10 SHOPPING SECRETS Costco Doesn't Want You to Know! 

Thank you all so much for being here with me. I am so grateful for everyone who watches and subscribes to my channel. I hope you are enjoying this new type of content. If there is anything else you’d like to see, comment below 😀

Hello Matt, nice video as always. As a former GM of a Costco of 25 years, I would like to offer a couple other things that may have not been detailed in your video. 1. The price tags marked at .97 and .88 are, as you stated, either a discount to remove remaining stock or * discontinued items ... if you see a sign that ends with .00, that is a manager markdown to clear out last ones in order to make space for new seasonal merchandise. These markdowns can sometimes be much less that 1/2 price and much less than the company paid for the item in the first place. They are usually found just after a seasonal reset of the floor when transitioning from one season to another. As for the Kirkland brand, Costco will NOT EVER offer an item unless they fee that they can do as good or better job than the original manufacturer. In many cases, their products are produced by the same companies and labeled as Kirkland. An example ... Kirkland Vodka is manufactured at the same distillery that the original higher price Vodka was produced and bottled for Costco. The larger recognizable name of Vodka moved their facility and a company took it over in order to manufacture the vodka as Kirkland. One more quick one ... film ... Kodak once priced itself too high and tried to get Costco to pay the higher price because they were the number one company making film. Costco tried to negotiate a better price and Kodak would not budge. Costco negotiated with Fuji to produce a film with the same or better quality as the Kodak and they marked it below Kodak and Fuji with their name on it. After a hit to Kodak's wallet, they brought the price for Costco down and that is why you see Kodak film back in Costco. They still have their Fuji manufactured film available because the customers liked it better than the other film so they worked it out to carry both. Sorry for the long comment ... just wanted to share.

I worked at a warehouse that canned corn & peas for Costco & the Kirkland brand usually had to have a higher grade thru Quality Control before being allowed into the can than other well known name brands that cost more, so if you buy Kirkland brand food you are getting very good quality food @ a lower price than other well known brands. I always buy Kirkland brands now.

A few things to note: While the shop card is nice, they make their money on the memberships! They also have probably THE BEST return policy around. I used to work at Costco, at the Membership/Returns counter and it was crazy seeing what people would bring back and what Costco would refund! Love me some Costco! Started working there in the early 90's! Great place to work, and they treat their employees amazing!

If you like their pistachios, shelled or not, bake them in the oven at around 300°F for around 20 minutes. This removes some of the moisture. Important: Allow them to cool for 15 or 20 minutes before putting them into a jar. They are more crisp and a lot more delicious after you do this.

Consumer Reports says that while Tide is the best laundry detergent on the market the Kirkland laundry detergent is the next best/almost as good alternative and it is a far better value.

If you have the Costco Citicard, the warranty on products is doubled. So a two year warranty on an appliance is now four years.

I love the Kirkland brand tall kitchen garbage bags. You really get your money's worth with those.

On the topic of Kirkland, Matt did a great job explaining the quality, though there’s a big catch that a lot of people don’t know! Most Kirkland products are actually high-end, brand-name products such as duracell, just stripped of the brand name that makes them so popular. Not only are you receiving quality products, but they’re essentially brand name ones with a different coat of paint!

If you can get gas at Costco on the way home from work like I can, the gas savings alone can pay for the membership price.

If you go to Costco, make sure you have a shopping list and stick to it. I always go there only to buy the $4,99 rotisserie chicken, but I usually end up buying $200 worth of stuff 😂😂😂

UC Davis at one time did a study of adulterated olive oils, and the Kirkland brand was one of the few that tested 100% olive oil.

Hi Matt! Love your content! Here's a tip for anyone buying clothes. If you're unsure about the size of an item, buy both! You can always bring the one that doesn't fit back. But if the item is popular, the other size may not be there next week. Something I've found in the pharmacy... GoodRx prices change. So even if you have a GoodRx card on file with them, check the price again on the day you pick it up. It may be lower! God bless you & your family. We all love you.

Kirkland Maple Syrup. Legit maple syrup, very cheap compared to other products!

