The 6 BEST Items to Buy at Costco (And 5 Things You Should Skip Every Time)
If you’re like me, you understand how easy it is to walk into Costco for just a few things and walk out with a cart full of groceries and a receipt a mile long – especially if you’re shopping with kids or your significant other! 😉
But, while there are a lot of savings and deals to be had, not everything is worth adding to your shopping cart. We’re sharing the best and worst things to buy at Costco!
Here are 6 things you should definitely buy at Costco:
1. Kirkland Signature brand items
Did you know that Costco’s private label, Kirkland Signature, includes an assortment of items that are rumored to be manufactured by name brands at a fraction of the cost? If that wasn’t enough, the quality and value are unbeatable!
Here are a few of our favorite Kirkland Signature items:
- Grocery & paper products
“We love Kirkland brand everything! K-cups, toilet paper, paper towels, olive oil, canned chicken, cheese – we literally love everything from that brand.” -Lina
“We recently tried the Kirkland Signature Protein Bars and thought they were delicious! Plus, my kids love the granola bars in their lunches. We have tried store brand granola bars and they just never got eaten, but these are great!” -Mary
- Baby formula
“My favorite Costco item is their Kirkland brand formula. It’s priced around $16 for a huge container, which is a fraction of the price of name brands, but it has actually worked better digestion-wise for my two youngest kiddos.” -Stacy
- Organic products
“I love all the organic/non-GMO products and many of Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand are both. My favorites are Wild Planet sustainably pole caught tuna, Organic Better than Bouillon Chicken base, Kirkland Signature extra virgin olive oil, Kirkland’s wild-caught skinless and boneless salmon, and so many more.” -Jami
- Pet food
“I love the Kirkland brand dog food! You can get a HUGE bag for only around $30.” -Lacey
- Batteries
“The Kirkland hearing aid batteries are $8.99 for a pack of 60. My father-in-law and grandma go through about one battery a week, if not more. They were buying the Energizer brand for 16 batteries for $11-$12 in stores. They’re saving a ton with the Kirkland brand, and they both say they last as long as Energizer.” -Stacy
2. Rotisserie chicken
One of the best deals at Costco is their large 3-pound rotisserie chickens for just $4.99 each. Most supermarkets sell their rotisserie chickens for $5.99-$7.99 each, and they’re approximately half the size of Costco’s chicken. It makes sense why so many shoppers flock to Costco to score this deal!
Plus, Costco sells an average of 157,000 chickens every single day and over 60 million every year, but if you think they make a profit on them, they don’t. Costco reportedly loses money on their chickens but refuses to raise the price since they’re one of their best-selling items (we love you, Costco!).
Even better? The popular Costco rotisserie chicken has it’s own Facebook page where thousands of fans can post recipe ideas, photos, and ways to use the iconic chicken.
Hip Tip: Check out these 12 Easy Rotisserie Chicken Meal Ideas!
3. Clothing and shoes
Costco is a great place to shop for high-quality clothing and shoes, especially on name-brands like Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Jessica Simpson, Levi’s, and others! We also love the Tuff Athletics leggings and found the quality to be very similar to Lululemon. They even had the same logo placement, thick Lycra spandex fabric, and an additional rear key pocket with zipper! 😱
You can also find great deals on shoes, especially during instant savings deals. In fact, we’ve spotted previous deals on Adidas, Skechers, Sanuk flip flops, and even TOMS shoes! While these deals are not currently available online, hopefully, they’ll return in the future.
Here’s what we think about Costco’s clothing and shoes:
“I love the shoe deals at Costco! I have purchased Adidas slides for under $15, tennis shoes for my boys for under $20 that we later saw for $80 at a footwear store, and Sanuk flip flops for under $15! I also love Costco’s leggings – they’re super thick and hold up, wash after wash! While the deals change often, if you’re in need of shoes or clothes, check out Costco first!” -Mary
“I’ve scored my favorite leggings and jacket at Costco… love them!” -Lina
4. Food court items
If you’re in need of a cheap lunch or dinner idea, a quick snack to hold the kids over while shopping, OR a cheap fro-yo option for date night, Costco’s food court is a great place to go! Not only are the menu items an unbeatable value, but they’re amazingly delicious, too!
“Sometimes my family will go to Costco just to get dessert. Instead of spending $5 per person at a local custard place, we can ALL go to Costco and get everyone in my family a 12oz yogurt for under $7 total! That’s some pretty crazy savings!” -Mary
Hip Tip: Check out our favorite Costco food court items under $5 each!
