Costco Business Center is like a supersized version of a Costco Wholesale warehouse, and over 70% of the items are different than what your local Costco warehouse sells. Most people incorrectly assume you have to own a business to shop there, but that's a myth — you can get into any Costco Business Center with just a regular Costco membership!
While standard Costco warehouses offer an excellent value for everyday shoppers, the business centers are a whole different ball game. I visited a location near me in Orlando, Florida, and discovered a much wider selection of beverages, bigger-than-ever packages of meat and dairy (15-dozen eggs, anyone?), more office supplies, and way fewer crowds.
A handful of notable things were missing, too, like a food court, bakery, pharmacy, and even the free sample stations (but my Business Center did have Costco gas in the parking lot).
Here's the kicker, though: only 16 U.S. states currently have a Costco Business Center, so finding one could be half the battle. But if you do live near one, I totally recommend checking it out with your Costco membership — especially if you're a business owner deciding whether or not a Costco membership is worth it.
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Who can use Costco Business Centers?
All Costco members can shop at a Costco Business Center — even if you don’t own a business.
So that means any of the three levels of Costco membership will get you in the door (Gold Star, Gold Star Executive, or Business).
But if you’re trying to shop at a Costco Business Center without a membership, sorry. They do require you to show your Costco membership card at the door to get in.
Where are Costco Business Centers located?
There are only 27 Costco Business Center locations in the U.S., compared to 600 total Costco warehouse locations. And of the 27 total Business Centers, 10 are located in just the state of California.
So unless you live in the San Francisco or Los Angeles area, Costco Business Centers are far less available to you as an everyday shopper.
As of March 2024, here are the 27 Costco Business Center locations, organized by state:
Anchorage, AK
Phoenix, AZ
Commerce, CA *has a food court
Hawthorne, CA
Hayward, CA
North Hollywood, CA *has a food court
Sacramento, CA
San Diego, CA
San Jose, CA
San Marcos, CA
South San Francisco, CA
Westminster, CA
Denver, CO
Orlando, FL
Morrow, GA
Honolulu, HI *has a food court
Chicago, IL
Southfield, MI
Minneapolis, MN
St. Louis, MO
Hackensack, NJ
Las Vegas, NV
Dallas, TX
Stafford, TX
Salt Lake City, UT *has a food court
Fife, WA
Lynnwood, WA
TIP: To find the closest Costco Business location near you, use their store locator tool and select the "Business Center" filter to narrow down the list.
Costco Business Centers vs. Warehouses
Costco Business Centers offer a more streamlined shopping experience, tailored for the typical business owner. That means you won’t find a pharmacy, free food samples, or alcohol at a Costco Business Center. Nor will you find some of those impulse-buy items like clothing, books, jewelry, electronics, home goods, or their famous rotisserie chicken.
And not many Costco Business Centers offer a food court (there are currently only four), unlike the regular warehouses.
Instead, you’ll find the things a business owner would need to stock their shelves or outfit their business, like a wider selection of bulk beverages, more candy options, and a huge walk-in refrigerator with fresh and frozen groceries in massive sizes.
Here's a quick list of what you'll find at Costco Business Centers:
Beverages
Candy and Snacks
Commercial Appliances
Disposables
Groceries
Janitorial Supplies
Office Supplies
Paper goods
Restaurant Supplies and Equipment
Tobacco
TIP: The generous Costco return policy covers most of Costco purchases, including the things you buy from Costco Business Centers.
Costco Business Centers aren’t always ideal for everyday shoppers.
Not everyone can benefit from massively bulk items, especially perishable foods like meats, cheeses, and dairy. However, if you operate a restaurant, a convenience store, vending machines, or a snack counter, Costco Business Centers may be one of the best places to stock up on inventory for cheap.
With that said, the Business Center does make sense for non-business owners when it comes to certain items and occasions like parties, weddings, or class reunions. They're also helpful if you're looking for professional-grade cookware or appliances like a heavy-duty blender.