I highly recommend the Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Bkend Japanese Green Tea. Sold in 100-ct boxes. Even the teabag itself is made from far superior material compared to Lipton, Tetley, Bigelow, etc. This tea steeps quickly but if you leave it for too long, it doesn't get bitter. Is a gorgeous, fresh green color (we've all been grossed out by green tea that steeps brown, I'm guessing) and don't forget to shake the matcha down before you pull the bag out of the packaging, and then add it to your tea once it's prepared! I love dropping one of these teabags into my water bottle and shaking it a bit to get great-tasting iced green tea all day!

Kirkland paper towels are the best, and best priced

I'm a professional chef and the Kirkland brand of thick cut bacon is probably one of the best store bought bacon's I've ever had

kirkland toilet paper, paper towels, plastic wrap, parchment paper and kitchen garbage bags are always our go to items

The Kirkland Organic Olive Oil is one of the best (and authentic) Olive Oils on the Market. This is the one I regularly buy!

I use the Kirkland trash bags. Use to buy the Simple Human ones. Saved a lot of money and more bags per box.

Deal Guy, something you missed is the cash-back coupons. Most people just use them as a discount when checking out. The better way would be to cash them at the service desk shen you enter the store and then put the full amount of your purchase on Costco's cash-back card. That way you get more "points".

The Kirkland Signature Premium Golden Margarita Ready-To-Drink is AMAZING!!!! I buy several bottles at a time so I can have on hand as gifts. If I am going to a party and feel awkward about showing up with a Kirkland brand bottle, I pour into a pitcher and add ice when I get to the party. If I want to get fancy, I add slices of lime. I get lots of compliments on my "homemade" margaritas! :)

I stock up on Kirkland butter in September for my holiday baking as the price increases in late October through December

Thanks Matt...I would also mention the Costco Travel. We booked an all inclusive to Mexico based on a recommendation 8 years ago and it was fantastic, so fantastic that we have booked using Costco every 2 years since and are going on our 4th Costco vacation next week. The trips included air travel, transportation and a 4+ star all-inclusive resort at an amazing price and they treat you like royalty.

Also keep in mind that not all COSTCO stores charge the same prices. I found quite by accident that while shopping for their Kirkland jellybeans (which are actually made by jelly belly) that my normal closet store was selling them for $14.99 a jar and the store I went into across town because I was visiting a friend in the area was selling the same jar for $9.99. This is especially true of their price for gasoline. Currently here in Phoenix I am driving 14 miles to the North Scottsdale store because they are selling gas for the cheapest price in the valley, a full 42 cents a gallon less than most other COSTCO stores around. When I need to fill my tank it's well worth the drive.

Kirkland organic maple syrup is great quality and the best price I’ve found anywhere.

We love to get Kirkland liquid laundry detergent, which is rated "best" by consumer reports. Also great are the Kirkland paper goods and trash bags - high quality and good savings!

There's a guy in central Florida that grows and sells olive trees and he produces some olive oil for himself. I said what do you buy when you run out of your own olive oil and he says Kirkland was the only olive oil he was sure was not adulterated.

I know this is an older video but still classic info. Thanks for the great tips!!! My favorite Kirkland items are the paper towels (excellent price and strong quality product), the K-Cup coffees (great smooth flavor) and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (can not beat the price and quality). I also make my own almond milk with their almonds. On a side note I always get way more back on the Executive member dividend than the price of the membership, plus the money on the Citi Visa card adds up quickly especially with the high gas prices.

Ladies!! The Kirkland brand of makeup wipes is the best I've ever found and I've been trying every brand with no success. These are perfect for removing makeup and it feels like a refreshing spa treatment, buy these now!

I love my Costco credit card and we make money with it every year instead of giving money away to other credit card companies. It really works!

Here’s one from a Costco employee. Every time you add something to your cart while walking around the store, put ten dollars on your bill. So if you have 15 items in your cart, your going to be looking at around $150 bill. Adjust meat prices accordingly. You’d be surprised how reasonably accurate this makes your purchase total to be before you get to the cashiers.

There is something else that you missed with regards to Costco. They do a lot of refunds, and if you see something that's on sale a week or two weeks or even a month later you can go to the customer service and ask to get money back. I have gotten as much as $25 back on products that went on sale a week after I purchase them. I went to Customer service and asked if I need to bring the products in. They looked up my purchases on their system and gave me money back, not having to bring the product back (just to buy it again at the discounted price). So if you are a Costco shopper and you find something went on sale a week after you bought it then go to the customer service and get some money back.

