There are plenty of good reasons to do your shopping at Costco over a regular supermarket — the bulk savings, the unique products, and the option to grab a super-cheap and delicious meal from the food court on your way out.
But there’s a key difference between Costco and other grocery stores, and it’s not just the membership fee.
Costco carries a number of products you can only find at its stores. And the reason is that the company produces them itself.
So when Costco discontinues certain products, it can deal members a harsh blow.
In recent years, the warehouse club has removed a number of member favorites from its shelves. But there’s a reason for that.
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Costco has discontinued many beloved products
Sometimes, when Costco gets rid of a product, it’s only temporary. But over the past few years, it has permanently removed a number of popular products from its stores.
Some of Costco’s most missed products include:
- Kirkland chocolate chips
- Food court churros
- Kirkland Country French bread
- Combo pizza
- Kirkland soy milk
- Jumbo muffins
Costco will sometimes try to replace a discontinued item with a one that’s relatively similar. Take the famous jumbo muffins, for instance. They’re no longer part of the bakery rotation, but you can buy smaller ones in assorted flavors.
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But it’s not a given that Costco will even attempt a replacement item. And when a product you love is pulled, it can be hard to get over it.
In fact, losing a favorite Costco product can be so upsetting that members have been known to dedicate entire Reddit threads to that very subject.
Costco has its reasons for getting rid of popular products
Costco relies heavily on membership fees to pad its bottom line. So the company does not take the decision to discontinue products lightly.
Sometimes, it will remove a product due to slow sales — even if it seems popular. The company pulled its Kirkland Signature soy milk off the shelves due to slow sales, according to Fox Business, despite it being a staple many members relied on.
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Other times, Costco has to pull items to make room for new ones.
One of its biggest value propositions for members is the treasure hunt experience — the idea that when you roam the aisles, you never quite know what you’re going to find. But to make space for exciting new products, Costco sometimes has to force members to say goodbye to old ones.
But often, the decision to pull products boils down to price.
Costco cares deeply about the reputation of its Kirkland Signature line. And if it can’t offer exceptional value on Kirkland products, it will stop selling them.
“We evaluate the potential for new high-quality Kirkland Signature items with a goal of providing at least 20% value versus what we would sell the national brand item as,” said CFO Gary Millerchip during Costco’s Q3 2024 earnings call.
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“We will never succumb to not being the best price and driving prices down for our members,” said CEO Ron Vachris more recently, during Costco’s Q1 2026 earnings call. “That’s what Costco is known for.”
Costco members may not love having to say goodbye to the products they’ve come to know and love. But if that’s what it takes for Costco to uphold its low prices, then members are going to have to get used to that — and just hope their favorites aren’t targeted.
Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.
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