There are a few great places to go for a new passport photo. Unfortunately, Costco is no longer one of them. So if you were thinking of heading to Costco to get your passport photo taken, you need to come up with another plan. In this post, I will walk you through what you need to know about Costco’s photo center and where you can go to get an affordable passport photo taken. Let’s get into it.

When and Why Did Costco Stop Taking Passport Photos?

Costco’s in-store photo services came to a halt in February of 2021.

This includes their passport photo services.

The store decided to close its photo center in response to a decline in business over the past several years.

The Costco photo center just wasn’t turning enough of a profit, so they had to shut it down.

Although you can no longer get your passport photo taken in their store, you can still have them print out your passport-ready photo through their online photo center.

In fact, Costco only charges about 20 cents to print your passport photos through their website or app.

With that said, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind when taking your own passport photos.

Essentially, the requirements include submitting a clear, well-centered, photo of your face with a plain background.

If you do not adhere to the passport photo guidelines, you will have wasted your time and money.

Because the guidelines are quite strict, I recommend getting your passport photo taken at one of the places I recommend later in this article rather than doing the online thing at Costco.

See Also: Does Costco Deliver Groceries? Here’s the Deal

Does Costco Still Do Photos?

While you will no longer be able to bring your disposable camera into the store to be developed, you can still have your photos printed through Costco’s online photo center.

Here, you will find all of the same options that they offered in their store and more.

You can even access their online photo center through the Costco app.

Costco’s online photo center offers plenty of professional photo printing solutions.

The only difference is that you will have to wait for the photos to be shipped to you since there is no more store pickup available.

Costco photos will typically arrive at your address within 5 to 12 business days.

All you need to get started with Costco’s online photo service is a Costco photo account.

From there, you can browse their products and gift ideas and then select photos to print out with the click of a button.

Where Are the Best and Cheapest Places to get Passport Photos?

While it’s true you can no longer get passport photos taken at Costco, there are still plenty of options available for high-quality, low-cost passport photos.

Here are my 3 best recommendations.

1. Walmart

Walmart is known as the cheapest place to get your passport photo taken.

They can also print it out for you on the same day.

At this time, the price for Walmart passport photos is $7.44.

This includes two copies of your passport photo that meets all of the guidelines.

Depending on how busy the photo center is, you can get these photos returned to you within 5-10 minutes.

2. The UPS Store

UPS makes getting your passport photo taken and printed out a breeze.

When you choose UPS, you will gain an additional level of convenience because you can mail in your passport photo and application from their store.

They even guarantee on-time delivery to the National Passport Processing Center.

The price for UPS passport photos is $11.99.

This is a bit more expensive than other passport photo services, but when you consider the convenience of the process, it is well worth it.

UPS ensures its customers that the passport photos they take meet all of the guidelines and expectations for a passport photo.

You can even schedule an appointment through their website.

3. FedEx Office Store

Formerly Kinko’s, FedEx Office is another great option.

My family of 5 actually used FedEx Office for our passport photos this past Spring.

Very easy to just walk-in and walk out with your passport photos within minutes.

It costs us $14.95 per person and that came with 2 photos and a free “retake” if needed.

Turns out my wife’s photo was not centered correctly and we had to take it back to FedEx and they retook it for free.

Very easy process.

See Also: Be Sure to Use Costco’s Price Adjustment Policy

Conclusion:

With Costco’s photo center closing its doors for good in 2021, the options for getting a high-quality, yet low-cost, passport photo taken are more limited.

Thankfully there are still a few options left and they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Ask the Reader: Have you recently had a passport photo taken at one of these places? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

By Kyle James

Trying to find some Target steals that are BETTER than what your current Target Clearance section offers? Look no further than the magical world of Target salvage stores. These salvage stores is where Target dumps stuff after they go through their regular “clearance cycle”. It’s also where you can capitalize on major discounts on Target items, often ranging anywhere from 50%-90% off. Being one for a good deal, I wanted to learn how to find these Target salvage stores so I can get stuff at a fraction of the cost. Here’s what I discovered.

How to Find Where Target Sends Their Salvage Items?

The absolute best way to find a Target salvage store near you is by going to your local Target and asking the manager or associate.

Most employees who know where they send liquidation stuff are more than happy to tell you where it ends up.

Stores in your area that are typically great candidates to receive these salvage or liquidation items include Goodwill, Tuesday Morning, Bargain Bins, That’s Cheap, Falling Prices, and even Salvation Army to name a few.

Also, I found a great list from Aubrey Swan of Target salvage stores broken down by state and city which will give you a great idea if you have one in your neck of the woods.

