Shopping at Costco can be an adventure in itself, but when you bring your kids along, it can become a little more challenging. Children may get restless, bored, or even overwhelmed in the large store. However, shopping with your kids at Costco doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Here are some tips to help make your next shopping trip a fun and successful one.

Go to the bathroom first

By taking a quick restroom break before commencing your shopping, you can prevent any unexpected disruptions during your trip. This can help avoid any mid-shopping exits from the store, which may be inconvenient and disruptive to your shopping experience.

Furthermore, using the restroom beforehand can also prevent any discomfort or distractions that may arise from having to use the restroom while you’re in the store. This can help you stay focused on your shopping list and minimize any unnecessary interruptions.

In summary, making sure that you and your children have used the restroom prior to beginning your Costco shopping trip can help ensure a smoother and more comfortable shopping experience for everyone involved.

Avoid the toy aisles

While it may be tempting to take a detour through the toy aisles with your children, doing so can lead to distractions, requests for toys, and even tantrums. This can make the shopping trip more challenging and less productive.

To avoid this, it’s best to steer clear of the toy aisles altogether, especially when shopping with young children who may have difficulty resisting the allure of toys and games. Instead, stick to the areas of the store where you need to shop, such as the food, household items, or clothing sections.

By avoiding the toy aisles, you can help minimize distractions and keep your children focused on the task at hand. This can help make the shopping experience more efficient and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Stick to the essentials

Costco is known for offering a wide variety of products in bulk quantities at discounted prices. However, with so many items available, it can be easy to get sidetracked and purchase items that are not essential to your needs or your budget.

To avoid overspending or getting bogged down with unnecessary items, it’s important to make a shopping list of the essentials you need before you visit Costco. This can help you stay focused and avoid distractions while you’re in the store. Additionally, it’s important to resist the urge to purchase non-essential or impulse items, even if they seem like a good deal. Stick to your shopping list and only purchase items that you need and can afford.

By sticking to the essentials, you can help ensure that your shopping trip is productive and cost-effective. This can also help you avoid clutter and waste, and ultimately lead to a more satisfying shopping experience.

Set expectations before you enter the store

Children can become easily distracted and overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of a busy shopping environment like Costco. This can lead to tantrums or other disruptive behavior, making the shopping experience stressful for both you and your child.

To avoid this, it’s helpful to have a conversation with your child before entering the store, outlining what you’ll be doing, how long you’ll be there, and what behavior is expected of them. You may also want to explain any rules you have in place for behavior in the store, such as staying close to you or not touching items on the shelves.

By setting clear expectations before entering the store, you can help your child understand what is expected of them and what they can expect from the shopping trip. This can help reduce anxiety, prevent disruptions, and make the shopping experience more enjoyable for both you and your child.

Keep them entertained with samples

Costco is known for offering a wide variety of free food samples for shoppers to try, which can be a fun and engaging activity for children. By strategically planning your route through the store to hit the sample stations, you can keep your children occupied and entertained while you shop.

In addition to providing a fun distraction, the samples can also serve as a way to keep your children fed and satisfied during the shopping trip. This can help prevent hunger-induced meltdowns and other disruptive behavior.

It’s important to note that while samples can be a great way to entertain your children, it’s also important to make sure that they’re not overindulging in unhealthy snacks. Make sure to set clear boundaries for how many samples they can have and encourage them to try new, healthy foods as well.

Go on a quiet day

As one of the largest retailers in the world, Costco can get very crowded and busy during peak hours and on weekends. This can make it difficult to navigate through the store, find what you need, and keep your children calm and focused.

To avoid the crowds and long lines, it’s best to visit Costco during less busy times, such as weekdays or early in the morning. By going at a quieter time, you can avoid the stress and frustration of fighting through crowds, and have a more relaxed and enjoyable shopping experience.

In addition, going on a quieter day may also make it easier to find parking, move through the store more quickly, and have better access to the products you need. This can help make your shopping trip more efficient and productive, and ultimately save you time and energy.

Reward them with the food court

Costco’s food court is a popular destination for shoppers, offering a variety of inexpensive and tasty snacks and meals. By promising your children a trip to the food court at the end of the shopping trip, you can motivate them to stay focused and behave well while you’re shopping.

To make this strategy work effectively, it’s important to establish clear expectations for behavior at the outset of the shopping trip, and communicate the reward in advance. You may also want to set criteria for what constitutes good behavior, such as staying close to you, not touching items on the shelves, or helping you with the shopping.

By using the food court as a reward, you can help make the shopping trip more enjoyable for your children, and provide them with a fun and tasty treat for their good behavior. This can help reduce stress and frustration for both you and your children, and ultimately lead to a more positive shopping experience.

Include them in the shopping tasks

Children can become bored and restless during shopping trips, which can lead to disruptive behavior and make the experience more challenging for you as a parent. By giving them specific tasks or responsibilities, you can help keep them engaged and focused on the shopping trip, and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Some examples of tasks or responsibilities you can assign to your children include helping you find specific items on your shopping list, pushing the cart, checking items off the list, and even comparing prices or calculating discounts. By involving your children in these tasks, you can teach them important life skills, such as organization, budgeting, and decision-making.

In addition, including your children in the shopping process can help make them feel more connected to the experience and give them a sense of ownership over the family’s purchasing decisions. This can help foster a greater sense of responsibility and engagement, and ultimately lead to a more positive shopping experience for everyone involved.

Take temperament into account

Every child is different and has unique temperament traits, such as being introverted, extroverted, easily overwhelmed, or highly energetic. These traits can influence how your child will react to the shopping environment at Costco, and how well they will be able to manage their behavior during the trip.

By taking your child’s temperament into account, you can make adjustments to the shopping plan and approach that will help your child be more comfortable and engaged during the trip. For example, if your child is easily overwhelmed by crowds and noise, you may want to visit the store during quieter hours or bring headphones to help them tune out distractions.

Likewise, if your child is highly energetic and needs frequent movement breaks, you may want to plan for shorter shopping sessions or build in time for physical activity or play during the trip.

Skip the self check-out

While self-checkout lanes can be convenient and save time in some shopping environments, they may not be the best choice when shopping at Costco with your children. The store’s large and bulky items, combined with the need to scan multiple items, can make self-checkout more time-consuming and difficult to manage.

In addition, self-checkout lanes can be more challenging for children to navigate, especially if they are not yet familiar with scanning items and processing payments. This can lead to frustration and delays, and may ultimately result in a more stressful shopping experience for you and your child.

By using a human cashier instead, you can benefit from their expertise and support during the checkout process. Cashiers can help you quickly and efficiently scan items, manage payments, and pack your purchases. They can also provide a friendly and helpful presence that can help make the shopping experience more enjoyable for you and your child.

Shopping with your kids at Costco doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. By following these tips, you can make the trip fun and stress-free for the whole family. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can enjoy a successful shopping trip with your kids at Costco.