There’s no shortage of fantastic items to find at Costco. Oftentimes, that includes their wide array of foods. Whether you’re stocking up on tasty frozen cuisine or grabbing that famous hot dog combo from the food court, Costco has a lot of great treats to offer. But they can’t all satisfy everyone. In fact, there are a few duds that superfans say you’re better off leaving out of your cart.
One Reddit thread in the Costco subreddit asked the question: “In your opinion, what is the single worst prepared food that Costco sells?” and shoppers flocked to share their opinions. Find a few of the worst prepared foods they warn against below.
1. Potato Salad
Potato salad is often hit or miss. And if you're picky about this beloved side dish, you may want to steer clear of Costco's variety (and Walmart's, btw). "The big container of potato salad used to be my favorite, and now it is trash," one commenter on Reddit lamented. "I don't know what happened to it, but it is definitely not the same!"
Others agreed. "I got some bacon potato salad like two years ago and it was so bad. I returned it and it gave me a whole perspective of what not to buy at Costco," someone else wrote. Noted!
2. Macaroni and Cheese
It's hard to go wrong with macaroni and cheese—or at least that's what we thought. According to Redditors, the mac & cheese at Costco is incredibly disappointing due to a lack of flavor. Say it ain't so! "It's BLAND!" one comment complained.
Someone pointed out a bit of irony: "But to your surprise, it’s still really high in sodium!" When you consider the health risks of all that sodium, bland macaroni and cheese definitely isn't worth the risk. We'll stick to making our own at home, or even microwaving some Easy Mac.
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3. Chicken Pot Pie
If you ask us, chicken pot pie is just about the comfort food to end all comfort foods. But it sounds like Costco's take on this tasty dish just doesn't meet the mark flavor-wise. "They use those stupid flavorless baby carrots and somehow find a way to put rubbery cubes of chicken in there. It’s gross," says one comment.
"Totally agree that they are awful," someone else replied. "The crust is cardboard, the flavor is not there and it's hard to get past all the sodium. I've been spoiled all my life with good homemade chicken pot pie, so that may be part of the problem, but damn, so bad!" Yikes!
4. Sandwiches and Wraps
Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a big sandwich. But if that's what you're craving, Costco shoppers say you're better off finding it elsewhere. "Their premade sandwiches are awful," one person wrote, with many people backing up this sentiment.
"Used to love the turkey and cheese croissants with Cesar salad when I was growing up. Fast forward 20 years, I recently picked it for the nostalgia and the quality is nowhere near what it used to be," says another comment.
Shoppers noted that wraps are a similar story. "Those are even worse. If that’s even possible," someone complained. "I bought smoked salmon wraps that sounded good, but they were all soggy and gross by the time we ate them." Gross!
The bottom line
Costco is a fantastic place to find a lot of things—but unfortunately, that doesn't include these foods. So next time you're at the warehouse, stick to those fan-favorite products you know and love, and maybe just go with a food court hot dog.
READ MORE: The 6 Most Overrated Costco Items, According To Employees: Tacos, Pizza, & More
