Speed Up Your Shopping Time At Costco With This Simple Hack

One of the great things about Costco is that, especially if you're shopping for a big family, it's possible to get all, or at least most, of your grocery shopping done in one trip, packing the cart full to the brim with must-have items like milk and bread, along with a couple of fun snacks you were peer-pressured into purchasing after trying one of the store's famous free samples. But one of the worst things about the mega retailer is that everyone else there is doing the same thing as you, meaning that the checkout line can be a serious drag. There's a certain level of patience you have to maintain while waiting for your turn to check out, but once you get there, it is absolutely possible to help the cashiers speed up the process and get you to your hot dog sooner. (After all, Costco sells more hot dogs than the MLB for a reason.)

The best way to do this? Make sure all of your items are in your cart with the barcode facing up to help the cashiers zoom through their scanning. And hey — if the checkout line is really long, and you forgot to do this as you went, use the time while you wait as an opportunity to prepare your cart, shifting items around as necessary.

Are you one of those people who prides themselves on being such an expert at the TSA process that you get through airport security faster than anyone else? If so, apply the same mentality to your Costco trip. While you're busy arranging each item in your cart to ensure the barcode is facing up and easy for the cashier to find, you can also sort the cart itself to put like items together, especially if you already have a good understanding of how to properly bag groceries. This might mean putting hot items on one side of the cart and cold items on the other, ensuring your meat products are separated from your produce, or simply separating groceries from clothing, home decor, appliances, or any other non-perishable items in your cart.

According to former Costco employees on Reddit, it's also helpful for you to spread your items out to ensure they're all visible, given that the store allegedly instructs employees to do careful checks of whether there are any hidden items in the cart beneath a larger box or squeezed between two bags of produce. Make sure you get your Costco card out ahead of your turn, and get ready to be complimented on your next-level talent as a shopper. (And if you don't get kudos, just know you should.)