Costco Business Center Is Better Than Regular Costco, Some Say

• Costco Business Centers are Costco stores that cater to small businesses.
• There are only 17 Costco Business Centers in the US, and nearly 70% of what they carry can't be found in a traditional Costco.
• But many Costco members say the business centers are even better than traditional Costcos.

Costco, the beloved one-stop shop for all things bulk, has a different type of store that some shoppers like even more.

Costco Business Center, a branch of the warehouse giant tailored to small businesses, is open to all paying Costco members. There are only 17 of them in the United States, and nearly 70% of the products they sell can't be found in a traditional Costco, according to the Star Tribune.

"This is not your every day shopping Costco unless 40 lb bags of potatoes are on your grocery list," one shopper wrote in a Yelp review of a business center in Westminster, California.

The business centers typically don't have gas stations, liquor stores, free samples, pharmacies, optical and hearing centers, photo services, clothes, toys and books, home goods, electronics, or jewelry.

However, some shoppers say the business centers are even better than traditional Costco stores.

"Hear me out: no lines, not crowded at all, has everything a regular Costco would and more, they don't bother you with the ridiculous 'show your card as you enter the doors' policy, and better service in general," one customer wrote about the Costco Business Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Another commented: "Costco has always been like my second home!!"

Here's what a typical Costco Business Center is like.

There are only 17 Costco Business Centers in the United States.

Yelp/Ralph L.

Source: Star Tribune

The hours differ slightly from a normal Costco, which opens at 10 a.m. Sunday through Friday and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

Yelp/Jodie T.

Though the business centers don't have free samples, many still have a traditional Costco food court.

Yelp/James F.

The inside looks almost identical to a traditional Costco store, but it's a little more orderly. The business centers ditch the "treasure hunt" to create a more efficient shopping experience for small-business owners.

Yelp/Susan M.

Costco is known for selling everything in bulk, but the business center takes it to the next level. One reviewer wrote: "20 pounds of spaghetti noodles? 5 pounds of pepper? Check and check."

Yelp/Wal S.

Source: Yelp

At the Costco Business Center, you can also find 40-pound bags of potatoes ...

Yelp/Fred T.

... 5-pound bags of marshmallows ...

Yelp/Fred T.

... and 32-pound tubs of yogurt.

Yelp/Fred T.

The candy aisle sells enough candy and chocolate to stock any convenience store or movie theater. You can buy giant boxes of Sour Patch Kids for just under $15.

Yelp/Tay T.

Meat and dairy are also sold in massive quantities. Meat is stored in a separate freezer room.

Yelp/Alice C.

Costco even provides jackets for shoppers to wear in the freezer room.

Yelp/Blake A.

Costco Business Center sells a lot more than just food — for instance, these giant neon signs for restaurants and bars.

Yelp/A.L.

It also carries industrial-size kitchen mixers ...

Yelp/Dan R.

... industrial sinks ...

Yelp/Helen T.

... deep fryers ...

Yelp/James F.

... and refrigerators like those you might find at a convenience store.

Yelp/StarFruitNinja

And if at the end of the day you buy too much to take home, you can have your order delivered by the truckload.

Yelp/Nubio O.