Here's How Much Money The Average Shopper Really Spends At Costco

There are some stores people go into knowing that there's a chance they're about to wreck their budget. Whole Foods is nicknamed "Whole Paycheck" for a reason, after all. But, Costco can be a tricky one to figure out. It has great deals, but a lot of the time customers are buying items in bulk at the warehouse store. So, how much does the average person spend at Costco? Way more than they do at other stores per visit, and yes, that includes Target.

According to Numerator, most customers walk away from Costco after shelling out about $100, and most spend about $3,000 yearly at the store (via Insider). But, the actual amount might be even higher. Numerator's numbers come from receipts tracked on the Receipt Hog app, which aren't necessarily representative of Costco shoppers as a whole (only people who use the app). Costco itself has reported that the average shopper spends about $150 per trip (via The Hill). So how does that compare to other retailers?

It might feel like you blow a week's worth of rent every time you go to Target — ever heard of the Target effect? — but the truth is, you're more likely to spend big bucks at Costco. The average purchase at Target is about $50, while that at Walmart is $54, meaning the average Costco purchase of $100 to $150 blows those out of the water. But, what about the yearly spend? The average Target shopper spends about $1,000 a year versus $3,000 at Costco (via Motley Fool). And surprisingly, the average Walmart shopper spends nearly $3,400 a year at the store, per Yahoo.

What does Walmart have that Costco lacks? For one, Walmart customers visit the store more frequently, more than once per week. Walmart also has higher customer loyalty than Costco, with 97% of customers returning to shop year after year, compared to Costco's 84% loyalty rate. But, the fact that Costco's average purchase price is nearly twice that of Walmart's and Target's isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you realize that, compared to the weekly Walmart shopper, Costco shoppers visit the store an average 30 times a year, it probably just means that customers are stocking up on bulk quantities at Costco. In other words, they spend more per trip but take fewer trips overall. And thank goodness, because spending $100 per week at Costco would mean shelling out a whopping $5,200 a year.