Navigating the maze of Costco seems to require a slew of insider knowledge. That said, many
members pride themselves on knowing all of the savvy shopping hacks, bargain-hunting
tips, and best food buys they can get their hands on. But though everyone loves the free
samples, $1 hot dogs, and in-house food courts, even hardcore fans of the wholesale chain
may be missing out on a lesser-known perk that accompanies their membership: water delivery.
Delish recently ranked Costco's water delivery service as one of the nation's best, but added
that some of Costco's most dedicated members still don't know about this amazing deal.
According to Costco, members first need to select their preferred type of bottled water.
They can choose between spring or purified water, both of which are available in three-
or five-gallon bottles.
From there, members need to choose a water dispenser, which can pour hot and/or cold
water, and then schedule deliveries. The spring water starts at $7.49 per bottle while purified
water starts at a buck cheaper at $6.49.
Water delivery to the home or office certainly has some obvious perks, like convenience,
potentially lower pricing than buying individual bottles, and better-tasting water than one
might pour out of the local tap. But is Costco's water delivery service a good deal overall?
For home or office water delivery, Costco facilitates the process. However, the company
goes on to clarify that:
"Costco and its affiliates do not sell the water or provide the equipment and/or delivery
services associated with this program."
Rather, Costco teams up with suppliers, so the service is available in most U.S. markets,
but not necessarily everywhere. According to The Spruce Eats, Costco works with a company
called ReadyRefresh, a carbon-neutral outfit, for its water delivery service. And while
the customer has flexibility, such as choosing the frequency of deliveries and the number
of water bottles needed, there is a minimum purchase requirement of roughly $12 for each
delivery.
ReadyRefresh is owned by Nestlé Waters North America, so most of the brands available for
delivery are ones under the massive company's umbrella. Availability is determined by geographic
location, but in addition to Nestlé Pure Life, the company stocks well-known regional
brands, such as Deer Park, Poland Spring, and Zephyrhills, among others.
The company notes that water deliveries can be scheduled at various intervals. Businesses
might require weekly drop-offs, while home users may choose monthly plans. Customers
can change the amount they want to be delivered during the subscription, but if you skip a
delivery altogether, tough luck, as you can expect to pay the same monthly fee.
As Costco notes, water bottles are delivered clean and sanitized, eliminating any concerns
about germs or grime. And dispensers have a removable drip tray for easy cleanup. For
those who want to minimize environmental impact, ReadyRefresh will pick up any empty bottles,
then sanitize them in-house, and recycle them. According to the company, ReadyRefresh is
an industry leader in reusing 3- and 5-gallon bottles.
Business.com explains that the water bottles are spill-proof for zero leakage when installing,
and some customers may be able to receive bottom-load dispensers for 5-gallon bottles
- but every dispenser costs extra, of course. And Quick Sprout adds that bottom-load dispensers
also incur an additional fee, roughly $3 for Executive Members and $5 for Gold Star Members,
charged every four-week billing cycle.
Meanwhile, the overall cost of a subscription will be lower for Executive Members than Gold
Star Members. After all, Executive Members, according to Costco, pay an additional $60
upgrade fee for their yearly membership, so they receive optimal pricing.
The company notes that, in addition to needing a Costco membership, customers must enter
into a service agreement to get the lowest pricing on bottles. Members should also factor
in the price of the dispenser itself, as well as possible fees for delivery and bottle deposits.
Want an old-school paper invoice? That might cost you, too.
In fact, some Reddit users have expressed serious frustration with the service. While
some approved of the overall positive experience, others complained about incorrect charges
and orders, late deliveries, and difficult service agreement cancellations. The big takeaway
is to review every detail of the delivery agreement before signing on the dotted line,
to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Since you'll be working with a third party, Costco likely won't be able to swoop in to
handle any complaints. Still, for those who would rather save their valuable Costco cart
space by not having to pile in mega-size packs of water bottles, Costco's water delivery
may be yet another perk to help justify those pesky membership fees.
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