Never buy these 7 groceries at Costco – you will pay as much as DOUBLE the price as at a supermarket, warns expert shopper

While Costco may be famous for its $1.50 hot dogs and sodas and $5 rotisserie chicken, one savvy shopper has revealed the foods that aren’t a good value in-store.

Among the undisputed bargains, there are some items that simply don’t offer the best deals, argues food writer Su-Jit Lin, especially if you don’t need to buy in bulk.

“Not everything here is cheaper per ounce or pound, and if you live in a small house or alone with your dog, like me, your unit price skyrockets when you simply can’t make bulk purchases fast enough to avoid it.” . deterioration,” she wrote in Eating good.

Shoppers may be better off purchasing some items at a local supermarket, rather than at big box stores, which charge between $60 and $120 a year for membership.

Here are the seven products that don’t offer the best value at Costco, according to Lin.

Milk

“Buying a gallon of conventional cow’s milk may seem like an easy convenience while you’re there,” he wrote, “but a quick comparison shows that you can actually save almost half a dollar on a gallon of milk by buying it elsewhere.”

She explains that while a gallon of milk costs $4 at Costco, it typically costs $3 or less at Lidl, Aldi or Target.

Additionally, for those who don’t need a full gallon, half-gallon options can sometimes be a better deal per ounce, he explains, especially if they’re on sale. Kroger, for example, often has a half-gallon on sale for $1.29, she added.

sandwich bread

Two loaves of soft sandwich bread at Costco will cost you between $5 and $7. But depending on the brand you choose, you may be overpaying, Lin warned.

“Supermarkets like Publix and Kroger often offer buy-one-get-one specials on premium brands like Pepperidge Farm, Sara Lee, Nature’s Own and Arnold, bringing the price down to as low as $2.15 a loaf at my Atlanta suburb,” he wrote.

Plus, you don’t always have to buy two loaves to get the half off you added.

Bagged Salad Kits

A large family kit costs about $7 to $9, and often works out to the same price per serving, Lin cautioned.

“I’ve noticed brands like Taylor Farms, Fresh Express, EatSmart, Dole and more are on sale at Kroger, Publix, Sprouts and Lidl for between $2.75 and $3.50 a kit,” he wrote.

“And when you can buy the smaller sizes individually, you’ll be able to enjoy a wider variety of salads.”

Raw chicken

In addition to the famous affordable roast chicken, Costco’s salmon and steak are also of good quality, Lin said.

But when it comes to raw chicken, “it’s always a pass,” he said.

This is because although the store offers breast or thighs for around $3 a pound, some supermarkets offer better deals.

“I’ve purchased large family packs of chicken breasts for as little as $1.79 a pound at major supermarkets, and chicken leg quarters in a bag are often a bargain for as little as 59 cents a pound at major supermarkets and at Walmart,” he wrote. .

Herbs and spices

Lin maintains that dried herbs and spices lose their potency over time, so a huge jar of crushed red pepper, granulated garlic, nutmeg, or Old Bay seasoning is unlikely to be necessary in most homes.

canned soup

While it may be tempting to stock up on soup at Costco, Lin said, you’d actually be better off stocking up at your local supermarket when it goes on sale.

She wrote: ‘Brand-name condensed soup is usually only a dollar a can on sale and even less when buying commercial brands. Meanwhile, the unit price is up to a quarter more each at Costco.

“For heartier soups, Costco sells eight-packs for just under $2 a can, but they often go on sale elsewhere for three for $5, sometimes even less.”

Cereal

“When we look at the typical prices of popular cereals at grocery stores, it’s easy to be surprised and feel that $7 to $14 for two large bags at Costco might be reasonable,” Lin wrote.

But, he maintains, most major cereals are made by General Mills, Kellogg’s and Post, which supermarkets often rotate in selling.

Additionally, these manufacturers often publish digital coupons, which may even end up giving you triple savings.

It comes as Costco weighs a possible increase in membership dues amid the departure of the company’s former chief financial officer.

Richard Galanti will step down from his position on March 15 and will be succeeded by his counterpart at Kroger’s, Gary Millerchip.

Experts warn that Millerchip is likely to have to answer questions about a long-awaited increase in membership fees, which are a major profit driver for the retailer.

There have been a total of seven increases in membership dues since Costco was founded in 1983, each time by five dollars. On average, increases occur approximately once every five years.

The longest period during which the annual membership fee remained unchanged was between 1983 and 1992.

Current rates have not changed since 2017, so analysts expect an increase is likely this year.

“While we have taken a little longer than the average increase, we believe we have certainly brought more value to members,” Galanti told analysts in December.

‘I’ll use my fallback answer, my answer is that it’s a question of when, not if. But right now we feel pretty good about what we’re doing.”