Ultimate Deal Tip: only buy stuff that you need not because your getting a “deal”. You will save more money than any sale any retailer can offer.

The organic olive oil is great and it’s such a great price I used to buy it at amazon for 25$ and I cosco is only 13$

Kirkland brand expresso whole beans is made by Starbucks, says it right on the side. Great price, perfect coffee.

After being a lifelong, bumblebee, tuna fan, I have switched to Kirkland’s solid white albacore tuna. First of all the cans are the larger size which you cannot find usually in your grocery store. They have downsized tuna to something like 5 ounces Kirkland is closer to seven. And the tuna is excellent, in my opinion, better than bumblebee and worth every penny.

I have no idea how I stumbled on this, but I think I’m falling in love 😂 a man who loves to save money 🥰🥰🥰

Kirkland marinated Artichokes Hearts are some of the best I've tasted and at a great price, I also like their organic diced tomatoes.Great price also.

You don’t have to use the coupons,the sale price is automatically given. The only reason to have a coupon book is to see what is on sale

This last visit to Costco . I noticed they had the Kirkland brand of vacuum sealer bags for the Food Saver machine. I usually bought the Food Saver brand for my food saver machine. But this time I was going to try the Kirkland brand of bags. And the Kirkland brand was $10.00 cheaper than the food saver bags. And the worked just as well. I am going to keep using the Kirkland brand for as long as the carry it.

I love to shop at Costco. They have a huge selection of organic foods that I prefer and buy for my family to avoid pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide exposure. I love their Macadamia Nuts, Wild Caught Sardines, Organic Chicken, and Frozen Organic Fruit for all my smoothies. Highly recommend the Wild Blueberries!!

I love the Kirkland powdered laundry detergent one bucket last me over a year and it works better then some of the name brands and does a much better job of removing stains

Love this and you’re so informative. I love Costco because of the way they pay and treat their employees.

Another GREAT video. My husband does most of our Costco shopping because his family has the Executive Membership. If you purchase enough throughout the year, you actually earn enough points to pay for the next year's membership. I can't remember the last time pay was necessary. So getting this type of membership with your family is well worth it. The Vodka as the GM not IS from another real name name. It has been rumored that it is Belvedere. Anyway that red bottom vodka is smooth! You can't beat the price and the bottle is HUGE. I carry it with two hands. We're not heavy drinkers so l use it to cook also.

I recommend the Executive membership, with the 2% back on all your purchases, you'll get a check a few months before renewal time, which may cover most of the membership fee of the Executive membership. My household buys basics such as toilet paper, steaks, dog food, eggs, gas, avocado oil, croissants, regularly. And, typically what we earn from the 2% rebate, tends to cover the cost of the membership. Some years, when we had a big purchase or a few, such as a Dyson vacuum or tires for the car, we'll have a little extra $$ after the membership fee is covered by the 2% rebate. At first, I didn't think we would make enough back to justify the exec membership fee, but the first year, with the rebate we only had to pay $25 for our membership, which was cheaper than the regular membership.

I love the Kirkland brand of nuts. Costco has the very best prices on pecans. Almonds and walnuts.

I love Kirkland olive oil,I was told that it is a true extra virgin and of course it’s cold pressed. What is your opinion?

The Kirkland set of kitchen pots and pans is really good quality and we've great success with them. At present they are about $149 for a ten piece set. Just as good as much more expensive brands and will last well.

LOVE the Kirkland Extra Virgin Olive Oil!!!

Don’t know if anyone mentioned it before but Kirkland shampoo and conditioning (purple bottles) are amazing.

Ive read many of the comments and not one person mentioned the hot dog 🌭 and soda 🥤 combo For $1.50... !!! Oh am i in love with the chicken bake !! 🌯

I love the Kirkland dark roast fine grind coffee in the 3 pound can. I know that it has been said that buying coffee in large sizes means you end up with stale coffee near the bottom. Solution: I store mine in a glass jar with a glass lid, rubber seal, and a metal wire latch that keep the coffee fresh. The jar takes about 6 fills from the large 3 pound container so the coffee in the can keeps fresh because you are not opening the lid every time you make a pot of coffee. I also use the plastic mesh "permanent" coffee filter so I never run out. Only disadvantage is that it doesn't remove the coffee oils like the paper ones do.

Kirkland’s parchment paper for baking is great!

