Costco’s Partnership With DoorDash Could Finally End What Shoppers Say Is the Most Frustrating Part of the Trip
Ask any Costco member what they dread most and the answer is rarely the prices. It’s the parking lot standoffs and the checkout line that snakes past three aisles. Starting this month, none of that is required to get a cart full of Kirkland Signature staples. Costco is now live on DoorDash in every U.S. state, and the timing is no accident: it’s the retailer’s biggest delivery expansion yet.
Costco Goes Live on DoorDash Nationwide After Years of Requests
Costco launched on the DoorDash Marketplace across the United States, extending a partnership that previously covered only a handful of countries. Per the official launch announcement, Costco had ranked among the most-searched retailers on DoorDash despite not being available there, meaning the company was essentially building demand for years before ever filling the order.
More Than 4,000 Products Are Now One Tap Away
The catalog isn’t limited to snacks and paper towels. Shoppers can order groceries, electronics, seasonal merchandise, household essentials, and Kirkland Signature products from more than 4,000 items, pulled straight from real inventory at their nearest Costco warehouse. That includes items notoriously hard to transport home in a sedan, which was previously part of the appeal of going in person in the first place.
There’s a Catch Before Anyone Can Check Out
Opening the DoorDash app and searching “Costco” is the easy part. Placing an order requires linking an active Costco membership, and non-members can’t simply bypass the $65 annual Gold Star fee by ordering through an app instead. DoorDash prompts new shoppers to a Costco.com signup link mid-checkout, meaning the membership wall that defines the in-store experience follows customers home too.
A 20% Discount Is Waiting for Members Who Order Big
Costco and DoorDash are marking the launch with a temporary incentive. Members who spend $100 or more before fees and taxes can enter code COSTCO20 for 20% off, capped at a $50 discount, through November 1. Alcohol purchases may be excluded depending on local law, but for pantry hauls and electronics, it’s a meaningful cut off an already-discounted bill.
DashPass Members Get an Even Simpler Deal
Shoppers who’d rather skip the promo code math have another option. DoorDash is waiving its delivery fee entirely for DashPass subscribers who place a Costco order of $60 or more. Taxes, service fees, and gratuity still apply, and the DashPass subscription itself isn’t free, but for members who already pay for it, this launch effectively adds Costco to a list they’re already covering.
DoorDash Now Covers 8 of North America’s 10 Biggest Grocers
Costco’s arrival is a milestone for DoorDash specifically. Mike Goldblatt, DoorDash’s vice president of enterprise partnerships, said, “Costco members have been asking for Costco on DoorDash, and today we’re delivering.” With Costco added, DoorDash now partners with eight of the ten largest food retailers in North America, according to Progressive Grocer’s PG 100 ranking, a list the company has been quietly climbing for years.
Costco Made an Almost Identical Move With Uber Days Earlier
DoorDash isn’t the only delivery app Costco leaned on this month. Days before the DoorDash launch, Uber Eats expanded its own Costco partnership to 47 states, up from 17, bringing nearly 600 warehouses onto that app alone. One freight industry analyst summed up the strategy bluntly: Costco isn’t buying trucks or hiring drivers, it’s letting outside platforms absorb the cost and hassle of the last mile.
Europe Already Previewed Where This Could Be Headed
Costco’s delivery ambitions extend well past the U.S. In France and Spain, the company has instead turned to Instacart to power its delivery infrastructure, with local fulfillment partners handling picking and packing. Costco’s CFO has said same-day delivery is currently growing even faster than the company’s overall ecommerce business, a detail that puts this month’s expansions in a much bigger context.
The Parking Lot Standoff Just Became Optional
Between DoorDash, Uber Eats, and international partners like Instacart, Costco has effectively outsourced the one part of the warehouse experience shoppers complained about loudest. Membership rules and the $65 fee haven’t gone anywhere, and neither has the appeal of wandering the aisles for free samples. But for anyone who only wanted the Kirkland groceries without the cart traffic jam, that option now exists nationwide.
