Viral Hack Shows How to Shop for Costco Groceries Without a Membership

Costco members will often buy the bulk of their groceries at the big-box retailer, no pun intended, but for those Kirkland-curious who don't want to shell out for a yearly membership there is still a way to get your fix. A viral TikTok video has revealed a hack on how to buy Costco groceries, no membership required.

The video was posted to the platform this week by a user tiff bish, who explains how she does it. "Life hack, use Instacart if you want stuff from Costco," she says in the short, 34-second clip. "If you want to try Costco or Sam’s Club stuff and you don’t have a membership, go on Instacart."

She adds that she does have a Sam's Club membership but not Costco because that would be "just dumb and a waste of money." However, to purchase Island Way brand fruit sorbets that she says she's "addicted to," she uses the delivery app to get around a membership.

She also posted a follow-up video demonstration in response to a user who chimed into the comments to say that the service will ask for your membership ID before checking out.

"I just want to show that you can use Instacart at Costco without a membership," she explains, sharing her phone screen. "But yeah you just click through, click continue, then click no thanks about the membership and then you're good."

"Also I know Instacart isn't cheap but it works for me sometimes with my busy life," she adds.

When Men's Journal attempted the process, we weren't asked for a membership number but were given the option to "join now" or "link membership" on the place order screen, which suggests that the rules may vary by region. Several users likewise commented on the original video to report that they had successfully tried the hack themselves, while others claimed that Costco will indeed ask Instacart shoppers for a user's membership number.

But in either case, while the hack may bypass the need for a membership, you'll still wind up paying more for the convenience.

According to Oyelabs, a technology partner specializing in IT services and business solutions, Costco has a 15 percent or more markup on Instacart. It depends on the retail partner, but even Instacart admits that "the average price of items on Instacart is 15 percent higher or more compared to the average price of that retailer in your local area."

Still, it's not the worst workaround for anyone who needs a few things here and there but wouldn't benefit from a yearly membership. If nothing else, do it for the sorbet.