There are two types of Costco members. The first walks in with general enthusiasm, adds things to the cart that seem like good deals, and leaves with a receipt that is larger than planned and a trunk full of items that may or may not get used before they expire. The second walks in with a plan, reads the price tags correctly, applies a consistent savings-stacking strategy, and leaves with a receipt that accurately reflects a set of genuinely excellent purchases at the lowest

Most Costco members have received the monthly coupon book in their mailbox. Most have glanced at it, found a few things interesting, and then gone to the warehouse without it. A smaller, more commercially savvy group of members treats it as the planning document it was designed to be — and the financial difference between those two approaches compounds into hundreds of dollars per year. Costco officially calls it the Member-Only Savings booklet. Most members call it the coupo