Whether you are a scientist in a lab, blast freezing some food, or just making homemade rootbeer for Halloween, dry ice is an interesting substance that has many uses. Naturally, you will need to know where you can go to find it, and Costco seems to be as good a place as any. First, though, we need to find out whether Costco sells dry ice or not.
Costco does not widely sell dry ice. There is no storewide policy on dry ice so only a few select locations sell it and most of them do not. However, there are plenty of other places you can go such as Walmart, Harmons, Smiths, ice cream parlors, and local grocery stores to find dry ice.
If dry ice is something you are feeling hard-pressed to find for whatever reason, don't worry! There are plenty of other stores that do sell dry ice and you should most certainly be able to find one. Read on to learn about a few stores you can try out, as well as some fun uses for dry ice.
Where Can I Find Dry Ice?
As mentioned above, most of Costco's locations do not sell dry ice, though this does depend on where you are and which store is near you. If your Costco location does sell dry ice it will most likely be located at the front of the store in the designated freezer section. To find out whether or not your Costco location does sell ice, you will have to use the Costco store locator on Costco.com to find your store.
Keep in mind, however, that if Costco does sell dry ice, this is likely a fairly new policy. Few, if any, Costco locations do sell dry ice so you will most likely have to look elsewhere to get what you need. However, there are plenty of other stores that do sell dry ice and plenty of it! You may not have even heard of these stores, but they could become your new go-to source for dry ice.
Walmart
Walmart, like Costco, has no store-by-store policy on dry ice but they do have more locations that sell dry ice than Costco does. You can use Walmart's store locator to find one near you. Your best bet is to call them and ask if they have dry ice available. The locations that do stock dry ice usually have a designated ice section at the front of the store near where the cashiers are. It usually costs about $1.00-$1.50 per pound.
Harmons
Harmons' grocery stores usually have dry ice as well. It will be located at the front of the store in a designated ice section near the doors. If you are unsure whether or not your location has ice, you can do the same thing you would with Costco and Walmart and give them a call to find out.
Kroger
Kroger stores are as good an option as any to find dry ice. You will have to be older than eighteen and you will have to show ID but you will be able to find blocks and pellets in the freezer section. This freezer section might be towards the back, especially if you need to show ID at the front. However, like most stores, Kroger usually puts their freezer sections toward the front of the store where you can grab your ice on the way out.
Gas Stations
As with grocery stores and supermarkets, it is a gamble to guess whether you'll find dry ice at a gas station, but many of them do stock dry ice. Chevron, Sinclair, Maverick, and other chain gas stations are always good places to start. You may have to move from station to station, but hopefully, there is one near you that has what you need.
Ice Cream Shops
This option is a hit or miss because while most ice cream parlors use dry ice to keep their merchandise cold, not all of them will give it away. However, there are a good few shops that might be willing to sell you a bag and maybe even give it away for free. If nothing else, they may be able to tell you where they bought it, which will give you a new source to investigate. This all just depends on where you live. Your best bet is to call around or maybe even just walk in to see what happens.
Dry Ice: What Can I Do With It?
Now that you know a little better where you might be able to find dry ice, you may be interested to know of some fun ways you can use dry ice. Here are some popular ways you can use dry ice as well as some ways you may have never even heard of before!
Special Effects
Who doesn't love the fog in a play or a movie theater? Dry ice can be used to create “fog” and a smoky kind of effect. This is always fun around Halloween especially. If you are a person who loves fun drinks, you can also make witch's brew or homemade root beer with dry ice, which always adds to a spooky party.
Food Preservation
This is a very common use for dry ice because it works extremely well. You can use it to preserve food on long car or camping trips or during a major power outage. It takes a long time to evaporate which makes it an excellent choice. In fact, dry ice is often used for the preservation of dead bodies before burial preparation. If you can get your hands on some dry ice, you will have a guaranteed way to keep your food fresh and safe.
Flash Freezing
Dry ice is a great way to keep food cold and it's an even better way to keep hunting game cold. It is an especially popular substance among fishermen who need to keep their catch cold. Dry ice will keep fish cold and fresh for up to ten days longer than regular ice will. Plus you can use dry ice to freeze hunting game or fruit in a cooler.
