Boxed.com Versus Costco

A comparison of Costco and Boxed.com – a new online big box store! Which one is going to save you the most time and money? Read on to find out what I found!

Have you heard of Boxed.com yet? It’s basically Costco online (with some limitations.)

I’ll admit, I was intrigued when I first heard about it. As I perused the website, I realized that they had a lot of the exact same products that Costco had. So, I thought it might be worth it to do a little comparison to see which one is the better deal.

I did a Costco versus Sam’s Club post awhile back, and it’s always been quite popular. I think it’s always a good idea to look at the pros and cons of these types of stores, especially in comparison to one another. If you’ve been curious about whether or not you want to try Boxed.com, then hopefully this will be interesting to you!

I saw that Boxed.com is a part of Ibotta now! So, if you end up ordering anything, you can get some extra cash back. You can sign up for Ibotta here. They also partner with Costco!

Product Comparison 

Stretch Island Fruit Strips – 48 count:

Costco: 10.59
Boxed.com: 12.49

Easy mac – 12 count:

Costco: 9.59 (was on sale for 7.39)
Boxed.com: 8.99

Cheez-Its – 2 boxes, 24 ounces

Costco: 7.89
Boxed.com: 7.79

Welch’s Fruit Snacks – 80 count

Costco: 10.99
Boxed.com: 11.99

Honey Bunches of Oats – 2 24 ounce boxes

Costco: 5.95
Boxed.com: 6.79

Nature Valley Train Mix chewy Bars – 48 count

Costco: 12.79
Boxed.com: 13.79

Quaker Instant Oatmeal – 52 count

Costco: 9.79
Boxed.com: 9.79

Coastal Berry Blend Natural trail Mix – 26 ounces

Costco: 9.69
Boxed.com: 11.99

Honest Earth Creamy Mash Mashed Potatoes – 14 count

Costco: 6.99 (was one sale – regularly 9.99)
Boxed.com: 12.99

Motts Medleys – 80 Count

Costco: 10.89
Boxed.com: 11.99 (13.49 on sale)

Ziploc Gallon Sized Freezer Bags – 152 count

Costco: 13.55
Boxed.com: 14.39

Duracell AA Batteries – 40 count

Costco: 14.89
Boxed.com: 15.99

3 count Miu Silicone Baking Liners

Costco: 14.99 (18.99 regular)
Boxed.com: 24.99

Huggies Little Snugglers – Size One, 192 count

Costco: 37.49
Boxed.com: 37.99

Advil -360 count

Costco: 16.39
Boxed.com: 18.99

Coconut Water – 12 count 11 ounce

Costco: 13.99
Boxed.com: 17.99 (on sale – regular 19.99)

Tide Pods – 152 count

Costco: 29.99
Boxed.com: 29.99

French’s Mustard – 2/30 ounce

Costco: 4.79
Boxed.com: 2.99

So, now that we have that price comparison done, here’s a little more indepth analysis (from my perspective, at least.)

Pros of Boxed.com

Less likely to do impulse purchases – I know that whenever we walk into Costco, we always walk out with things we didn’t intend on buying. Whether it was something we sampled in the store or a product we thought looked interesting…our bill is always higher than we anticipated. With Boxed.com, since you aren’t walking through a store, I think those impulse buys are a lot less likely to happen.

It’s shipped straight to your house – in about three days, all the items will show up on your porch! You do have to meet a $50 order in order to be eligible for free shipping. All orders must be at least $29.

Large variety of products – they have just about everything you need as far as far as non-perishable items and household goods go – including everything you need for baby. They even have lots of gifts that you could buy (such as Sonicare tooth brushes and Silicone Baking Mats.)

At home shopping – no battling crowds, paying for gas, etc.

No membership fee – anyone can join! You don’t have to pay a yearly membership fee, and there’s no minimum number of times you have to order something

2% cashback using Ebates – I’m a big fan of Ebates, especially during the holidays. It’s a great way to get cash back (and when you sign up and use your account within 30 days, you get a $10 gift card!) You can get 2% cashback on your Boxed.com purchases.

Rewards program – for every $1 you spend, you get 1 Boxed Rewards point. After 500 points (so $5) you can get $5 credit to Boxed.

Free Samples – I know I love the sampling of products that we get at Costco. Occasionally, Boxed.com will release a new product and offer you a sample. If you want it, just add it to your cart, and it will ship with your next order.

Sales – they often have sales on their products!

Cons

Most products are more expensive – As you can see above, with the sampling of products that I compared, the prices are more expensive – often $2 or so more. There are a few things I thought of that may even out the prices, but I’ll discuss that at the end.

Minimum Order – you have to order $29 worth of product to reach the minimum order (and then $50 for free shipping.)

You can’t do all your shopping with it – You still are going to have to go to the store for fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and anything that has to be frozen, refrigerated, or might go bad quickly. So, while you may spend less time in the store, you are still going to have to pay for gas to get there! I did see that htey offer a service to NYC, New Jersey, Boston, and Atlanta where they can deliver fresh products.

Pros of Costco

Cheaper – overall, most of the products were cheaper at Costco.

All the delicious free samples – even though I often cave and buy a product I sampled, I love being able to go to Costco and try out different items.

Gas – we love buying our gas at Costco. It’s often the cheapest price in the area, and it’s only available for members.

Kirkland brand products are less expensive and good quality – Boxed.com just has name brand products, which is what I compared at Costco. And while many of the name brand products were cheaper at Costco, the Kirkland brand is even cheaper most of the time.

Cashback if you use their American Express card. I’m not a big fan of credit cards, but this is a good rewards program.

They just have a wide selection of products – fresh, frozen, and non-perishable. They have everything you need. They also have a great selection of organic products, which I know is a big deal to people.

Awesome customer service – I don’t know about Boxed.com yet, but Costco has AMAZING customer service and return policies. Seriously some of the best I’ve ever encountered.

Cons of Costco

Yearly membership – I believe it starts at $55. Some stores will occasionally run a promotion on memberships.

Overwhelming – sometimes going to Costco can be quite the overwhelming experience – especially during the holidays. It can also be easy to overspend.

Conclusion

At face value, it seems like Costco is the obvious choice as far as savings go. However, I feel like when you factor in the “free” shipping, that’s probably where the extra cost for the products from Boxed.com are. There’s also no membership fee, and they occasionally do have fees.

I think that for now, I’ll stick with going to Costco. If we didn’t buy fresh products from them in bulk, such as meat, it may be more tempting to go with Boxed.com for all other items. They offer so many of the same products we love to buy! However, since I’ll have to go to Costco anyways, I might as well get all the items there. I do love the idea of Boxed.com, and if you want to shorten your Costco trips, save money on a yearly membership, and get things shipped straight to your front porch, I think it’s an excellent resource. If you are ever home ridden (such as, right after you have a baby), it’s a great way to avoid unnecessary trips as well.