to Sam’s further for Scan and Go come on get with times Costco is to over welming to shop at

    Reply

    1. I hear you! They also have pick up. Sam’s has had scan and go for at least 5 years now…it’s really ahead in that respect. I’m a big fan of Sam’s too (and have a membership there too!).

      Reply

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