We took a trip to a New York City Costco and found it gives new meaning to the term 'one-stop shopping' (2024)

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We visited the Costco in the East River Plaza shopping center in Harlem. It's one of three NYC locations.

The store first opened as Price Club in a former airplane hangar in San Diego in 1976. Four decades later, Costco is now a worldwide company whose sales reached $116 billion in 2016.

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Costco's appeal to shoppers is its low prices, which are made possible because the store sells their products in bulk.

In order to take advantage of the store's bulk selection, shoppers must be a Costco member. The store offers four types of membership, all of which come with an annual fee.

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Costco's food selection is impressive to say the least. The frozen snacks made us feel like we had time-traveled back to the 90s.

They even had specialties from other countries, like shrimp wonton soup.

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And pierogis. Although we're not sure how authentic these foods are.

There was more cheese than you could probably eat in a lifetime.

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The bakery was packed with pastries...

... pies...

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... and the beloved Costco cookies.

It looked like some of the treats were even freshly made on the premises.

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If you're planning any kind of party, Costco is the place to shop.

You can stock up on booze....

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... and the birthday cakes look like they could feed a sizeable number of little kids... or adults.

It immediately became apparent to us why shoppers with families love Costco. This already-seasoned pork tenderloin was just $4.29 per pound.

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Salmon was more expensive — but still relatively cheap — at $8 per pound.

You could get a whole rotisserie chicken for under $5.

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There's a whole room in the back of the store that's dedicated solely to produce.

Despite being sold in large quantities, the fruit still looked like it was high-quality.

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Not long into our shopping excursion, we came across what's arguably the best part of shopping at Costco: samples.

In an effort to entice shoppers, there are small stations throughout the store that serve samples of various products.

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We took full advantage and tried chicken nuggets...

... sausage...

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... and Maltesers.

Costco's selection of non-food products is equally amazing. The electronics section had flat-screen TVs in every size.

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There were Apple laptops as well as a variety of other brands like Dell and HP.

I wouldn't have thought Costco would carry fancy Nikon and Cannon cameras, but I was wrong. If you wanted, you could drop $1,600 on a camera here.

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After browsing electronics, we found ourselves in the optical area.

It was filled with glasses, designer sunglasses, and even contacts.

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Besides offering an ample selection of vision aids, Costco also offers eye exams, meaning that you can walk away from the store with a new prescription, a new set of glasses, sunglasses, and contacts.

And that's not the only medical service the warehouse offers. We came across a hearing aid center...

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... and a full pharmacy. The idea of combining a grocery shopping trip with a trip to the doctor seemed odd, but convenient.

We continued to discover other seemingly random but impressive services Costco provides shoppers with: There's photo developing and printing...

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... and a wireless center for purchasing a cell phone and setting up a plan.

From there we wandered over to the jewelry cases. The options were nothing to scoff at; the warehouse even sells engagement rings.

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Costco even sells some pretty high-end watch brands. We were surprised to see a watch that cost close to $13,000.

Not far from the jewelry was a row of appliances that included washing machines, stoves/ovens, and refrigerators.

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There were smaller appliances too, like the cult-favorite KitchenAid mixer. This was an unbeatable price, considering these usually retail for around $300.

Close by were rows upon rows of giant-sized toiletries. One stop at Costco and you won't have to go to a drugstore for a year.

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The middle of the store featured long tables piled high with stacks of clothing. There were options for men, women, and children.

With Halloween just around the corner, there were plenty of costumes to choose from.

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You could get a whole outfit at Costco if you wanted, down to your shoes.

The clothing section was bordered by children's toys.

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And a selection of lawn decorations that made us wonder if it was October or December.

A Costco shopping trip wouldn't be complete without a stop in the food court.

The food court is said to be delicious.

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It's a hungry shoppers dream full of greasy, salty and sugary options like pizza, hot sandwiches, and churros, and the perfect way to end a long day shopping.