10 Costco Products That Members Regret Buying
Costco sales were up 7.5% to $60.99 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, and the company plans on opening at least 29 more locations this year—proof people can't get enough of the giant warehouse chain. The membership-only store offers an overwhelming variety of products and shoppers love bagging great bargains and hidden treasures, but with thousands of items on sale every day, it's inevitable some might not quite hit the mark. Here are 10 Costco products members either regret buying or would simply never purchase again.
Baked Goods
Costco offers a bewildering variety of baked goods, both from their own bakery and packaged name brands. The problem for some shoppers is that in typical Costco fashion, the content per package is gigantic and either encourages overconsumption or goes bad before it can be finished. "I go out of my way not to buy baked goods there," one Redditor said. "I occasionally make exceptions (like pumpkin pie) but I just can't have 36 enormous delicious cookies around me. I can't have a 9 pound cheesecake."
Bananas
Many shoppers are unhappy with the Costco bananas. "I can't eat such large quantities before they go bad. Fresh green/string beans…same problem," one Redditor said. "I have a toddler and we parents eat bananas too. My problem is Costco bananas stays green 2 days and it goes from yellow to brown in a day. Walmart ones stay yellow for at least 3 days before going brown. I am not sure what's wrong with Costco bananas. I am looking answer for this since long [ago]," another said.
Cream Cheese
Costco's own-brand cream cheese comes under criticism as well, with customers frustrated with the packaging. "Kirkland cream cheese can go die in the fires of hell. Philly only, so I make trips to Sam's for the value pack," one Redditor said. "We bought cream cheese there once thinking it was separated out, like their butter. No. Just a giant block of cream cheese. I'm pretty sure only professional bakeries have a need to buy the giant thing of cream cheese at Costco as no family/one person could ever get through it before going bad," one shopper said.
Fresh Produce
There are a litany of complaints about Costco's produce being too expensive and going bad too fast. "My Costco produce also sucks, much of it is rotten or nearly there," one person posted on Reddit. "If I buy grapes, after digging through the stack for some that aren't visibly moldy or crushed, I'll bring them home to find the center molded. Bananas are split and flies buzzing. I buy my produce elsewhere, for sure." Another shopper also pointed out the rotting issue. "We've noticed that when we buy non-refrigerated produce from Costco, we end up with fruit flies. Since we quit buying produce there, we haven't had an issue."
Tires
Not everyone likes Costco's tires or the service. "Once I noticed they sell tires at Costco, I got a membership. Then I needed tires one random day but noticed they actually do not have tires in stock, it takes 3 to 4 days for the tires to show up so I had no choice to go somewhere else," one member said.
Beans and Legumes
More than one Costco member has pointed out the beans in store are overpriced and not worth the money. "Chickpeas and black beans. Name brand in bulk is more expensive than store brand," one person commented on Reddit. "Beans I priced out and they are not cheaper than other stores. I think they came out to over $1 a can and you can definitely get even organic beans less than that," said another.
Toilet Paper
Shoppers have very strong opinions about the Kirkland brand toilet paper. "Kirkland brand toilet paper. It is TERRIBLE. (I do, however, buy Charmin TP there.)," one person commented on Reddit. "Kirkland used to be good. I actually started buying it when I tried to find the TP they used in their restrooms, and it was their brand. Now it sucks. So linty. I buy Walmart's Great Value Ultra Strong now, except when Costco has a sale recently on Charmin, which made it cheaper. I bought two 30 packs. I probably won't have to buy TP for a year," another said. Apparently the toilet paper quality differs across the nation, with quality dipping in certain locations, members claim.
RELATED: Costco Shoppers Frustrated by Low-Quality Produce: 'Lots of Moldy, Soft Stuff'
Body Wash
One shopper said the Kirkland Citrus Body Wash gave them "nasty hives". Another says the formula has changed. "Used to be a different color and smell. You missed out on the original. They changed to cheaper ingredients, so it doesn't smell as good. Used to smell like wonderful oranges," the Costco member said on Reddit.
Gas
One unhappy shopper said the Costco gas was not good quality. "The GA Costcos have gas that has been claimed to damage engines. I was wondering what was causing my engine to run rough from time to time and the minute I finally got all the Costco gas out, my engine ran smoothly again," the member claimed.
Car Batteries
Costco's car batteries have also come under fire. "Back when they had their own brand the warranty on them was great and you could take the dead battery in and swap it out no problem. Now that they seem to only have third party brands, I bought a battery for my car which wouldn't start it. Went to an auto parts store and got one that worked. Then went to return the bad battery, they wanted to argue that there were no returns even though I printed out and highlighted the receipt which clearly said you can return it for any reason," one member said.
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