The people who work at Costco probably know more about what not to buy there than you ever will. That sounds harsh, but think about it — they see every return, hear every complaint, and watch which products sit untouched on shelves day after day. When the folks stocking those giant aisles actively avoid certain items with their own money, the rest of us should probably pay attention.
What’s Wrong With Costco Strawberries?
You’ve probably seen them — those absurdly large strawberries that look like they were grown near a nuclear power plant. Some are so big that three of them can match the height of a water bottle. Impressive to look at. Less impressive to eat, apparently. One Costco employee noted on Reddit that if fresh produce got returned more often, strawberries would lead the pack. The problem isn’t just taste, though. It’s volume. Costco strawberries come cheaper — maybe $1-2 less than competitors — which tempts you into buying way more than you’ll actually eat. Fresh strawberries barely last two days on the counter. So unless you’ve got a plan (smoothies, freezing, strawberry shortcake marathon), you’re basically buying compost.
The Banana Situation Is Real
Here’s a frustrating one. Multiple Costco employees have flagged the bananas as a skip. One worker put it bluntly: “At least half the time, they don’t ripen.” Customers back this up. People have reported bunches staying green for weeks. Weeks! Some tried the classic paper bag trick. Others threw an apple in with the bananas to speed up the ethylene gas process. Neither worked.
Most people ended up tossing their bananas entirely, which kind of defeats the purpose of a bulk deal. If you’re going to buy bananas there anyway, employees suggest looking for bunches with intact necks — that’s the part that seals the fruit from the outside environment. Missing that feature? Walk away.
Can You Actually Finish a 12-Pack of Croissants?
Costco’s bakery section smells incredible. I won’t deny that. But employees themselves aren’t loading up on baked goods, and the reason is almost annoyingly practical: the packaging is just too big. An Iowa-based employee told Business Insider that the quantities far exceeded their household needs. A Pennsylvania colleague echoed the same thing — too much product, too much packaging, too much fridge and counter space eaten up by a single purchase. Unless you’re feeding a crowd, a dozen croissants is a lot of croissants. Sure, you can freeze some. Cake wraps up well in plastic and foil. But cookies with icing? Those don’t survive the freezer. And nobody wants a thawed, soggy muffin for breakfast on Thursday.
Skip the Soda — Seriously
This one surprised me. Costco seems like the obvious place to buy soda in bulk, right? Big flats of Coke, maybe some variety packs. One Redditor even asked if Costco was the best place to buy soda for a 250-person wedding. But anonymous employees say otherwise. Your local supermarket almost certainly has better soda deals, especially around holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. Grocery stores use soda as what’s called a “loss leader” — they sell it below cost just to get you in the door. That means their sale prices beat Costco’s everyday prices, sometimes by a decent margin. If you can resist impulse buys while you’re there (big if, I know), you’ll save more hitting those seasonal sales.
Do You Really Need That Much Meat?
Costco’s meat section can be seductive. You walk in for snacks, you leave with a six-pound flank steak and plans for a spontaneous cookout. But a California-based employee admitted to Business Insider that they skip the large meat packets because the quantity just doesn’t match their household’s reality.
And here’s the thing people forget — meat demands immediate attention once you get it home. You’re supposed to freeze it as soon as possible, divided into portions. If your house is more than 30 minutes from the store, you technically should be transporting it in an insulated cooler. That’s a level of commitment most of us aren’t bringing to a Saturday Costco run. The deal looks great on the price tag, but between storage limitations and spoilage risk, it doesn’t always pencil out for smaller households.
The Gallon of Mayo Nobody Finishes
A Minnesota-based Costco employee flat-out said it: you can have too much mayonnaise. Costco’s oversized mayo jars are the stuff of legend. Apparently, the largest jar of mayo sold at a Finnish supermarket is literally labeled “American size,” which — honestly, fair enough. Unopened, the jar will sit happily in your pantry until its expiration date. But once you crack the seal, you’ve got two to three months to use it up, and it needs to go in the fridge. That’s a lot of mayo to commit to. Redditors started comparing other absurd Costco sizes after this came up: buckets of yogurt, drums of olive oil. It became a kind of one-upping contest. The oversized packaging is a recurring employee complaint because it creates a false economy — saving per ounce means nothing if half of it ends up in the trash.