Online prices for Costco Business Centers are slightly lower than on Costco.com.
Since over 70% of Business Center items are different than those in Costco warehouses, it’s sometimes hard to compare prices across the two.
However, I found that online prices for the same items are sometimes cheaper through Costco Business Center than they are from the regular Costco.com. For example, I found this 15-Pack of Trident Sugar-Free Gum for $13.99 on Costco.com. The same item (in the same size) sells for $13.29 on CostcoBusinessDelivery.com.
So it’s not a big difference overall, but it’s something. The only catch is that you'll need a commercial address to order Costco Business Delivery.
KCL TIP: In some cases, I found that in-store Business Center prices were more expensive than in-store Costco Warehouse prices. For example, Kirkland Signature batteries were $2 more at the Business Center, Kirkland paper towels were $0.50 more, and 35-pack soda cans were a whopping $3.60 more.
Best Things to Buy at Costco Business Center
1. Catering supplies
If you’re planning a big bash, a wedding, or just generally have a lot of mouths to feed, Costco Business Center definitely sells the standard party essentials like plastic cups and elegant plates. But they take it a step further with a few additional catering supplies.
At my store, I found a 33-piece Party Essentials Buffet Serving Set for $33.99, which includes three chafing racks, plus all the foil pans, fuel, and serving utensils you need. They also sell pre-rolled cutlery kits (30-count for $17.49) that look fancy enough for a casual wedding (and all the work is done!).
2. Professional-grade cookware
You know those high-quality steel bowls and aluminum baking sheets that chefs use? Costco Business Center has them all for cheap. At my store, I found tons of Winco brand mixing bowls and baking sheets for just a few dollars each. They also sell Tramontina cookware and chef's knives that you just won't find at regular Costco warehouses.
Here are some of the best deals on cookware I found at the Business Center:
Russell International 7" Santoku Chef's Knife 2-Pack: $15.99
Tramontina Cast Iron Skillet 2-Pack (10" and 12"): $26.99
Tramontina Professional 12" Nonstick Fry Pan: $24.99
Winco Stainless Steel 8-Quart Mixing Bowl: $2.99
Winco Aluminum 18" x 13" Baking Sheet: $4.49
KCL TIP: To give you a peek at the savings, the 8-quart Winco stainless steel bowls typically sell for 33% more on Amazon.
3. Movie theater candy
Your local movie theaters might be stocking up on their concession candy at a Costco Business Center, so just go ahead and buy it yourself at the super-low Costco price. Most deals will get you candy for less than a $1 per bag.
Here are a few examples of the selection and prices at my Costco Business Center:
Skittles & Starburst Variety Pack, 30-count: $26.99 ($0.90 per bag)
M&M's Full Size Chocolate Candy, 48-count: $44.49 ($0.93 per bag)
Mars Variety Pack, 30-count: $27.99 ($0.93 per bag)
Hershey's Chocolate Variety Pack, 30-count: $28.99 ($0.97 per bag)
To give you an idea of the savings, you'd pay around $1.10 per bag with an M&M's 18-count variety pack from Walmart.
4. Gourmet coffee syrup
If you're addicted to DaVinci Gourmet Syrup, let me introduce you to the coffee aisle of a Costco Business Center. In addition to the standard bulk sizes of K-cups and coffee grounds, you'll find a hefty selection of DaVinci Gourmet Syrup flavors for $5.89 each.
You'd pay $6.98 for the same size syrup bottle (750 mL) from Walmart, and my regular Costco doesn't sell the flavored syrups at all.
5. Single flavors of LaCroix in bulk
If you already have a favorite flavor of LaCroix sparkling water and don't like the giant variety packs, the Costco Business Center's selection will come in handy. At my store, they had 24-packs of single-flavor LaCroix sparkling waters in so many varieties — Black Razzberry, Lime, Limoncello, Berry, Lemon, and Orange — all for $8.89 (or $0.37 per can).