5. Gift cards
Looking to save on dining out or entertainment? Consider browsing the gift card section at Costco first. You can find savings for restaurants, movie tickets, theme and water parks, retail stores, fitness gyms, and much more! Plus, when you make a purchase online, you can then use the digital gift cards in-store or online.
Here are a few of our favorite Costco gift card options:
- Build-A-Bear eGift Cards
- AMC, Regal, and Cinemark Movie Tickets
- Chuck E. Cheese eGift Cards
- Smashburger, Krispy Kreme, and other restaurant gift cards
6. Bedding & Bath Towels
If you’re in need of bath towels or bedding, Costco’s highly rated Charisma brand does not disappoint! The sheets are extremely soft, wash well, and come in a variety of colors and sizes.
The Hygro Cotton technology makes them super absorbent, and the special weave makes them incredibly soft – and they get even softer with every wash. 🙌🏻 Plus, with the Spot Stop color protection, you don’t have to worry about discoloration from common cosmetic ingredients. Read more about why Lina loves these towels!
Here are 5 things you should NOT buy at Costco:
1. Electronics
Occasionally, the prices of TVs or electronics at Costco are worth the splurge, but you’ll generally get a better deal at other retailers like Best Buy or Target (especially during Black Friday and around the Super Bowl when newer models are coming out).
Hip Tip: Check out the best times to shop based on annual sales cycles.
2. Books
While Costco is a great place to score deals on certain products, you shouldn’t rely on the warehouse for the best discounts on paperback or hardcover books. You can often find better deals on Amazon or Barnes & Nobles with a promo code or sale (and buying used is always a great option, too).
3. Fresh Fruit & Vegetables
Unless you actually plan on using two pounds of strawberries in one week, buying fresh fruit at Costco can be a waste. Costco only sells things in bulk, so unless you’re feeding a large family or are in the jam-selling business, you likely won’t use the bulk fruit and vegetables before they go bad.
4. Soda
Most soda brands are going to be cheaper at retailers other than Costco, especially during a sale or with coupons. While Costco’s price is regularly around 29¢ per can, stores like Target, CVS Pharmacy, and other grocers often have better sales on soda, so that is generally a better time to stock up.
5. Toothpaste
If you’re a HIP shopper, you know that you can easily score a tube of toothpaste for $1-$2 (and even free on occasion when you pair coupons with sales). So, unless you’re completely out or just don’t want to make multiple stops to get the cheapest deal, you’re better off not buying toothpaste at Costco.
So there you have it! What items do YOU like to buy (or not buy) at Costco?
Check out these ways to shop at Costco without a membership!
The only thing on the electronics is if something is wrong their return policy is usually better. Also, we get cash back on our purchases.
The electronics at Costco have an amazing warranty. You can’t beat it!
Agreed – I really appreciate (and have used) the concierge and executive warranty for electronics!
We’ll only buy electronics at Costco because of their awesome return policy! Well worth paying a little extra on the item when it’s purchased!
We also will only buy our big electronic purchase from Costco, along with their extended warranty plan through Square Trade. We had a TV go bad one month before the extended warranty expired and they sent us a check in for the full purchase price.
I have to disagree with electronics part. Once you factor that you get a free 4 year warranty when you pay with your Costco credit card, electronics at Costco are a must plus a great return and concierge service.
Absolutely agree! We buy almost all of our electronics from Costco for this reason. Paying with our Costco card gives an auto warranty. And this last time we bought a laptop, there was a MFR coupon which covered the entire cost of the additional personal damage warranty.
I agree – we bought a TV and they replaced it twice as they couldn’t repair it; the 3rd one worked fine. And they came out to our house to repair & replace it as well.
I completely agree on the electronics. I usually always agree with Hip2Save, but we will NEVER buy another electronic device anywhere but COSTCO. If there is a problem, they stand behind their products 100 percent. Definitely worth a little more to avoid the hassle or repair costs.
I was also getting on to disagree that electronics are not a good deal. The return policy and warranty makes it worth it.
Yes! Best Buy gives you only 2 weeks to return!
I agree with everyone here and disagree with Hip2Save on this one. If we buy electronics, we wait for a sale on them and then you can get up to a 4 year warranty. You really can’t beat that!
