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Comment by atwebb | Hacker News Reader

My wife just noticed Costco is offering same day shipping, I thought it odd that they could get the logistics down and it turned out to be Instacart.

I have personally used it but might now so I don't have to brave the traffic/chaos that a suburban Costco can be. That being said I haven't heard great things about IC in my area.

It, admittedly just now, strikes me that taking away the headache of Costco would be pretty welcome. We get mostly the same things and rarely go there without a list/goals for the trip. Additionally, their sales don't change often. Making online ordering much easier than going to the grocery and planning for the week/scoping the sales.

This really turned into a costco related comment.

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Instacart has been my sole interface to Costco over the last year (Sunnyvale area). I think the selection online/in-app is far less than the typical Costco, but the experience boost is legitimate.

Finding a parking space at that particular Costco is ridiculous within about 30 minutes of the store opening.

Is there really a parking problem, or is it more of a walking problem? I've yet to see a costco parking lot that doesn't have tons of empty spaces if you're willing to walk 2 minutes

Parking problem. My local Costco is perpetually full front to back unless you go within 30 minutes of opening or closing, and parking in a neighboring business lot will get you booted.

This is very much a regional problem. Others I've been to in the US have half-empty lots the size of football fields.

That particular one is very bad, I've gone at 2PM from the work office to that Costco and left because I didn't want to sit and wait for a parking space. This was not the case ten years ago for the exact same store. The one closer to my home in Mountain View is OK for at least an hour after opening, haven't been at other times. I've been to one in San Diego where a friend lives and they parked half a mile away.

If feasible, the best possible time to hit Costco is weekdays right when they open (10AM here.)

I understand that’s hard for folks with regular jobs, but might be more doable for the Hacker News crowd.

I would have trouble trusting produce selection. Don't think the average bag/box of fruit/vegetables at Costco is acceptable, for extended periods even in California one has to carefully inspect leafy vegetables/berries to make sure the stuff hasn't started wilting/molding already, otherwise much of the savings in quantity buying is gone by wasteage.

How is this different from Google Express? Google Express has somewhat recently eliminated the need for a subscription and deliver products from many local stores including Costco and Walmart, although admittedly the Walmart selection isn't quite everything I would hope for.

Are the costco prices based on their warehouse pricing or their online pricing? I've seen lots of items that are up to 50% cheaper in the store than what they advertise online.

We've done it exactly once (a month ago), and my wife noted that the products we often get were 25-30% more expensive via delivery.

That was my very first caveat to my wife, be careful b/c it isn't always obvious where the surcharges for delivery are slipped in.

Each store has a different pricing policy. Plus delivery fees/tips.

https://www.instacart.com/store/costco/about

Prices vary from in-warehouse Prices are higher than your local warehouse. Costco members also do not earn 2% executive reward on Instacart.

Ralphs & Vons (both Kroger brands) offering the same in LA near me

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