Breakdown of Store Hours:
Weekdays – 10 AM – 830 PM
Saturdays – 9 AM – 7 PM
Sunday – 10 AM – 6 PM
To clarify hours for the tire center, pharmacy or optical department at your local Costco it is best to simply call in to confirm specific hours.
Gas Station Hours – Good to Note that its not 24/7 since most stations are
Weekdays: 6 AM – 930 PM
Weekends: 7 AM – 7 PM
Best Time to Shop
During the week the best time to avoid is the hours between 3 PM and 7 PM since the traffic is the heaviest then. The store generally has lower traffic during the day before 3 PM and so if you have availability then it’s a good time to go.
Additionally, Fridays in the summer tend to be busy all day due to people loading up for weekend camping trips.
Weekends at Costco are notoriously busy at most hours. However, if you need to go, the store is highly staffed every weekend and so there is never a super long wait time. However, the parking lot could be the biggest challenge as Sheng Wang has found.
730-830 PM on a weekday is a great window to shop Costco since the crowds are typically light after the after-work rush.
Shopping at the End of the Day as a Budgeting Tool
Shopping at the end of the day at Costco is also a good budgeting tool because it prevents too much browsing. If you are prone to grabbing several extra items every trip to Costco then this can be a valuable method to stay on track. Making a list of 5-10 items you need and then starting your run at 745 PM keeps you focused the task at hand and can prevent the browsing that is so easy.
Delivery is available with Instacart (Also a Budgeting Tool)
Costco provides delivery through Instacart, but you will need to confirm it for your specific zip code. In addition to the convenience of not worrying about the best hours to shop, this is another good budgeting tool in relation to Costco. You can set our shopping list and prevent yourself from walking down the aisles to see all the cool new items in the store or fighting for parking on the way in.