For the most part, people visit Costco to shop for the great deals on things like groceries and paper towels. But there are many other perks that come with a Costco membership.
Costco’s tire center, for example, offers affordable tires that come with free pressure checks and a five-year road hazard guarantee.
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And if you book a vacation through Costco, you can benefit from not just affordable pricing, but also, extras like resort credits.
Related: Costco plans new checkout option members should love
Another big benefit of joining Costco is getting access to free food and drink samples while you do your shopping. Sometimes, those samples can amount to a complete meal.
Better yet, there’s technically no limit on Costco samples. You don’t want to be greedy and take extra when there’s a line of people waiting behind you. But you’re welcome to revisit the same station if you try something you really end up enjoying.
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Costco’s food court is a huge draw
Shopping is an activity that can make you hungry in general. But this especially holds true when you're shopping at Costco.
The simple act of navigating a giant Costco warehouse is enough to make you work up an appetite. And if you've ever tried pushing a loaded Costco shopping cart through the store, you know it can sometimes require some serious muscle.
Related: Costco quietly drops popular product, saddens fans
That's what makes Costco's food court so appealing.
If you get hungry and it happens to be an off-hour for free samples, you can head to the food court for an inexpensive meal.
Plus, it's nice to be able to sit down and take a break in the midst of your shopping. And if you have cranky children you've brought along, bribing them with a food court meal is a great way to get them to cooperate while you stock up on the supplies you need.
Costco makes a big change to its most famous food court meal
Costco's food courts sell a variety of tasty items, from actual meals to desserts.
While some members say the food court pizza isn't much to write home about, at just $1.99 for a gigantic slice, the price is hard to beat.
Costco's food court chicken bake is another great deal. Though it costs roughly twice as much as a pizza slice, for $3.99, you get a delicious blend of chicken, cheese, and bacon in a tasty crust.
Related: Costco brings back food court favorite, but members aren't happy
But Costco's most iconic food court meal is none other than the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. The combo was introduced in 1984 for a price of $1.50, and the cost has not budged since.
That's intentional. Costco could make a lot more money on the hot dog and soda combo by raising the price. Instead, Costco loses money on the famous combo and uses it as a way to encourage customers to shop at the store.
At a time when food prices are soaring and it's unbelievably expensive to dine outside the house, Costco's hot dog combo is hard to beat. And now, Costco is sweetening the deal even more.
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If you've ever purchased Costco's hot dog meal, you know that it comes with a fixings bar on the side. You can add ketchup and mustard to your heart's delight on the way to filling up your soda.
Chopped onions used to be part of that offering, but they disappeared during the pandemic. And for a long time afterward, it seemed like the chopped onions were gone for good.
But now, Costco members are reporting the return of the chopped onions. And fans are unquestionably excited about it.
“Woah! Woot! Onions are back!” said one Reddit user.
Others were quick to point out that technically, the onions have been available for a while, but customers need to go up and specifically ask for them.
But either way, the broad return of the chopped onions is a reason to celebrate one of Costco's most storied bargains even more.
Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.
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