Costco Wholesale customers can look forward to more bulk groceries, free samples and $1.50 hot dog combos as the members-only warehouse retailer opens 10 new stores in the next two months.
Warehouse retailers such as Costco, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Sam’s Club have grown in popularity among budget-conscious shoppers who don’t mind trading in some frills for better deals on groceries and everyday essentials.
Costco is expanding in 9 states this fall as it strives to open more than 30 new stores annually in the coming years.
In October, stores in Lee’s Summit, Missouri; The Colony, Texas; Amherst, New York; Lawrence, Kansas; and Camarillo, California, will open.
There are also several more stores opening in November, including in South Meridian, Idaho; Vallejo, California; Chandler, Arizona; Newport News, Virginia; and Franklin, Wisconsin.
The new store openings are part of Costco’s goal of expanding its profitable business.
On an earnings call in late May, CEO Ron Vachris said, “Our real estate operations team continues to focus on increasing our pipeline of new warehouses both domestically and internationally,” according to a transcript from The Motley Fool.
He noted at the time that the company expected to have 26 new store openings in its 2026 fiscal year, which ended in August.
Costco reported net sales of $297.3 billion in the 2026 fiscal year, a 10.2 percent increase from the year before, according to a company report published earlier this month.
Customers are still flocking to Costco despite grocery prices rising 2.2 percent in August from the previous year, according to the government’s Consumer Price Index.
“If you can afford to buy in bulk, now is the time to buy in bulk,” Dominique Jones, a consumer science professor at the University of Houston, told Click 2 Houston in June, when grocery prices were up 2.7 percent from the year before. “You are definitely going to get a better deal, a better unit price.”
Another perk for Costco members is discounted fuel at its gas stations. Costco sells its own Kirkland Signature gas, offering a cheaper alternative as the Iran war drives up fuel costs. The price of gas was up 27.4 percent in August from the previous year.
Costco’s stock price has skyrocketed in recent years, although it has dropped after exceeding $1,000 per share in May. The stock was trading at around $900 per share Tuesday afternoon.
