Costco is one of Americans’ favourite places to shop. The chain recently ranked second among national grocery stores in the Dunnhumby Consumer Data Firm’s annual Retailer Preferences Index.
This is quite impressive, given that you generally have to buy a subscription to go shopping at Costco, which costs about $60 per year. Thus, more than 94 million members pay to be able to buy in bulk and access the chain’s best products.
However, contrary to what some people think, not all products are worth buying from Costco. Since Costco often sells products in bulk, you must be able to eat your food before it reaches its expiry date. Here are 9 products that you should buy from Costco.
1. Bakery products
Costco is unbeatable for its homemade bakery products such as pies and cakes. In addition, Costco can offer you more than just desserts in its bakery section. According to Charlene Haugsven, founder of MyFrugalAdventures.com, Costco sells Einstein Bros. bagels for $5.99 a dozen: “You could easily pay double in a bagel store.”
2. Cheese
Basic cheese blocks such as cheddar and mozzarella are very popular at Costco. The prices are affordable (assuming that we can know the quantity that Costco sells). Ms. Haugsven says she pays about $3 less than she would for the same cheeses in a regular grocery store.
Costco sells 32-ounce blocks of sweet cheddar cheese under its Kirkland Signature brand for $4.59. The local Key Food grocery chain sells an 8-ounce package of Kraft Soft Cheddar Cheese in pieces for $4.99.
Gourmet cheeses such as brie are also very cheap, but Haugsven recommends avoiding them because of the size of the packaging: “You really have to ask yourself if you’re going to get through this amount before you buy them.
3. Frozen fruit
If you buy organic fruit, frozen fruit can be expensive. However, at Costco, this is not the case. “Costco offers unbeatable prices for organic frozen fruit,” says Haugsven. In addition, the chain offers a wide selection of fruit, berry bags mixed with pineapple – perfect if you are a person who likes to enjoy a smoothie in the morning.
A 4-pound bag of Kirkland frozen organic strawberries costs $4.95, according to Basket. Aldi and Trader Joe’s retail frozen organic strawberries for $2.69 for a 12-ounce bag.
4. Olive oil
If you regularly use olive oil, take a look at Costco’s organic extra virgin olive oil. “It’s really very good quality at a very good price,” says John Karolefski, food analyst.
ConsumerLabs, an independent consumer evaluation organization, analyzed 10 popular olive oils to determine which ones offer the best quality and value for money. He named Kirkland’s organic extra virgin olive oil, at $16.99, one of the top three, ahead of more expensive brands like Colavita and Newman’s Own.
5. Maple syrup
Costco’s pure organic Kirkland pure maple syrup is a must-have product,” says Haugsven. Costco sells it in 33.8-ounce format for $12.79.
This is a particularly advantageous format, as coupons or sales of pure and/or organic maple syrup are rare
6. Snack foods
Snack foods are generally cheaper at Costco when the store offers coupons, according to Haugsven: “They won’t tell you the prices, they’ll just tell you $3 off Cheez-Its products, you go to the store and you usually get a lot of these items”.
7. Vanilla
One of Costco’s best offers is a vanilla extract, says Demer. Costco sells its pure Kirkland vanilla extract for $26.99 for a 16-ounce liquid bottle. It is also a good product to buy according to the Kitchn kitchen and food site.
8. Wine
“Wine is absolutely one of the best products to buy at Costco,” says Demer. “Whenever there is a comparison of the quality of store brands, Trader Joe’s and Costco are always in the lead.”
Costco won the “best quality” award for its Cabernet Sauvignon Leap District 2015 from Kirkland Stag’s Leap District at the 2018 International Awards of Excellence presented by the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
The prices of the wines vary according to the grape varieties and vintages. Basketball reports that Kirkland’s California grigio pinot grigio costs $7.89 for a 1.5-litre bottle – a variety ReverseWineSnob.com calls “cheap and tasty” – and you can get Kirkland Carneros California pinot noir for $9.99 for a 750-millilitre bottle. It is therefore in your interest to buy these wines!
9. Chicken
Whether cooked or fresh, Costco has great prices on chicken. His $5 roast chicken is so popular that the company is building a brand new production centre in Nebraska to meet demand. The NPR reports that it sells about 60 million chickens per year.
Joanie Demer, the co-founder of The Krazy Coupon Lady, explains to CNBC Make It that it is the size of the chicken that counts, not the price. Chickens at Cosco are usually one pound larger than those found in typical grocery stores.
Fresh and organic chicken also has a good price-quality ratio at Costco, as many retailers do not sell this product as often. Costco sells boneless, skinless organic chicken packages in pre-portioned packages (usually a total weight of about 6 pounds) for $4.99 per pound, according to Basket.