You cannot beat Kirkland toilet paper and paper towels. Didn’t know how much I loved them until covid hit and my store is still out of stock. They have other brands (finally) which are good, but not as good as their own Kirkland brand.

their AA D, C, AAA batteries are made by Duracell!

I just bought an Eddie Bauer winter coat for my 6 year old daughter for $15! Yes, $15. It was on sale this month. High quality. I love Costco!

Thank you!! Don’t forget to tell people about Costco’s incredible return policy!! It’s like no other store!!

The Kirkland pesto sauce is out of control! So good, in fact, that my Italian in-laws recommended it!

Hi, great video. You forgot to mention that if an item you purchase goes down in price within 30 days of purchase you can get the difference in price back.

What I love about Costco is it keeps all the people in town on a Saturday while I drive out of town to see far flung places that I never been to and have a great time on the road. It means less crowds on the interstate for me. Keep loading those carts as if an Asteroid is going to hit the earth on this Sunday.

Kirkland brand vodka: seriously as good as Grey Goose for half the price👍🏼👍🏼 I didn’t believe it either until I tried it 🤯

The Kirkland dog food is an amazing brand I have been feeding for years. The lamb and rice is my favorite especially if you have a dog with a sensitive digestive tract or skin issues. You can pay for a Costco membership within just a few months of switching to the Kirkland dog food

The Kirkland Walnut Cranberry Bread (bakery) is = > Whole Foods!!!!!

A really nicely tip: my mother goes to Mexico for vacation every year, and the Costco membership there is incredibly cheap. We live in Canada and it's valid here too (so I assume it is valid in the US too). She renew it every year when on vacation

Kirkland almond flour...great for keto recipes!

Get the Costco card, and pay for everything you can with it. And get the Executive membership. I pay all the household bills I can with the Card. I get around 200$ back a year on my membership. And 800$ back on the credit card. But you need to pay off the card every month, to avoid interest.

Kirkland bed sheets are very very good and a decent value, too!

Don’t forget, if you find a damaged box you can ask for a discount and it is pretty significant. I found three different times a box that was damaged for something I normally get and it was more than half off because I took a tour of them and I asked for a discount.

The Kirklands white t-shirts are the best quality I have found.

As a current Costco employee, In some states you don’t need a membership to purchase liquor. It’s just that most employees don’t know about this so the person checking for your membership card at the entrance won’t know about it.

I haven't bought any in while, but the Kirkland Cinnamon has always been a screaming deal, and it's wonderful. The Kirkland real vanilla extract is very, very good, too. It used to be so inexpensive I thought it was artificial, but I bought some anyway, and then tried it, and now it's mostly what we use.

Hi Matt, I wanted to thank you for all these tips . And you are correct sir I doubt their customers are aware that another company runs the samples that are handed out in Costco? It’s a different management company that runs the samples. They are not affiliated with Costco. They are pushing their own products samples to increase sales. Like you said not the best deal. My son worked for that company and finally was able to get a job at Costco. That’s the only reason I know. He said Costco is a great place to work. I have my notifications set to alert me each time you add a video. The things I have learned are helping me save a little every where I go. I am a senior citizen and all information is valuable.

Kirkland’s chocolate almond dipped ice cream bars are the best! The taste is amazing. My Costco sells them 18 for approximately $11. The name brand is way more expensive and brings less.

The only thing worse than coming between a bear and her cubs is coming between a Costco member and their allegiance.

The Kirkland Malbec has become a staple in our home - high rated wine at an excellent price. Even my Argentinian friends agree.

Thank you for making this video! My wife and I use the Costco Visa card cash back loot to upgrade our smartphones every two years at Costco. This saves us big time on our monthly mobile phone plan as all we pay for is the service. Winning!

We use the Kirkland brand of Extra Virgin Olive oil which comes in a plastic bottle that looks exactly like Bertolli. We can’t tell any difference.

When you buy anything, you have 30 days to get refound if the price get lower after your purchase!!

One more thing: If you like Baily's Irish Cream - Kirkland has a equivalent. It's 2x for 1/2 the price and it's delicious. I recommend it highly. Love Peg

De-boned, roasted chicken is really great as is the individual tiramisu that comes in reusable double shot glasses. I wish they would do variety packs of muffins, with just the two of us at home I don’t buy them even though they are great because they go stale before we can finish them all.

