Costco Mexico — Tips and Tricks

General Information

Costco is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington and has stores throughout the United States and in a number of other countries including Mexico. Costco attracts a more affluent customer than its competitors due in part to its business practices and to the quality of its merchandise.

Until mid 2012, Costco shared ownership of the Mexico stores with another company. If you’re coming from the US, you’ll find many of the Kirkland branded products in the Mexico stores. They are imports so expect to pay a lot more money for them. Even items manufactured in Mexico but sold in the US are more expensive. To make matters worse, many individuals and companies buy up mass amounts of items at Costco and resell them in their own restaurants and stores or other platforms at even more of a markup. Try getting pies or cookies from Costco Sanzio in Guadalajara any morning of the week. People will be lined up in three different locations to the back of the store with bakery goods they plan to resell. I have been to many Costco’s but I’ve never seen anything like that store. I was certain this was the busiest Costco in the world but someone “in the know” confirmed to me that the busiest one is not in Mexico. There is a second store in the suburbs and it feels more like a normal US Costco most of the time. The trade off with the store in the suburbs is that it is on Lopez Mateos which is a “highway” of sorts and always an adventure.

Anyone who has been in a Costco will recognize the store’s layout and design.

Tips and Tricks

I ran across a post on Facebook recently where foreigners who had been here for a long time were giving out bad information about shopping Costco online with their US membership. I’ve noticed some other things while shopping that I don’t think everyone is aware of. If you know of anything I fail to list, feel free to comment and I’ll add it.

• The Adictos a Costco Jalisco is one of the few good reasons to have a Facebook account. If you don’t speak Spanish, Facebook randomly has a translate option on posts. It seems to be on vacation today so YMMV. Because Costco technology is terrible and antiquated, you can’t see what inventory is in stock. Common items like dog food, cat litter, tower fans, etc. are often missing. The group is handy for notifications when these things show up on the floor or when things are sold out.

• The Costco Sanzio (aka Galerias) store shares a parking lot with a huge Soriana grocery store. When you drive in, you’ll get a ticket. Just outside of the store, you’ll see machines to pay for parking. There will be people lined up to pay before heading back to their cars to leave. Don’t be one of those people. Take your ticket inside the store and hand it to the cashier when you checkout. They will validate your ticket.
• Membership is a lot cheaper in Mexico and the card can be used in warehouses all over the world. Same as the US card. If you spend time in the US, you won’t be able to order online from Costco.com with your MX card. That is one of two reasons to keep your US card. The other reason is if you use the Costco branded credit card (currently issued by Citi but formerly Amex). If your US membership doesn’t exist, the card is disabled. More on how to order online from Costco Mexico with your US Costco account later. Also worth noting, your checks for executive membership and Costco card kickbacks cannot be used anywhere but US warehouses. I’m debating sending mine to someone I know in the states and having them transfer the cash to me if they are able to use it.
• Google maps is exceptionally useful for checking traffic from your starting point to your destination. Sanzio is 15 minutes from me at worst but I live south of it. I’m the same distance from the other store but the time to it ranges from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours. Many of the foreigners here live in what they call the Triangle where traffic is always horrendous.
• Google maps is also very handy for seeing how busy the store itself is. (Thanks Google for tracking us everywhere we go.) Simply open Google maps and search for the location you want to check. Scroll down on the locations page and you should see a section that looks like this:

• The worst times to go are first thing in the morning and weekends. The resellers line up before the store opens to get in and buy up all the bakery items. One PM in the middle of most weeks is a good time to arrive. There will likely still be huge lines but hopefully by the time you grab what you need, it’ll be cleared out. Never go on the 1st, 15th, or last day of the month. Avoid going on the day before big holidays or sporting events. The only easy time to drive to the store in the ‘burbs is Sunday afternoon. The store will be busy but the drive is less likely to kill you.
• On occasion at Sanzio, the gate has not gone up after I inserted my validated ticket. If that happens, simply press the help button and politely explain in your preferred language that you were validated inside Costco but the ticket is not being accepted. I have not personally tried this in Spanish, but I expect the same results. They will raise the gate without asking any further questions.
• Like all Costco stores, a portion of the inventory is at the manager’s discretion. Additionally, the suburban store tends to have certain products in short supply for a longer time due to lower traffic. For example, if you’re looking for Kirkland’s box wine, go to Sanzio because they don’t have it at Lopez Mateo.
• Costco Mexico does not price match. There are some policies from Costco USA and Canada that do not apply here in Mexico, including the price match policy. This is in compliance with Mexican laws and regulations. In the US, if you buy something today and the price drops tomorrow, they will give you the difference upon request. Alternatively, you can return the item, get a refund for the original price, and purchase the item again at the new price. No questions asked. However, this will not happen in Mexico.
• One common trend in all countries is that online prices are often higher than in-store prices.
• For commonly purchased items like TVs and kitchen appliances, I can almost always find them cheaper outside of Costco. Check Suburbia.com.mx for better deals.
• Create a shopping list of the items you intend to buy at Costco and stick to that list. If you randomly purchase items you come across in the aisles, you are likely to overpay. My list usually includes Kirkland brand coffee, seaweed snacks, bacon, vinegar, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.
• There are some tricks to use when the checkout line is long, but you’ll have to figure those out yourself.
• You will find men outside wearing yellow safety jackets over their uniforms who will assist you in taking the cart to your car and unloading it. If you decline their help, there will be someone near your car who will guide you while you back out and take your cart. Please remember to tip these individuals. Tipping is not necessary for the workers inside the store.
• Getting an online account at costco.com.mx is easy if you have a US membership. Simply visit the website during normal business hours and click the chat button. There’s no need to register or create an account beforehand. Avoid trying to do this in the store. Fill out the chat form and click the button at the bottom. Costco has bilingual staff available if needed. They may ask for your phone number and have someone who speaks English return your call if an immediate English-speaking representative is not available.

As a reminder, please do comment with feedback or suggestions.

Disclaimer: My alter ego may once have worked at Costco’s corporate office. That would be a blog all on its own.