I agree. We buy electronics at Costco too — and hub is actually does a lot of high-end work computer purchasing there too online as part of his job. The thing about Costco that the Hipsters maybe overlooked is that if you look at the model numbers sold at Costco, they’re almost always the “high end” models — with extra/new features — whereas Target and BB usually have their lowest priced sales on lower-end models without them (so while it might be the same size/brand TV, it’s that brand’s entry-level model — not a valid comparison to the model at Costco). Costco is really about a value proposition – price to quality – not just the cheapest version of the item.
Costco brand microwave popcorn is better than any I’ve ever had. I give my friends a bag to try and they all agree it’s much better than Orville.
YUM! Thanks for the tip, Jennifer! I haven’t had their popcorn!
I promise you will love it!
Thanks!
Agreed! The Kirkland microwavable popcorn is the best!
Yep! The only kind my kiddos will eat and no hydrogenated oils!
OH YESSS!!! We love theirs (yes, I know it is not healthy),but theirs is actually tasty. I can’t even try other brands
I will always shop Costco for the Kirkland paper towels and garbage bags. One pack of paper towels last me 2-3 months and one box of garbage bags lasts around a year and half or so. Any time I’ve bought either product outside or Costco I have been disappointed with the quality compared to Kirkland.
I love their trash bags too!
Oh cool! SO glad you have been pleased with their paper towels and garbage bags!! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Raspberries for $4 for a double sized container. Can’t beat it. If you eat your 5 servings of fruit and veggies each day Costco is an unbelievable place to buy these at. Colored peppers, mixed greens, bananas, mini tomatoes, blackberries- they are all better priced than any other store has them at, and the quality is super.
Happy to hear that, Suzanne! My Mother in Law loves grabbing their fruits for the grand kids!
I agree! I get all our produce at Costco! Even with only 3 kids, we never threw much away! And they have a great selection of organic produce too!
We buy raspberries there too. Great price and they never go bad because my family eats it all in 2 days max!
YUM! Love raspberries, Shannon!
I just freeze half when I get them if I don’t plan on using them before the expiration date. Easy and so handy to have frozen fruit on hand that you KNOW is clean. Especially after all these frozen fruit recalls we are hearing about.
2 notes on electronics at Costco:
1. They do not get the same models as the Best Buy, etc. Usually this means you get something extra in the box (extra 3D glasses for TVs were a big thing back when that was popular), but it also might mean you get a lower refresh rate so check the differences.
2. The Square Trade extended warranty they offer is much cheaper than a Geek Squad warranty from Best Buy. You can buy just the extended warranty and apply it to a purchase from else where. If you buy a TV at Costco though you get a 2 year warranty for free then the extended warranty starts instead of just 1 year elsewhere.
Thanks so much for the helpful feedback, Robert! Good to know!
Watermelon!
I’ve seen it up to $11 at my local grocery store! Usually Costco (and Sam’s) have them as low as $3.98!!
That is a great price, Ashley! Thanks for sharing!
Side note, today at my Food Lion they had watermelon for $3.99, cherries for $1.99/lb and strawberries 3/$5. It was so awesome.
Spinach beans blueberries mangoes oranges peaches onions small potatoes mushrooms tomatoes grapes -99% of the vegetables fruits we consume are from Costco almost every week and we are family of 4. Barely anything goes to waste. High end Electronics we buy only from Costco as their warranty is just awesome!
I agree we are a family of 7 though….So we go through produce no problem. The quality of Costco produce cannot be beat. It is the only place I buy produce for my large family.
DH and I are a household of TWO and we still manage to blow through a load of organic produce from Costco every week! We eat a whole food, plant-based diet (aiming for 9-10 servings of fruit/veg daily) so it’s pretty easy to eat through it all. One box of organic Power Greens is about 4 dinners worth of meal-sized salads for two of us. One tray of apples is 1-2 per day for both of us. Two bags of bananas covers breakfast/snack/smoothies. Same with mangoes, kiwis, and berries. I think the people having trouble wasting the large-format produce at Costco maybe ought to re-think whether they’re eating enough fruit and veg… 😉
I’d love to see one of these for BJs. We cancelled our Costco after we moved due to the closest ones being so far (I miss that food court 😭) and switched to BJs since it’s the only one around, but unsure about their branded items, what’s good, and such.. I’d love some feedback!
Thanks for the request, Jj! I’ll be sure to pass that along to the team!
I’d like to see a post for sams club like this.
Here you go! https://hip2save.com/tips/what-to-buy-sams-club/
Oh I must have missed this post. Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
Luggage!!! No matter what happens they will take it back. Most warrantees do not cover wheels or handles. That’s what breaks the most. No problem at Costco. I travel a lot for work and will only buy luggage at Costco.