Another great way to find one is to do a simple Google search for “Target salvage stores in your town“ or “Target liquidation stores in your town“.

I did this when writing this article and quickly stumbled upon a “Bargain Bins” store in a neighboring town that sells Target liquidation products for pennies on the dollar.

UPDATE: I recently asked an employee at my local Target and they told me about a couple places nearby that they’ll sell liquidated products to, and sure enough one of them was the Bargain Bins store mentioned above.

When I visited Bargain Bins, I found a bunch of great deals, especially on toys and home décor at over 90% off the original price. (more on this later)

When I compared the prices on the Target app, the savings was in the 60% – 90% range.

See Also: Here’s How to Find an Amazon Salvage Store Near You

What Types Of Items Will I Find at Salvage Stores?

These salvage stores sell much more than just heavily discounted Target items.

You will also find heavily discounted items on other name brands.

The point of salvage stores, or sometimes called liquidation stores, is to essentially get rid of excess inventory on products that aren’t in high demand.

Therefore, don’t expect to find the hottest electronic device here.

Instead, expect to find these items at your local Target salvage store:

• Furniture
• Bedding
• Home Décor
• Toys
• Seasonal Décor
• Kitchen Items

The whole point of why Target sells these types of heavily discounted items to salvage stores is they know they won’t profit from trying to sell them in-store PLUS they are taking up too much room.

Therefore, rather than throw out these items, Target sells them to “salvage stores” by the Pallet at a heavily discounted price.

See Also: Insider Tips for Saving at Goodwill (From Employees In-The-Know)

When Is the Best Time or Day To Shop?

If you want to hit the jackpot with heavily discounted Target products, shop at your Target salvage store right after Target has a clearance sale.

This is because once the clearance sale is over, Target typically liquidates the remaining inventory to make room for new products.

Although clearance sales can vary from location to location, if you see discounts of 70% or above at your local Target store, start to check out your go-to salvage store.

Your salvage store itself may run special daily sales and deals too for even MORE savings.

For example, the Bargain Bins store that I keep mentioning works like this….

• Thursday – Everything in the store is $12.
• Friday – Everything in the store is $8.
• Saturday – Everything in the store is $4.
• Sunday – Everything in the store is $2.
• Monday – Everything in the store is “2 for $1”.
• Tuesday – CLOSED for restocking.
• Wednesday – CLOSED for restocking.

Many of these salvage stores work similarly, but may have slightly different days where they’re closed for restocking.

Thursday morning in usually a mad rush to find the great deals that lasts for about 2 hours after opening.

Come in over the weekend and there are still deals to be found.

Come in on Monday, and the stuff is fairly picked over but still plenty of deals if you consider the 50 CENT price tag on EVERYTHING.

See Also: 7 Target “Clearance Tips”: Smart Tips to Save Big

How Much Money Can You Expect to Save?

The short answer: A lot.

Expect to find discounts of 70%-90% off items at your Target salvage store.

This is crazy considering most clearance items at Target range from 15%-30% off.

And, even if you do find 50% discounts on Target clearance items, these types of deals are likely few and far between.

Yet, these 50% and up discounts at your local salvage store are practically the barrier to entry to be in these stores.

Can I Find Cat & Jack Products at Salvage Stores?

Yes, and the picture above proves it.

I recently took this picture at my local Target salvage store (Bargain Bins) where I found a slew of Cat & Jack products, which is Target’s kid’s clothing line, in case you weren’t familiar.

Specifically, I found a bunch of shoes, shirts, pants, and even socks at heavily discounted prices.

See Also: Target Return Policy: Here’s Exactly How It Works

Why Not Just Shop Target Clearance Items?

Pretty simple really…you just won’t save as much money.

This is because often Target clearance items range from only 15% to 30% off the retail price.

And, when these discounts do reach the 50% and above mark (on rare occasions) these items are highly picked over.

However, discounts of 50% and above are the norm at salvage stores.

If you just care about getting the most discounted Target clearance items, shop at your salvage store.

This is especially true if you’re an eBay seller and looking to turn a quick profit.

Salvage stores make for a great place to look for inventory that you can resell on eBay.

Keep in mind that if you find a Target clearance item you love, at a good price, consider snatching it up as it probably won’t make it to your local salvage store.

Ask the Reader: Have you been able to find a Target salvage store in the town you live in? If so, how’d you do it and what kind of savings do you get?

By Kyle James

Whole Foods is a health-conscious grocery store that offers a wide selection of yummy, but rather pricey food options. With Whole Foods’ rise in popularity in recent years, I was interested if they accepted EBT. Not only does Whole Foods offer a wide range of quality foods in their in-store locations, but they have their own app, website, and even sell their own Whole Foods brands and items on Amazon. If you’re looking for where you can and cannot use your EBT card when it comes to all things Whole Foods grocery items, read on to find where and when Whole Foods accepts EBT.

