Did Your Online Costco Order Come With Bottles Of Water? This Could Be Why

A trip to Costco comes with some pretty neat perks, including the ability to enjoy one of the food court's amazing, social media-famous hot dogs. However, the warehouse retail chain does offer an online delivery option that allows you to receive your groceries on the same day of ordering, in many cases. And as seen online, some Costco members also receive a little extra something with their orders: cold bottles of water.

For example, one Reddit user who ordered a package of chocolate-drizzled nut bars was surprised to find two Kirkland Signature water bottles in their delivery. A commenter offered their somewhat snarky perspective on the unexpected addition, stating, "Uh, it's summer and they're trying to prevent your items from melting." 

To confirm whether that's the real reason for the practice, Daily Meal reached out to a Costco location in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The customer service representative we spoke to revealed that water bottles are included in some orders to keep the delivery cool. Additionally, the rep pointed out that the inclusion of bottled water means "you have a refreshing drink" to enjoy upon receipt of your groceries. Sounds good to us, but some of you might wonder: Wouldn't plain old ice work better?

Anyone who's ever packed a cooler filled with perishable items knows that ice is the most straightforward way to keep things cold. Proper cooling prevents spoilage and saves you from learning nasty facts about food poisoning the hard way, lest your chilled items become too warm. This begs the question: Why does Costco choose to use bottled water instead?

Some sources claim that the water bottle trick eliminates the melted mess that can result from a cooler or package filled with loose ice. While this might be one reason behind Costco's bonus bottles, the company has not officially commented on the practice, which means staff members, as well as customers, can only speculate on the "why" of the inclusion.

It should also be noted that practices are likely to vary from Costco location to location, so it's unlikely that the water bottles in online deliveries constitute a company-wide policy. However, a Facebook post confirmed that the practice also occurs at Korean Costco locations, which illustrates that the practice is global, even if it's not a part of any official rulebook.

Even if Costco does add bottled water to deliveries to avoid the mess of ice cubes, the bottles themselves have their own downsides. According to the aforementioned Redditor who questioned why their package came with unrequested water, that packaging holding their box of nut bars ended up "all soggy and wet" because the bottles of water leaked at some point during transit. The issue was so bad that the Costco member returned the delivery and placed a new order.

In addition to the potential mess, there are more effective options for keeping food cool in transit. If a company wants to avoid the mess of loose ice, dry ice and gel packs can maintain the correct temperature without damaging the items being shipped. Despite this, it may be simpler and cheaper to chuck a couple of chilled water bottles into packages when they're being prepped for delivery. In addition to scoring some free water, taking advantage of online delivery also allows members to avoid some of the more annoying aspects of shopping at Costco.