Costco is a great location for all your shopping needs, from groceries and clothing to larger equipment and appliances.
But while you are out running errands, you might be wondering if it’s possible to access free internet while shopping. So, does Costco have Wi-Fi for its customers? Here is what I found.
Does Costco Have Wi-Fi?
Costco does have Wi-Fi in stores, but it is not available for public use. The Wi-Fi networks at Costco are all password protected and only accessible to employees of the store with their usernames. If you want internet access while shopping at Costco, you will need to use your smartphone’s data plan to get online.
Read on for more information on Costco’s Wi-Fi and its availability!
Does Costco Have Public Wi-Fi?
No, Costco does not have Wi-Fi for public use. Only Costco employees can connect to the Wi-Fi as it is private and password-protected for staff access.
While many stores do offer public Wi-Fi connections, Costco does not allow customers to connect to their wireless network.
If you want to surf the web from within the store, you cannot use Costco’s Wi-Fi to do so, and customers will have to use their data plans to access the internet.
Just keep in mind that some Costco locations do not have cell service readily available within their stores, so check your bars before attempting to go online.
Why Doesn’t Costco Have Public Wi-Fi?
The company has not explicitly stated why its policy does not include public access to Wi-Fi, but there have been speculations on the reasons.
By limiting the public’s Wi-Fi connections, Costco can keep excess costs down and focus these savings into value-forward prices for their merchandise.
Additionally, without public Wi-Fi, customers will also focus primarily on shopping, and it prevents areas such as the food court from getting congested with people browsing the internet.
If you are shopping elsewhere, you may also be wondering whether or not Walgreens, Sam’s Club, and Dollar General allow customers to use Wi-Fi in-store.
Conclusion
Costco does have Wi-Fi in–store, but it is not available for customer use. Only Costco employees can connect to the Wi-Fi, as it is protected by username and password requirements.
Customers cannot use Costco’s Wi-Fi to connect to the internet while shopping and can only go online using a smartphone’s data plan, where cell service is available within the store.
I was in the North Fort Worth, TX Costco and was told by an employee that I SHOULD be using their wifi. Costco is not posting prices on their refrigerators now, but only a QR code. To see the prices, you need to logon to your Costco account and scan the QR code.