This post has been updated since it was originally published.
Nothing can boost your mood (and the mood of your wallet) like heading to Costco to stock up on bulk items for great bargain prices. This membership-based store is filled with tons of fantastic finds at affordable prices, and for the most part, they’re good quality products, too. However, no store is perfect—even Costco! It’s only inevitable that there are a few items you should steer clear of when shopping here.
Luckily, employees and shoppers across the internet love to exchange advice about what you should and shouldn’t buy, and Best Life recently compiled a few of the best tidbits. Below are just a few of the things both workers and customers say you should never buy from Costco.
Kirkland Signature Bottled Water
Sometimes, name brand options really do offer better quality, and it seems that Costco employees and shoppers agree that this is the case when it comes to bottled water. If you were considering saving a few bucks by buying a bulk case of Costco's Kirkland Signature brand, you may want to reconsider. In a Reddit thread titled "Kirkland Bottled Water smells?" it seems many people agreed that there was something... off about this beverage. Commenters referred to the water as "musty." One person even said that "it smells like fish tank water, or lake water" to their wife. "To her it also tastes different and she has had an upset stomach," they wrote. Yikes! "It just smells and tastes toxic," another commented.
It seems this isn't a one-off incident or a singular bad batch, either. One customer noted that they purchased two different cases of bad-smelling water, each with different lot numbers and bought at least a week apart. So, if you're really craving bottled water, you're probably better off investing in a different brand.
Bargain Books
At first glance, literature lovers visiting Costco may be excited to stumble upon the warehouse store's book section. However, upon closer inspection, employees agree you'll likely end up disappointed with the selection—and the prices.
Although Costco offers a decent range of children's books, adults looking for a riveting read may find slim pickings. Plus, the bargains aren't exactly earth-shattering. As one Reddit poster notes, "prices aren't fabulous and you can get the same on Amazon much cheaper." Noted!
If you're really feeling thrifty, another commenter has great advice: "I would recommend going to a thrift store or used library book sale to get some your books," the wrote. "This way you are getting them at discounted price and helping to reuse or recycle the books." We think that's a great idea!
At the end of the day, Costco is a beloved place filled with tons of killer bargains. But if you really want to get the most bang for your buck, it's always helpful to listen to the advice of employees and experienced shoppers. God bless the Internet!
Goodyear Tires & Products
"I'd personally recommend avoiding Goodyear altogether," wrote one Redditor who worked in the Costco Tire Center. "People come in all the time with their tires on and have tons of issues…I know some of our stores sell them, but I will never put them on any car of mine. I stick with Bridgestone, Michelin, or BFG." Another commenter implored fellow Costco shoppers to avoid Goodyear windshield wipers and other users agreed, saying, "Why can't Costco just get us a better grade of windshield wiper? Surely they must be aware of this by now."
Sale Items Ending In .00
The last tip is not for a specific item, but rather a whole category, specified by the end of the price on the price tags. In a viral TikTok, a former Costco employee named Mai Zimmy shared some pricing secrets from the retail giant. According to Mai, items priced ending with .00 are manager markdowns, which means that they may have been a returned item or a floor model. The TikToker suggested to instead look out for items with prices ending in .97, because that's the clearance price and it's the "lowest, bare-bottom price" that it can be marked down to. It also seems that prices ending with .99 are just the regular retail prices. A former Costco employee who worked for the store for over a decade also confirmed these details to Business Insider.
