Well, this is unexpected ...

This Is the Best Deal in Costco’s Food Court—And You Won’t Believe How Little It Costs!

When you’re looking for a good deal, you don’t usually have to look any further than Costco. Even when you’re scoping out expensive things at everyone’s favorite membership warehouse club, they’re still priced well. But the best deal in Costco’s food court really takes the cake (though, sadly, it isn’t actually cake).
You’re probably guessing it’s their famously cheap hot-dog-and-soda combo, which, while an incredible deal, is not the one. Nor is it the delicious and well-priced Costco food-court pizza.
So what could it be? We don’t want to keep you in suspense any longer, so let’s get to it!
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What is the best deal in Costco’s food court?
Believe it or not, Costco sells individual bottles of Kirkland Signature water for just 25 cents each in the food court. Yes, you read that right—25 cents! In fact, there’s a whole vending machine full of the 25-cent bottles. It’s also possible to get one of these cheap bottles of water at the food-court counter, but the vending machine is just so much more fun, don’t you think?
What kind of savings are we talking here for a bottle of water?
It might seem silly to make such a fuss about 25-cent bottled water from a vending machine, but when you consider the prices of similar products at other stores, you get a clearer picture. For example, a single 16.9-ounce bottle of store-brand purified water at Kroger costs 89 cents. Over at Target, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single 16.9-ounce bottle of Good & Gather purified drinking water, but they do have a 33.8-ounce bottle of Good & Gather Alkaline Water for $1.49. This breaks down to 4 cents per ounce of water, whereas the 16.9-ounce bottle of Kirkland Signature is just 1 cent per ounce.
Meanwhile, over at Walgreens, a bottle of Nice! For You Spring Water, 33.8 fluid ounces, costs $2.49. That’s 6 cents per ounce. And don’t even get us started on the bottles of water at your local pizza place or deli.
How do the savings compare to buying Kirkland bottled water normally at Costco?
Niagara is the company behind Kirkland Signature bottled water. When you purchase a 40-count of Kirkland Signature Purified Drinking Water, it costs roughly $4.99, breaking down to 12 cents a bottle. That’s less than half the price of the 25 cents per bottle from the Costco food-court vending machine. In that sense, it’s still a much better deal to buy bottled water in bulk at Costco, as opposed to, say, loading up on 40 bottles at the vending machine. Paying 25 cents each for 40 bottles would end up costing you $10.
Still, if you’re in the food court and need a drink—or need to go somewhere else after your Costco run and don’t want to lug a bulk package with you—it’s an excellent idea to buy a bottle here.
Why do they keep the prices so low here?
In general, Costco keeps prices low because of its membership model. They’re making money off the annual membership fee, buying in bulk to get lower prices from wholesalers, then passing that savings on to members. The same is true in the food court. Plus, it keeps members happy because they feel like they’re getting a deal each way they turn, from the 25-cent bottled water to the hot-dog-and-soda combo that costs just $1.50.
For as long as Costco members on Reddit can remember, there has been a 25-cent water vending machine in the food court. “I’ve seen them in every Costco I’ve been to,” says a Redditor. “Whenever we are on vacation or traveling and see a Costco, we make it a point to check it out—just because each Costco can carry different things.”
Is there a limit to how many you can buy at the food court?
Nope. Costco doesn’t put limits on how many bottles of water you can purchase in the food court. And while there are certain things you can get in trouble for at Costco, buying a lot of food-court water doesn’t appear to be one of them.
That said, if you don’t want to get a lot of side-eye from fellow shoppers, you may not want to hog the machine if there are other thirsty patrons waiting behind you. And, really, since there’s no financial gain to purchasing Kirkland Signature water from the food court, you’re better off buying the 40-pack in the warehouse for the best deal anyway.
But for staying hydrated while you shop or getting a cheap drink to go with your cheap food-court meal, you can’t go wrong with these 25-cent water bottles.
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Source:
- Reddit: “Does your Costco have a vending machine that dispenses Kirkland Signature purified water for 25 cents per bottle?”