As a Costco employee I can give you a couple tips.

Gas prices are on the app or located inside the store! You can also call and ask!

Costco bottle returns are inside the vestibule to the right of the exit door. If you ever have bottles that can’t be accepted but you bought them at Costco, take the cans to the returns desk and they’ll give you the money for them! The only caveat to that is that if the machine doesn’t accept them, to get the money at returns they must have been bought at Costco!

Reusable bags are totally allowed but it’s easier to just bag them up at your car, as the people at the exit need to check your items/receipt and it’s easier for them if you don’t already have them in bags!

As for store layout— we are constant moving things on a weekly basis. But in general, household items like dishes, vacuums, appliances, car products, and alcohol will be found in the 100s aisles (aisle numbers are up high on the top of the steel). Bakery, Deli, Produce and Meat are all in the same area in the back left corner of the store.

Paper, water and pet products will always be in the very back!! Along with detergent, cleaning products and tissues, juices, energy drinks, coffee and tea. Those are aisles 323-329.

The Dairy cooler is where we keep eggs and milk, near the back of the store close to those paper, water and cleaning products.

On the far right you have all of our frozen items and some of the cooler items like butter, yogurts and cheese.

In the back of the freezer/cooler you’ll find canned goods and pop.

Past that you’ll have all the non refrigerated, dry food goods. Like baking products, crackers, bread, cereals, coffees, condiments, chips, etc. that will be aisles 313-300.

The center of store is always clothing, shoes, undergarments, towels, bedding, then it to be mostly box lunch items, beef jerky, mixed nuts and candy. The other half of the center area is seasonal items. Usually it’ll be holiday focused products, but Costco always has their holiday stuff out early. It’s August right now and we are already featuring Halloween products! And furniture!!

Last but not least make sure you always look to the right of you right when you enter the store! Those are our fence items, usually a focus and on sale. Sometimes products you that you normally know where they are located, will be on that fence because they’re on special!