Even though it's the same price as the LaCroix 24-packs at regular Costco, they had a better selection of single flavor options rather than just variety packs.
6. Bulkier quantities of meat (like ... a whole goat)
Waltz on over to the meat section at a Costco Business Center and you'll see that you're not in a regular Costco anymore — the meat selection is even bulkier than you're used to.
At my location, they had a few different choices for whole animals that were hanging in a frozen cooler. I saw a New Zealand Halal Lamb Carcass for $3.89 per pound and a 30-pound Australian Halal Goat Carcass for $3.39 per pound. They also had a 23-pound boneless pork butt for $1.69 per pound.
Even the ground beef is sold in a bigger quantity at Costco Business Centers, which could be useful if you're planning a big cookout. My Business Center had a 9.99-pound Ground Beef Tube (73% lean) for $2.59 per pound. That package was a whole three pounds heavier than the ground beef sold at my regular Costco.
7. Packaged ice
We usually point KCL readers to fast food restaurants as some of the cheapest places to buy ice. But Costco Business Centers actually beat Sonic for the price per pound of ice!
I found 16-pound bags of Reddy Ice for $2.29 at my Costco Business Center. This makes the price per pound only $0.14. And I've never seen ice bags at my regular Costco warehouse.
KCL TIP: Look for the Reddy Ice coolers near the exit area (at my Business Center, they're across from the Membership Desk).
8. Frozen breakfast pastries and muffins
As long as you have the freezer space for it, stock up on frozen pastries and breakfast items at a Costco Business Center that you can reheat later in a flash.
Here are a few breakfast items I found at my Costco Business Center that aren't sold at regular Costcos:
The Worthy Crumb Blueberry Muffins, 3.6 oz, 12-count: $7.99 ($0.67 each)
Bon Appetit Danish Variety Pack, 18-count: $14.99 ($0.83 each)
Bon Appetit Cheese Croissant, 8-count: $11.99 ($1.50 each)
And I also noticed that they had an 8-pack of La Boulangerie Smoked Ham & Swiss Cheese Pockets for $13.49 — which is $0.50 cheaper than my regular Costco!
Costco Business Center Tips
You can actually shop there before 10 a.m.
Costco Business Center hours are different from regular Costco warehouse hours. They open a few hours earlier — and close a little earlier, too.
The early morning is typically the slowest time for the Costco Business Center, but in my experience, even the midday crowds are pretty much nonexistent. In general, Costco recommends timing your visit before 10 a.m. to beat the daily bustle, which is pretty much in line with our findings for the best time to shop at Costco overall.
Business Center Hours
Monday – Saturday: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Look through the Savings Events booklet to see what's on sale.
Think of Savings Events as the Costco Coupon Book but for Business Centers. Just like regular Costco, there’s no coupon clipping required to claim these limited-time offers. Instead, savings are automatically applied at the register.
You can even preview Savings Events online two weeks before they begin — so if you’re planning a big trip to the warehouse, take a sneak peek at the savings and make your shopping list early.
Know the Costco price codes so you can spot clearance items.
The normal tricks for deciphering Costco price codes still apply at Costco Business Centers, which means you can keep an eye out for prices ending in ".97" to identify clearance deals. These tend to pop up with items that aren't selling well or seasonal flavors that they need to get rid of.
For example, I saw a 24-count box of Kit Kat Birthday Cake bars on clearance at my Business Center for $9.97, which made each Kit Kat bar only $0.42.
Don't count on Costco Business Delivery unless you have a commercial address.
You’ll only be eligible for business delivery if you live near a Costco Business Center and have your items delivered to a commercial address. That's because Costco Business Delivery doesn't allow delivery to residential addresses. And they also impose a $250 order minimum to avoid a $25 delivery fee.
For residential delivery, you'll instead need to order Costco delivery that comes from the regular Costco warehouse.
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