Does Whole Foods Take EBT or WIC?

Yes and no.

All Whole Foods locations accept EBT (electronic benefits transfer) at all their in-person store locations.

However, most, but not all physical Whole Foods locations accept WIC (special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children).

Be sure to call your local Whole Foods store to verify if they accept WIC.

Does the Whole Foods Website Accept EBT?

Unfortunately, no.

The EBT terms for the Whole Foods online store differ from the policy of their physical store locations.

Whole Foods does not accept EBT for purchases made online via the Whole Foods Market website.

See Also: Whole Foods Return Policy: Here’s Exactly How It Works

Can I Use EBT On Whole Foods Purchases Through Amazon?

Yes and no.

You can make some online Whole Foods purchases via Amazon. But… it’s complicated.

Amazon itself allows for the use of your SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) EBT card.

Yet, if you add Whole Foods items to your cart through Amazon’s site, Amazon will not let you use your EBT card for those specific Whole Foods items.

That being said, with a bit of digging and trial-and-error, there are still ways to use your EBT card on Amazon to get your hands on some Whole Foods Items.

If you go to Amazon’s grocery section (Amazon Fresh), and search Whole Foods, you’ll notice Whole Foods’s 365 by Whole Foods Market brand appears.

You CAN buy the 365 by Whole Foods Market brand items on Amazon using your EBT card through this method.

What EBT-Eligible Whole Foods Items Can I Buy In-Store?

Now that you know you cannot use your EBT card to buy Whole Foods items online (unless it’s their 365 brand), what items can you actually buy in-stores?

At all Whole Foods locations, you can buy grocery items with your EBT card.

This includes items like:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Dairy Products
• Bread
• Snacks
• Non-Alcoholic Beverages
• Frozen, canned, or fresh foods
• Meats
•  … and really all grocery food items imaginable.

That being said, this does not mean you can buy everything on your shopping list at Whole Foods.

What Items Are Ineligible To Buy Using EBT?

There are some non-grocery-related items that you cannot buy at Whole Foods with your EBT card.

Although some items are obvious like alcohol and nicotine products, others are less obvious.

For example, a couple head-scratchers that you CANNOT purchase include ready-made “hot foods/meals” and vitamins.

Items that are in-eligible at Whole Foods with EBT include:

• Ready-made HOT foods/meals
• Vitamins
• Pet Supplies
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Tobacco Products
• Non-Baby Food Related Items (i.e. diapers)
• Cleaning Supplies

If you wish to buy these products in-store at Whole Foods, be sure to have an alternative payment method with you other than your EBT card.

To be clear on the “hot foods” dealio, you CAN buy premade meals that are cold or frozen, which you then heat and serve at home.

You just CAN’T buy foods that are hot at the time of purchase.

Can I Buy a Sandwich with EBT?

Yes.

I personally asked a Whole Foods employee this question and was told, “Yes, as long as it’s cold.”

So anything that’s on the “fresh pack” wall, including all sandwiches, are eligible.

Many of the items in the “hot bar” section are also sold cold on the fresh pack wall.

So just buy them cold and heat them up at home.

I was also told that if items from the fresh pack wall ring up ineligible, just inform the cashier and they’ll do a manual override.

What About Sushi at Whole Foods?

Yes.

Sushi is absolutely an eligible purchase as it’s always sold cold.

How Exactly Do I Use My EBT Card At Whole Foods?

An EBT card can be used just as you would a debit card or credit card at checkout.

Be sure to follow the checkout payment system’s swipe and PIN instructions on-screen with your own unique 4-digit PIN number.

If you don’t have enough funds on your EBT card to pay for your entire order, you can split your total into multiple payment methods.

Then you can use a debit, credit, or gift card to pay for the outstanding funds.

Or, you can also ask the cashier to kindly return some items of your choice.

You can always check your EBT card balance by calling a customer service helpline at 1-888-328-6399 or checking online at https://www.connectebt.com.

Can I Use EBT in Conjunction With Curbside Pickup?

Yes.

You can use your EBT card with Whole Foods curbside pickup service but it has some kinks that need to be worked out.

Thanks to commenter Mary, some items that are eligible for EBT are not ringing up as such and she’s being charged for them.

In her case, it was butter and Kefir, but I’m sure there are others.

The problem is that Whole Foods corporate doesn’t seem interested in fixing the issue and is passing the buck back to individual stores.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

Ask the Reader: Have you ever used your EBT card at Whole Food or do you stick to more budget friendly grocery stores?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.