If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times—Costco is the modern-day Shangri-La. Despite the hordes of shoppers and lengthy checkout lines, the place has everything. And as soon as you step through those giant doors, you’re greeted with the opportunity to purchase a $1.50 hot dog combo. What’s not to love? (Not much!)
But as much as we adore Costco, there are a couple of things that would make it even better. For starters, they should bring back Kirkland Chocolate Chips (it’s been a year, and I’m still bitter). And, second, how about getting out of the Stone Age and making certain aspects of shopping ahead of time a little easier? Well, Costco may just be moving in the right direction.
That’s right, Costco fans: The warehouse giant finally listened to us. They just announced an exciting new change that will definitely make your next Costco run even better. No more fighting the crowds! Easy pre-ordering! Keep reading to see what’s coming soon to your local Costco.
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Which Costco items have customers complained about for years?
For what feels like eons, Costco members have been pretty annoyed that they had to head into the physical warehouse to order a customized 10-inch round cake or half-sheet cake. These cakes, which are actually cost-effective buys when you need enough dessert for a group, required way more effort to order than they actually should—especially in the digital era we’ve been living in for decades now.
Currently, to get your hands on a custom cake, you have to walk to the bakery section, seek out the cake-ordering station (with paper forms!), fill out said form, then drop it in a designated box. Pretty antiquated, right? The whole cake-ordering process takes two trips to the warehouse—one to order, and one to pick up. And you generally need to place that order at least 24 hours in advance to get your cake on time, but 48 hours ahead is preferable.
The same goes for party platters, like Costco’s Artisan Bread Sandwich Platters and Shrimp Platters. You had to go into a physical location, fill out the necessary paperwork, then return to pick up your platter days later. Sometimes I think the DMV moves faster!
What is Costco doing to fix this annoying ordering system?
Get excited, sheet cake lovers—there’s finally an app for that. Or, rather, the Costco app is getting updated to include a cake-ordering option. Keep in mind that Sam’s Club, Costco’s biggest competitor, has had online ordering of custom cakes for years. So why it has taken Costco so long to get with the program is something of a mystery.
But better late than never, right? Costco CEO Ron Vachris announced the new system during the company’s quarterly earnings call in December 2025. “Very excited about what we have coming in the app,” Vachris said. “I mean, more engagement, more locking in the brick-and-mortar business with the virtual digital business as well. And as we continue to roll out enhancements, we’ve got ‘pay ahead’ for the pharmacy coming, we’ve got ordering cakes and deli trays online coming.”
What are shoppers saying?
Aside from the general consensus that it’s about darn time, Costco members are thrilled with this long-awaited news about online cake and deli ordering. “This is awesome news, will save me from an extra $200 shopping trip when I go to drop off the order form for my kid’s birthday cake,” said a member on Reddit.
Another person on the same Reddit thread noted that this will be a game-changer for them, as their nearest Costco isn’t exactly around the corner: “Omg thank you for sharing,” they wrote. “It’s somehow available for my Costco in WA. I live an hour away from mine, so it’ll save me a trip.”
When is this new system going into effect?
There’s already a pilot program underway on the West Coast. Shoppers in some areas of the region report being able to place custom bakery orders through the Costco app, but it’s not yet available online at Costco.com. And it’s currently only cake ordering that’s affected—Costco members on the West Coast say it’s not yet available for deli trays and other items.
As for the rest of the country, online cake and deli-tray ordering is rolling out slowly throughout 2026, so it may not be available at your Costco just yet. When it is available, you should see a banner for the option in your Costco app.
Can you still order these items in person?
Yes! If you prefer to order Costco cakes and deli trays the old-fashioned way—on paper—you’ll be happy to know that you can absolutely still order these items using that same process. There’s no word yet on whether the warehouse club will switch things up eventually, like by creating a digital kiosk for in-person orders instead of taking pen to paper.
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Sources:
- Sam’s Club: “Digital Bakery Overview & FAQ”
- Yahoo Finance: “Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Q1 FY2026 earnings call transcript”
- Reddit: “You can now order custom cakes on the app!?”
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