Is There A Limit On The Number Of Items At Costco Self-Checkout? Here's What You Should Know

Like many large stores, Costco has self-checkout lanes for shoppers who want to speed up their shopping trips by scanning their items and running their cards themselves. These kiosks are super convenient if you're not paying in cash, don't have questions about discounts or specific items, and aren't doing too big of a shopping trip. But, on that note, just how many items are you allowed to bring through Costco's self-checkout? Other stores often have limits posted, and keeping your items limited in quantity is just part of basic grocery store self-checkout etiquette rules. Seeing as Costco is a wholesale club, though, meant for bulk purchases, are there actual limits?

It depends. Go through a Costco self-checkout, and you likely won't see a limit sign. However, that doesn't mean you'll never find yourself subject to one. While the Washington-based company doesn't have an official limit for self-checkout set by corporate, it seems the policy varies by location. Taking to Reddit to air their complaints about the lack of clarity in this area, one shopper reported being told that the limit was 15 items. In another Reddit post, a shopper said they were told that, although there was no item limit, they still had too many in their cart for self-checkout due to "manager discretion." In yet another case, a Costco shopper shared on Reddit that they were told the limit was five or fewer items. So, if there's one thing that can be said about Costco's self-checkout limits, it's that they're really inconsistent.

A lot of people love Costco for its deals and huge variety of items, but let's face it — shopping there can be a nightmare. The size of the store alone can be overwhelming, and it often gets packed to the gills with other shoppers. While there are some simple hacks that can speed up your shopping time at Costco, it can all go to waste if you get held up in self-checkout. Sure, it seems like not waiting in one of the cashier lines is less of a hassle, but does Costco's self-checkout actually save you any time to be worth it?

While some shoppers say yes, others complain about long waits holding up self-checkout. Some shoppers have also noted that self-checkouts were faster when Costco was staffing them with more associates, but things have slowed considerably with reduced staff. Large items cannot be lifted out into the self-checkout area, so associates have to come around and scan them. And while Costco is known for its many alcohol options, especially Kirkland Signature, all of these require ID checks that can further slow things down if going through self-checkout. 

Nevertheless, changes are on the horizon. In June of 2025, Costco confirmed testing of "scan-and-go" technology on customer phones. This time-saving Sam's Club feature has made Costco shoppers jealous (though Sam's Club is now ditching self-checkout and traditional checkout altogether). Since this could take a while to implement, though, you'll want to keep your self-checkout items on the limited side in the meantime.