Kirkland canned chicken is the best, especially for making chicken salad!

I bought the Kirkland dish soap and is wayyyy better than the Dawn brand. Plus it comes in a bigger size and cost less than 4-6 bottles od Dawn together. The scent is amazing and do not leaves your hands dry or damaged.

I really enjoyed this presentation!!! Very interesting and it will forever keep my head filled with 88, 99, 97 and especially * 😀

We tried the Kirkland brand Sangria Wine (very good value) and went back a couple of weeks later to purchase 4 more bottles and when we got to the register they asked us if we wanted to buy 2 more (I think that’s a case for that product) and receive an additional discount. So, we did…. Highly recommended product!

I had to just buy new tires and they are much cheaper at Costco vs anywhere else, including Sam's Club, and Costco has a way better road hazard warranty than any company out there, it's 5 years here in NM

Costco has the best deal on wild birdseed. Around $15, for a 40 lb bag of quality birdseed. It last me about 6 weeks filling 2 feeders daily. It attracts all kinds of birds. In Tulsa, OK area, I have cardinals, titmouse, cowbirds, doves, all types of finches, bluebirds, bluejays, robins, painted buntings, year round.

I saved over $1,300.00 with Costco by using Costco's travel services for my last family vacation to Disneyland for 5 people (which included parking,meals, a family suite, park tickets and even free souvenirs) in 2018. (r.i.p themeparks in 2020😔) I know I cant go plan a trip or take my family to a theme park or water park now because of current events because everything is closed or closing...but, once we get past this monstrous sized pothole in our road of life and hopefully dont fall in, whether it's 2 years or 10 years....I'll be using Costco travel services for our next big family trip. As far as Kirkland brands go, I only buy Kirkland Pacific bold dark coffee K cups for the last 6 years, its literally the best tasting coffee I have ever had. Side note: I like to buy Starbucks dark roast espresso whole beans or Ravens brew double dead coffee whole beans, grind them up and after I make my Pacific bold cup, I'll run a smaller sized cup portion of the espresso through and add it to my coffee. Great for staying up during graveyard shifts. Take care everyone 🙋‍♀️ and Thanks for a great video.

Hi Matt , We are COSTCO members here in Queensland , Australia and from what I believe , we don't get the same membership discount depending on how much you spend over a twelve month period , that you do in the US , have spoken to several staff members who opened up the original COSTCO nearest to where we live who originated from the US and they don't want to know about it ! Really frustrating !

Kirkland salsa is the best! 2 pack of large jars for around $7

I love the Costco app on my phone. I keep a running grocery list on it. Plus you can bring up the coupons anytime.

You had me at secret number 1. Gonna start paying attention to the .99, .97, and the .88’s

Great job Matt! I used to work for Costco during holiday hiring so I knew about the pricing. To me their membership is just too expensive for my needs. I need the shop card!

Saved us huge money by going through them to find a mortgage broker. We wouldn't have even known about it if not for chatting with the Member Services Manager

Kirkland paper towels worked great for me. I’ve always used Bounty but my neighbor gave me a huge bundle of the Kirkland brand during our lockdown. I actually loved them!

The best deal is their Kirkland Irish Cream liquor. In a blind taste test with Bailey’s, we barely noticed any difference ... and preferred the Kirkland. Today, I priced Bailey’s 1.75l bottle @ $51.99 at a grocery store. The 1.75l bottle of the Kirkland was $9.99! Some Costco’s sell it for $16.99, but the right store is almost like stealing it. A chilled small glass of it in the evening makes watching the reality shows bearable! We keep one in the fridge at all times.

Thank you for all that you do. I've learned and saved so much by watching your videos. I do however have one question. You mentioned saving on a warehouse day. How do I know if it's a warehouse day? Thanks again.

Kirkland trail mix is the best I’ve ever had

How in the hell can anyone give a thumbs down for this video? It’s super informative and it was not click bait at all. What do you want him to buy you free stuff as well? Oh my God people amaze me. This to me is exactly why RU-vid was made.

Wonderful video. My husband and I have been Costco Executive members for years now. We figured out with our family of 4, just buying MILK alone paid for the cost of the membership in savings from our local Kroger/Publix here in Atlanta. I highly recommend the cost of the Executive membership. The checks I get always pay for itself & then some.