The Reason Costco Will Probably Never Deliver Pizza

Nothing caps off spending hundreds of dollars at Costco (when you only came for a few things) like a visit to its infamous food court for the $1.50 hot dog combo or perhaps an inexpensive pizza to take home. Many shoppers likely wish they could get the Costco pizza without the pricey trip to the store, but that will probably never happen, and the rationale is sound.

The main reason you won't be able to pick up the phone and order Costco pizza for delivery any time soon is that Costco makes more money when people come to the stores. Costco might stock fewer items than its big box competitor Walmart, but each item that populates the shelves has been chosen for its desirability and quality.

When people step foot in the brick-and-mortar stores, even if it's just for the food court, they are more likely to see something (or hear something like the chiming of the Costco chicken bell) they want and purchase it. While Costco makes 72% of its profits off membership fees, it won't say no to the extra revenue from impulse purchases (via The Motley Fool).

Another huge reason why Costco won't be delivering its pizzas at any point in the foreseeable future is that doing so would clash with the no-frills policies that help the warehouse chain keep its prices so low.

Costco is famous for its straightforward, basic packaging, unadorned shelves, minimal advertising, comparatively low number of products, and lack of digital technology integration. Costco saves money on its end by making its locations — and all the goods found within — as simple as possible. It can then pass those savings onto its customers (and customers love the chain for it).

Delivering pizza would involve a whole host of extra complications on Costco's end. It would have to separate delivery orders from in-store and call-ins, hire and train drivers, and ensure those drivers are insured in the event of an accident. It's a lot of liability for a company whose business model is built on cutting costs.

As with most of life's conundrums, there are a few possible workarounds for getting your Costco pizza delivered. On the subReddit r/InstacartShoppers, one user posed the question "Is it possible to have a Costco pizza order delivered?" and many people chimed in with possibilities. One respondent suggested calling in the pizza order ahead of time, then placing an Instacart delivery order (a minimum of $10) and including a note for your shopper to pick up the pizza before they leave the store.

Though technically this could work, it seems a lot of its success would depend on the individual shopper and what they're willing to do. So be careful before trying this method; you could end up making a trip to Costco to pick up your pizza after all.

There is also the much more promising — though far less accessible — option of using a TaskRabbit "Tasker" to pick up and deliver your Costco pizzas to your door. Unfortunately, TaskRabbit, an app that connects users with freelance errand-runners and chore-doers, isn't as widely available as Instacart, so it might not be a possibility in your city or town.