Millions of Americans fight the same battle every weekend: navigate a packed Costco warehouse, survive the checkout gauntlet, and then face a second crush at the food court counter. But a lesser-known ordering method available at some locations lets members dodge that second line entirely, by adding food court items to their bill at a standard cashier lane before they ever reach the hot dog stand.
The method is straightforward. When checking out with a cashier, not at self-checkout, members can ask to add food court menu items to their regular purchase. They pay once, walk to the food court, and wait for their number to be called. No separate line. No fumbling for cash at a kiosk while a crowd presses in behind you.
The U.S. Sun reported on the trick, noting that it works only at staffed checkout lanes, not self-checkout, and that availability may vary by store. Costco operates more than 640 warehouses across the United States, but neither the company nor the report specifies how many locations currently support the cashier-lane ordering option.
For the millions of families who treat a Costco run as a weekend ritual, even a small time-saver matters. And the food court prices that draw those crowds remain remarkably low in an era of persistent grocery inflation.
The menu reads like a throwback. A hot dog with a soda still costs $1.50, a price Costco has famously refused to raise. A slice of pepperoni or cheese pizza runs $1.99. The Rotisserie Chicken Caesar Salad and the Turkey and Swiss Sandwich each ring up at $6.99. A Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie costs $2.49.
Those numbers explain the lines. When a family of four can eat for under fifteen dollars, the food court becomes a destination, not an afterthought. That popularity, though, is exactly what turns the ordering area into a slow-moving scrum, and what makes the cashier-lane workaround worth knowing about.
Costco's leadership has made it clear the iconic $1.50 hot dog combo is not going anywhere, a commitment that keeps drawing foot traffic even as competitors raise prices across the board.
The cashier-lane trick is only one piece of a broader push by Costco to speed up the in-store experience. The warehouse giant started testing self-ordering kiosks at food court areas back in 2018 and has since expanded the rollout. Several kiosks now operate in the food courts of each store, giving members an alternative to the traditional counter line.
But Costco's ambitions go further. CFO Gary Millerchip said during a recent earnings call that the company is piloting automated pay stations designed to cut transaction times drastically.
"We are also piloting automated pay stations that will allow members to pay for their pre-scan orders seamlessly with an average transaction time of around eight seconds."
Eight seconds per transaction is a sharp contrast to the typical self-checkout crawl, where members scan bulky items one at a time. The new system builds on a practice Costco has already been testing in recent months: stationing employees in the self-checkout area to pre-scan items for customers waiting in line.
Meanwhile, the company has been shaking up its food court menu with new offerings, keeping regulars guessing about what will appear next.
Millerchip offered an early verdict on the pilot program.
"Early results show this is improving the flow of traffic, and we have received great member feedback."
At the same time, Costco has moved to eliminate some traditional self-checkout kiosks, a signal that the company sees the current setup as a bottleneck, not a solution. The direction is clear: faster throughput, fewer chokepoints, and a checkout experience that respects members' time.
Costco is not the only warehouse retailer rethinking how customers pay. Sam's Club has leaned heavily into mobile technology, deploying a Scan & Go feature and AI-backed "exit arches" that let customers pay on their phones and walk out of the store without stopping at a register.
That kind of frictionless checkout puts pressure on Costco to keep pace. The pre-scan pilot and the automated pay stations suggest the company is answering, but on its own terms, with systems that still involve some human interaction rather than a fully phone-dependent model.
For shoppers who already stretch their memberships to offset rising costs, the competition between the two chains is welcome. Any improvement that cuts wait times or simplifies payment is a practical win for the families who rely on bulk buying to keep household budgets under control.
The checkout changes arrive alongside a broader expansion. Costco plans to add more than 20 new warehouse locations in 2026, extending its footprint into communities that have long asked for one. More stores mean more food courts, and, presumably, more lines to manage.
The company has also flagged seasonal limited-time items available in April that it expects members to snap up before they disappear. That kind of urgency-driven shopping only adds to the in-store traffic that makes hacks like the cashier-lane food court order so appealing.
Costco fans who enjoy hunting for deals on everything from groceries to gadgets know that the retailer has been trimming prices on staples even as other chains hold firm or inch upward.
Several details remain unclear. Costco has not publicly confirmed which specific stores allow the cashier-lane food court ordering method, or whether it is an official companywide policy versus a store-by-store practice. The start date for the option is also unknown. Members interested in trying it would be wise to ask a cashier before loading up the belt.
Nor has Costco disclosed what percentage of its 640-plus U.S. warehouses currently support the feature. Until the company speaks to that, the trick falls into the category of "your mileage may vary", useful if your local store participates, invisible if it doesn't.
Even the beloved hot dog combo has inspired members to invent their own solutions for carrying food through a packed warehouse, a reminder that Costco shoppers are nothing if not resourceful.
In an economy where every dollar and every minute count, a simple checkout shortcut that saves both is the kind of quiet, practical innovation American families actually need, no app required.