Oh wow! Thank you, acgold! Great tip!
Does that handle and wheel coverage include accidental damage or does it just include manufacturing defects?
A taxi driver yanked my favorite bag(purchased elsewhere) out of his trunk. The handle was still attached on the outside, but it was separated from the frame. The frame also cracked and shattered.
As far as I’ve experienced, Costco will take back anything you purchased there (minus electornics) including because of damage. We broke the wheels off a tall rolling cart by accident (ran it over a tall door frame) and they replaced basically without question. As long as they can look up your receipt, you’ll get your money back.
Does it matter when you purchased it?
Their bakery chocolate chip chunk cookies. To. Die. For! (And you just may, with diabetes or heart disease due to the sugar and fat content 🤣)
But seriously, so so so good!
That is so true!! So is there enormous chocolate cake!!! So good my kids always request it for their birthday. Plus you can’t beat the price at 16.99!
A tip I use when shopping at Costco that helps keep tabs with where I’m at as I shop (and to help keep within my budget!) is that *on average* you can count your items at about $10 each. So, 10 items~ $100. I read this a couple years ago and would love to give credit to whoever posted it, as it does really work for everyday household items (barring you’re not buying a TV or some other high priced item!).
Oh yes! I have shopped with that in mind at warehouse stores too! Thanks for sharing that with us!
I kinda disagree on buying bulk produce. We eat A LOT of fresh produce, so buying in bulk is smarter for us. Some items, like maybe pears, peaches, oranges I don’t buy in bulk, but just get a few of each at the grocery store each wk.
Strawberries, blueberries, cherries… those can last a wk or longer in my house now that I soak them in a vinegar/water mixture and let them dry off completely before storing in the fridge. If they start getting soft, I take them out and put in a freezer bag for smoothies or to make a compote for pancakes/waffles, etc.
Mushrooms can last a wk if you take them out of the container and put them in a brown paper bag before storing in the fridge. I prefer the whole mushrooms so I can wash and chop/slice as needed for omlettes & saute for meals.
Oh great! Good to know the larger fruit portions have worked so well for your family, Mel! Thanks for the pointers on keeping produce fresh!
I have a Sam’s club membership but recently a Cosco was built down the road. I do not want to pay for both memberships, which one is better.
My family has always preferred Costco over sams but we have both memberships. I do find that I mostly shop at Costco and I like their food court better. But that’s just my family.
I think Sam’s Club has a better website, but I prefer Costco for the in-club experience. I only have a Sam’s Club membership for discounted Disney gift cards. I hardly ever shop in the club. My Costco is crap for discounted gift cards.
I love Costco and shop there alot butttt Meijer has the best tasting rotisserie chicken. I’ve tested out all of the stores around me and there’s no place that tastes better than Meijer. Not even Costco 😉 And you can get it on wednesdays for $5! Otherwise it’s only $5.99.
Thanks, Tamara! We will have to try that!
I always get my milk and bananas there (I also belong to BJ’s and Sam’s and they have equally good prices on these two items). They are a much better price there than the grocery store. I also like how the apples are packed in plastic with a separate space for each apple. They are NEVER bruised. The packaging is recyclable here, so I don’t feel like it is a waste of packaging. (I have also thought it would be a good thing to store ornaments in!)
Nice about the apples and I like the ornament idea, LJfromNJ!
My mom and I despise the current milk jug shape. It isn’t tapered like it was a few years ago. It can be difficult to pour at first. I feel that the shape change was only done to make it easier to pack into shipping boxes. It wasn’t done to benefit customers. Sam’s Club does it too.
Agree
I don’t know about other Costco’s, but the one in Raleigh, NC has the food court right next to the open entrance for tire sales and repairs, so the whole area reeks of rubber. I have never eaten anything there (or from there) because of this. The menu looks good but the tire smell is just too overpowering to make me want to buy it. Other than that, I love our Costco – especially the folks that work there. They are all so nice & helpful and seem to enjoy working there.
That’s like my Sam’s club. Even when they’re cooking pizza, that rubber smell just mingles with it!
I go to the Apex Costco too!! O do agree, but it hasn’t bothered me, the Costco I used to go to in GA was like that too, guess I’m used to it haha
I personally know someone (not just a hearsay) who bought a big screen tv from Costco a looonnnggg time ago. It was a tv that had a big bulky back, so that old. Back then Costco had lifetime warranty on electronics. So the tv broke, after maybe 10 years of use. Yes, she took it back to Costco and since it was covered by the old Costco warranty, she got a full refund!
