There are few stores we adore as much as Costco. From tires to fine wine, there’s really nothing you can’t find in this massive warehouse store. It’s a magical place filled with hairnet-wearing, food-sample gifting grandmothers, and seasonal decor that seems to quadruple in size with every passing year. It’s the only place on earth where one can purchase camping gear, the latest New York Times best seller, enormous jars of olives, and then quickly stop for an impromptu eye exam. 

But for all these conveniences, one must pay the price of chaos. For all its charms, shopping at Costco can be a stressful experience. That’s why we’ve put together a list of items that will help curb the crazy experience that is shopping at Costco. From surviving the crowded aisles of the store itself to storing the impulsive buys you made in your Costco fever dream, these items will help keep the whole experience a much calmer one. 

Tools that make shopping at Costco easier

• Clax Collapsible Cart, $231, originally $269 at walmart.com
• Wiselife Reusable Grocery Bags, $20, originally $30 at amazon.com
• FoodSaver Elite All-in-One Vacuum Sealer, $230 at target.com
• Vtopmart Large Food Storage Containers, $25 at amazon.com
• Suretivian Chicken Shredder, $20, originally $30 at amazon.com
• Newair 100 Can Beverage Fridge, $200, originally $230 at target.com
• Bluapple Produce Saver Ethylene Gas Absorber, $16, originally $18 at amazon.com
• Iris Airtight Pet Food Storage Container, $35, originally $50 at target.com
• Fortem Car Trunk Organizer, $23, originally $30 at amazon.com

Clax Collapsible Cart

Costco’s carts can be pretty intense. While the parents among us can certainly appreciate their ability to contain two small children at once, they are somewhat cumbersome, especially if you only have a few things on your list. That’s why we love this extraordinarily handy collapsible cart from Clax. 

Easy to fold up and tuck away in the trunk of your car, this handy cart is akin to a cartoon transformer with all of its capabilities. This cart can transform from a grocery cart to a tailgate tote to a pallet for houseplants in seconds with just the press of a button. 

Wiselife Reusable Grocery Bags

Costco infamously doesn’t provide shopping bags. Their reasoning for this is admirable, explaining on their website that shopping bags would contribute not only to waste but ultimately to higher prices, so we’re happy for them to skip the bags. But that doesn’t mean we have to. Sure, there’s something fun about the Tetris-esque feat of strategically fitting all our groceries into boxes, but these reusable grocery bags from Wiselife are far more practical. 

These foldable bags are available in five designs and are made from water-resistant, non-woven material. We love that they can hold up to 30 pounds each, making your Costco haul a breeze, however large it may be.

FoodSaver Elite All-in-One Vacuum Sealer

One of the beautiful things about shopping at Costco is the money you can save by buying large amounts of meat. But chances are, unless you’re hosting a party or have an enormous family, eating all that meat before it spoils can be a tricky endeavor. That’s why we love this all-in-one vacuum sealer from FoodSaver. Buy all the meat in bulk you want, portion it into dinner-sized packs, then vacuum seal and freeze to retain ultimate freshness. This sealer keeps food fresh for up to five times longer than ordinary storage methods and will help protect foods like beef, chicken, and even soups and sauces against freezer burn.

Vtopmart Large Food Storage Containers

It’s nice to have smaller storage containers that easily fit onto any pantry shelf for cereals and snacks. But for bulkier ingredients like flour or sugar, it can be challenging to find a container large enough to hold everything and keep it fresh. These containers from Vtopmart do both. Stock up on all the baking essentials you need and feel confident they won’t spoil when it’s time to do all that holiday baking. Each container has side-locking lids that ensure maximum freshness and a conveniently stackable design that makes them perfect for your pantry.

Suretivian Chicken Shredder

If you don’t buy at least one rotisserie chicken every time you go to Costco, you’re doing it wrong. The Costco rotisserie chicken is the bait that gets many of us through the door, and we’re not ashamed to admit it. The pro move is to buy at least two, then shred them when you get home and store the meat in the fridge so you can use it in meals all week. The one downfall to this little cooking hack is that shredding all that hot, greasy chicken isn’t the most fun thing to do. That’s why we love this chicken shredder from Suretivian.

This convenient tool makes it easy to shred rotisserie chicken, keeping the grease off your hands and the meat ready for soups, enchiladas, casseroles, or anything else on the menu.

Newair 100-Can Beverage Fridge

Costco is a great place to save on beverages. From sodas to seltzers to beers, many of our favorite drinks come in canned form, so we love this Newair beverage refrigerator. Able to hold 100 cans, this fridge is the perfect place to store all of those drinks you saved money on by buying in bulk. With an easy set-and-forget-it thermostat, adjustable shelves, double-paned glass doors, and integrated LED lighting, this fridge is a great way to save big on your favorite beverages.

Bluapple Produce Saver Ethylene Gas Absorber

It’s an uncomfortable fact, but we waste more money on food — especially produce — than we realize. According to ReFed.org, the average American spent $759 on uneaten groceries in 2022 alone. While that may be a jarring statistic, it begins to make sense when we consider all the fruits and vegetables that so often go forgotten in the crisper drawer and end up in our trash cans. And while buying in bulk from places like Costco makes sense when it comes to saving on that produce, the savings don’t carry over if we’re just tossing expired food before we’ve had a chance to eat it. Blueapple Produce has a solution to this problem. 

This tiny piece of technology keeps your produce fresher for longer by absorbing ethylene gas, the natural ripening hormone. Keeping this clever blue apple in your refrigerator will help keep vegetables and fruit fresh up to three times longer than without it, so go ahead and buy that enormous bag of apples.

Iris Airtight Pet Food Storage Container

When stocking our pantries, we mustn’t forget our furry friends. Costco is a great place to save on expensive pet food by buying it in bulk, but storing it can be problematic. Awkwardly large bags that tear and spill everywhere are an all-too-familiar scene in many of our garages. Enter these pet food storage containers from Iris. 

Able to hold 54 pounds of food, this 69-quart container is set upon convenient casters and made to slide easily just about anywhere for easy storage. We love that the lid is airtight, keeping Fido’s food fresh and our more impatient pets out of their food until dinnertime. 

Fortem Car Trunk Organizer

When all the samples have been eaten, and the receipts are checked and highlighted, it’s time to take your Costco treasures home. And unless you’re prepared with some of the convenient reusable grocery bags mentioned above, getting everything into the car without a mess can be tricky. That’s why this trunk organizer is the perfect partner for your more considerable Costco hauls. With a sturdy box design, non-slip strips, mesh siding, and convenient pockets, this collapsable trunk organizer is the perfect way to transport everything home, from too much peanut butter to multiple rotisserie chickens.