Costco's hot dog sample and eye-testing clinic at a store in Croydon, South London.
Kate Duffy/Beatrice Nolan/Insider/Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images
We visited a Costco members-only store for the first time.
We shopped around the warehouse store, dined at the food court, and tried free samples.
Here are the top ten things we recommend new customers do on their first trip.
Costco, a popular US retailer, has more than 116 million members worldwide. We visited a Costco in Croydon, south London, for the first time. It's one of the company's 29 locations in the UK.
A general view of Costco in Croydon, south London.
We were impressed with the size of the store and the range of items at a reduced price. Here are the top ten things we think new customers should do on their first trip to Costco.
Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco earlier this year.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images
1. Customers can get their eyes tested with 'Costco Optical' when they first enter the store. There's a wide range of glasses on offer, even designer brands. Costco says all their opticians are professionally qualified.
Costco Optical in south London.
2. When walking around the store, customers will come across free food tasters and product samples. We sampled fruit juice, beef hot dogs, and aloe vera hand cream.
Costco's free food and cream samples.
Kate Duffy/Insider
3. One feature of Costco stores that customers shouldn't miss is the food court. We ordered the majority of the items on the menu, but it was the £1.50 hot dog (which also came with a free drink) that stole the crown as the tastiest dish. The price equates to $1.83 but the US price of a hot dog and drink combo is fixed at $1.50.
Costco food court in London.
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4. It's worth looking around Costco's clothing department, where customers can find designer labels such as Levi's and sports brands including Puma at a much cheaper price than in regular stores.
Designer clothes on sale in Costco, UK.
Beatrice Nolan
5. Take a walk down the freezer aisle where there are random, unexpected foods in the freezer, such as frozen avocados. We got the impression from Costco that anything can be frozen ...
Costco frozen avocados.
Beatrice Nolan / Insider
6. Customers should check out the cheese! This whopper weighed 5 kilograms and cost just £4.65.
Insider reporter Kate Duffy at Costco in south London.
Beatrice Nolan/Insider
7. First-time customers should also check out the jewelry selection. We were impressed by the range and surprised by some of the high prices. Some watches cost up to £500 and a pair of pearl earrings was priced at around £400.
Jewelry in Costco.
Beatrice Nolan
8. The Costco bakery section was also a highlight. The bakery is filled with a range of freshly baked goods, featuring everything from pastries to biscuits — we also counted eight kinds of cakes.
Costco cakes.
Beatrice Nolan/Insider
9. The birthday cakes in the bakery section were also impressive. Costing only £15, the cakes were beautifully iced and could even have personalized messages written on them for celebrations.
Costco birthday cake.
Beatrice Nolan / Insider
10. After tasting Costco's pizza in the food court, we suggest customers take home the £8.95 freshly baked pizza with the choice of three toppings: pepperoni, BBQ chicken, and five cheese.
Costco pizza sign.
Beatrice Nolan / Insider
Our first trip to Costco was a success. The bakery, free samples, and the food court were the stand-out experiences for us.
Costco London.
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