With a wide variety of items available at Costco, shoppers might be curious about merchandise availability and restocking.
In order to plan your most productive outing to Costco, knowing when Costco replenishes its shelves is essential. So, when does Costco restock its merchandise? Here is what I discovered!
When Does Costco Restock?
Costco typically restocks its shelves daily at around 4 am before the warehouse opens. Costo will replenish products such as fruits, vegetables, meats, cleaning supplies, alcohol, personal hygiene items, and more. During the holiday period, Costco is known to stock shelves 24/7.
Read on for more information about Costco, the restocking process, and what the ideal times for shopping are!
Does Costco Restock Every Day?
Yes, Costco does restock its merchandise every day. Beginning at 4:00 a.m., Costco logistics teams unpack and restock larger items, clean up the departments, face out the new merchandise, and dispose of cardboard and other packing materials.
Additionally, all restocking items are present in the warehouse and stored on pallets, but no major restocking can occur during the day due to safety concerns.
After the initial stocking each morning, Costco employees continue to stock smaller items, essentials, and food goods throughout the day, at a slower pace.
The only 24-hour restocking occurs during major holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter.
What Items Are Restocked?
Costco restocks all its merchandise daily—this includes baby goods, books, cleaning supplies, clothing, electronics, groceries, hygiene items, garden and lawn equipment, large appliances, and more.
Though Costco does restock daily, any hot items will be gone early on, simply due to demand. To ensure you get an item, arrive in the first hours of Costco being open to the public.
What Items Are Not Restocked?
Everything is restocked each morning, but during business hours only the essential or specialty items will continue to be restocked.
If there is a shortage or an issue with the manufacturer, Costco will try to meter out those items in a way that everyone gets a chance to purchase.
However, if you see an asterisk in the top right corner of a price tag in-store, it indicates that the item is either going to not be restocked, is being discontinued by the manufacturer, or Costco has decided to stop carrying it in the future.
So if one of your favorite products has an asterisk on the price tag, it might be worth stocking up!
How Do I Know If Something Is In Stock At Costco?
You can find out if an item is currently in stock at your local Costco warehouse by phoning the store and choosing the phone menu option for Membership.
It helps to have either the item number or product description handy, so Costco Member Services can quickly look up the availability.
Alternatively, check Costco.com for live updates on inventory levels. Just keep in mind that some items are not available online and only for in-store purchases, and vice versa.
What Day Does Costco Get Shipments?
Costco warehouses get between 3 to 6 initial loads every morning, which are hurried out to the floor and used for inventory restocking.
It can differ by location, but shipments generally come daily, so employees will work to restock essential and specialty items during their shifts.
However, some smaller Costco stores that don’t get the same customer demand may get shipments a few times a week, generally on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
What Is The Best Day To Shop At Costco?
Costco is prone to crowds and busy customer rush hours. But the best times to shop at Costco are weekday mornings between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., as you can avoid the chaos that is expected on busy weekends.
Avoid shopping on Monday mornings, though—it is a favored time for parents to restock for the week or for senior shopping day deals, and products will be flying off shelves.
For more weekday options, shop on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to avoid the lunchtime rush, and to get your shopping done before people show up after their workday.
Some Costco managers also recommend visiting the store within an hour of their 8:30 p.m. closing during weeknights to avoid crowds and spare shelves.
Check out Costco’s wait time calculator to see if your local warehouse is included in the service.
What Days Does Costco Restock Online?
Costco.com restocks its inventory daily and updates stock levels throughout the entire working day, as shipping trucks show up to depots and pallets are received.
As goods are received and inventoried, Costco.com’s live inventory will update with current stock levels.
Because orders are also being processed that will affect inventory, keep checking the website throughout the day for updated stocking information.
Good times for updated stock levels on Costco.com are around 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
The real-time inventory will continue to be updated all day, but these are prime times for more goods to arrive and be marked into the system.
Does Costco Restock Out-Of-Stock Items Online?
Yes, Costco restocks its out-of-stock merchandise online. If an item you are looking for is not found at Costco.com, it’s either not available online or is temporarily out-of-stock.
When the item is once again available for purchase, it will re-appear on Costco.com. Costco fulfillment depots keep the website completely up to date throughout the day, so check frequently for changes to stock and updated inventory.
If you are looking to save on your next Costco shop, be sure to see our other guides on whether or not Costco accepts EBT, if Costco price matches, and if Costco accepts coupons.
Additionally, if are looking for other times when stores restock, don’t forget to see our posts on when Walgreens, Walmart, Dollar General, and IKEA restock.
Conclusion
Costco restocks its shelves daily. All large goods and pallets are stocked during the early morning or night, and employees will replenish essential items throughout the day. Costco.com relies on the shipment trucks that bring merchandise to their depots but update their online stock record several times a day, as pallets are unloaded and recorded, and orders are fulfilled.