Wait, the Chicken Bake Is Bad?
This one might sting. The Kirkland Signature Chicken Bake from the food court is a fan favorite. Under $4, big enough for two people. But Christina Polovina, a California-based Costco manager with over a decade of experience, named it as the worst food court item to buy. Her reason? It clocks in at over 1,000 calories. Crispy dough, cheese, chicken, bacon, Caesar dressing, parmesan on top. Sounds amazing. Sounds like a cardiac event. Polovina calls it “a treat once in a while if you’re into it, but definitely not a daily go-to.” And it’s not great for Costco’s bottom line either, apparently — those chicken bakes are wreaking havoc on the company’s profit margins.
Those Price Tags Are Talking to You
Not an item to avoid, exactly, but something employees wish you knew. Costco price tags contain hidden codes. A price ending in .97 means it’s on clearance. A price ending in .00 or .88? That means a manager cut the price manually — maybe it’s the last one in stock, or it’s missing a box. Meanwhile, an asterisk in the upper right corner of a price tag means the store isn’t reordering that item. Could be seasonal, could be permanent. Either way, if you love it, buy it now. There’s also sometimes a date printed under the final digit of the price, which tells you when the most recent markdown happened. These small details can save you real money if you know what to look for.
Is Kirkland Always the Smart Choice?
Kirkland is Costco’s house brand, and most people assume everything with that label is a solid bet. Not exactly. Consumer Reports has found huge variation in quality across Kirkland products, which makes sense when you think about how many categories the brand covers — we’re talking everything from work boots to maple syrup to dishwasher pods. Some Kirkland items are genuinely excellent. Bacon and maple syrup consistently score well. But Kirkland coffee and dishwasher gel packs? Not so much. The takeaway: don’t buy Kirkland automatically just because it’s Kirkland. Do a little mental check on whether you’ve actually liked the product before, or whether you’re just trusting the brand name on faith.
They Move Stuff Around on Purpose
If you’ve ever wandered Costco thinking “I swear the peanut butter was over here last time” — you’re not losing it. Employees confirm that the store intentionally moves inventory around. Costco calls it a “treasure hunt” experience. The real reason? The longer you spend scanning shelves trying to find what you came for, the more likely you are to notice something else and toss it in the cart. It’s a deliberate strategy. Items that sell particularly well in a specific location will stay put, but everything else is fair game for shuffling. This is why a Costco trip that should take 20 minutes somehow always takes an hour and a half.
The Chub Trick for Ground Beef
Here’s one most people don’t know about. If you’re buying ground beef at Costco, you can ask the deli for a “chub” — which is basically a tube of ground beef sealed in plastic. It looks like an oversized hot dog, and the name is admittedly weird. But it’s the same beef you’d get in the traditional foam tray packaging, just packed differently. The packaging costs less to produce, so the chub is usually sold at a discount. Same product, lower price, slightly less attractive presentation. If you’re browning it for tacos anyway, who cares what it looks like in the bag?
Almost Everything Goes on Sale Eventually
This is the kind of insider tip that can fundamentally change how you shop at Costco. Employees confirm that most items will go on sale at some point. If you’re eyeing something but don’t need it urgently, patience pays off. And if you do buy something and it goes on sale within 30 days, Costco.com will refund the difference. Some individual warehouses offer the same deal for in-store purchases too — stop by the membership counter and ask. That’s not a guarantee everywhere, but it’s worth a shot. Between clearance codes on the price tags and eventual markdowns, the people who save the most at Costco are the ones who don’t grab everything on impulse. Which, given how the store is designed, is much easier said than done.
So yeah — the employees who ring up your cart and restock those towering shelves every day? They’re quietly passing on a surprising number of items that the rest of us toss in without thinking. The bananas that won’t ripen, the mayo jar that won’t fit in your fridge, the chicken bake that could fuel a marathon. These aren’t random opinions. They come from people who see, handle, and process returns on this stuff daily. When the insiders are skipping it, maybe we should at least think twice.