Like that’s something to be proud of. Returning a 10 year old t.v. That’s just abusing a return policy. Thank goodness most people aren’t like that or Costco would have to raise prices.
My friend’s parents did something similar. Bought a TV knowing they were relocating in 4-5 years and would not be able to take it. Bought this huge super fancy TV and took it back when they listed their house and we’re getting ready to move. I am pretty that’s why they changed that policy. I was mortified when they were talking about their “plan”.
Our Sam’s membership is expiring so we went to check out Costco. Lines at Costco check-out were extremely long. Waited 15 minutes to discuss possible new membership and never was acknowledged. The line for returns was to the door and not moving. Just sharing my personal Costco experience.
You can avoid a lot of long lines at Membership and returns by being smart. Don’t try to conduct business on the weekends. Tuesdays, for example are usually much slower.
We LOVE Kirkland brand bath tissue, paper towels, garbage bags, vodka, coffee, zero water (similar to vitamim water), tortilla chips and salsa!
Kirkland vodka and tequila are great tasting and a great buy compared to the name brands.
**Their pre made margarita is delicious and so convenient to have for surprise guests. I always buy the one in the liquor store because it has tequila, the one in the store is the same price but made with wine.
This is a little off-topic, but this year, I decided to try HIIT training, and was trying to decide between a Bowflex Max and the ProForm HIIT trainer from Costco. I was super concerned, because the ProForm had a lot of reviews that said that it would break after a year or two. I called Costco to see if I could get an extended warranty for it, and she said, “You don’t need one.” I asked, “You mean, even if it breaks down, say, two years later, I can return it?” She said, “Yes, we want you to be completely satisfied.” I’m still not sure I’d be comfortable doing this, but it’s really great to know that Costco stands behind their products! FYI, I bought the ProForm HIIT trainer from Costco, and it is nicely kicking my butt.
The Charisma brand microfiber sheets are the best. OMG! So soft and wash well. All our bed sheet sets are this brand and they’re on sale again, so I’m going to stock up. I’m really bummed I missed the comforter sale by a day. The king size went down to $16.99 and the queen was $14.99 I think.
They ARE! I wish they came in twin.
We are big smoothie eaters and vegans. We love costco’s organic frozen fruit and vegetables. We buy most of our fresh fruit and vegetables in bulk and freeze whatever is left for smoothies.
Our family cannot get enough of the cherry tomatoes on the vine. Surprisingly they last a long time, way longer than grocery store comparison.
As for the fresh fruit, if its getting close to going bad, cut it up and freeze it. I do that with my blueberries, and strawberries, so that when I want to make something in the winter time I don’t have to worry about purchasing any more.
We also will make the box blue berry muffins and add the fresh blue berries to the mix for added flavor and get those bigger muffins. People think it is my own recipe!
Most everything in my house is from Costco!
I love their pizza 🍕!!!! Best pizza ever.
Yum! You just made my stomach growl, Mary!
Milk (I make homemade farmers cheese), eggs. Best price on organic eggs!! Some of kids yogurts I buy there. BABY WIPES!! I don’t have any babies and I still buy baby wipes.
Same on the baby wipes, Anastasia Root! I use them to clean my base boards!
Hmmmm…nice tip Jennifer! My baseboards could use some help. Thanks for the idea. 💗
I’d add gasoline. Here in Minneapolis, it’s about $0.20 a gallon cheaper than other stations. When we were in Maui earlier this year, it was $0.65 less than other local stations!
I disagree with toothpaste. Costco size of toothpaste i.e. Colgate is bigger plus u have to buy it when its on promo and not regular price.
Cheesecake is amazing. Fresh baked and it shows in the taste. I would say it’s better than the cheesecake factory’s New York cheesecake
We buy our milk at costco, 2 gallons for less than $5 and with 3 kids we go through a lot! I also get the uncooked tortillas and we vacuum seal them in portions we use and freeze them . Kids pajama sets, salad kits, raspberries and so much more!! Also, make sure to check our their deals on car rentals, it’s the only site we use when we go on vacation!
I’m not sure what it is about the Costco chicken, but it has an odd taste to it. It doesn’t taste anywhere near as good as chicken from our local grocer or Walmart (and our grocer occasionally has sales on the rotisserie chickens that per lb are about the same as Costco or cheaper).