By Serah Louis
These Costco cuts have left lots of broken hearts and empty carts.
Many people go to Costco just for a big bag of their favorite coffee beans … and walk out with $300 worth of bulk goods.
That’s the warehouse chain’s strategy, but it’s absolutely devastating when the one thing you’ve come in to buy is no longer on the shelves — and never will be again.
Occasionally an online campaign can be launched to bring those beloved items back from the dead.
Alas, most of the time, we must mourn the loss and move on to a different brand of knock-off jeans.
From Pampers to Polish dogs, let’s pour one out for the Costco items we’ve loved and lost.
Food court combo pizza
In the beginning of the pandemic, Costco shut down their food court. They’ve since been able to re-open, to the gratitude of many shoppers, but one item that did not return for the reopening was their combo pizza.
The combo, which was topped with veggies, sausage and pepperoni, satisfied both hunger and your wallet, only costing about $2 per slice.
It was so beloved by the Costco customer community that a couple petitions began circulating online in an attempt to bring the delicious combo back.
According to a former food court manager on Reddit, Costco initially turfed the offering because they were doing everything they could to cut costs, and the quality of the vegetables they were getting was not up to par.
The manager also believes it’s only a matter of time before the pizza comes back for an encore, but so far the menu has remained combo-free.
Cigarettes
To get your nicotine fix from Costco these days, you’ll only find cigarettes through their online Business Center delivery, which supplies smaller businesses with their inventory.
But it’s not totally news that you can’t find these items on the shelves lately — Costco has been slowly decreasing the number of U.S. stores that carry them for years.
A 2016 article by The Street reported that Costco started pulling tobacco products from their shelves a few years earlier, without any public fanfare.
A spokesperson for the company, speaking on an analysts’ call, said, “Tobacco is a very low-margin business, tends to have higher theft and is labor intensive in some cases (due to local municipality regulations) — further, we felt we could better use the space to merchandise other items.”
They never announced their decision publicly as press releases cost too much money, says the spokesperson.
The Street says that in 2016, there were 488 Costco stores in the U.S., but only 189 of them carried cigarettes. They now have 568 U.S. stores, and likely even fewer are carrying tobacco products in 2022.
Popcornopolis Pumpkin Spice
Autumn is a lovely time of year. Leaves are falling, ghosts are spooking and everything is pumpkin spice flavored — even the popcorn.
But, if you want to get your pumpkin fix popcorn-style this fall, you’ll have to look beyond Costco.
Eat This, Not That! reported in 2021 that Popcornopolis’ pumpkin spice-flavored product was getting the boot from Costco shelves, sharing a photo of the product’s price tag with the ominous asterisk beside it.
Once available in a 1.5-pound bag for $6.49, this spiced treat with drizzles of vanilla icing might be MIA, but Costco does still carry other, less seasonal Popcornopolis flavors year round.
You might have to opt for a more classic taste such as their Buttered Up! Nearly Naked or plain ol’ kettle corn options next time a craving kicks in.
Costco-branded cookbooks
For over a decade, Costco used to publish and distribute its own handy cookbooks for members on Thanksgiving weekend, but it discontinued the tradition in 2015.
The Costco Way cookbooks were replaced by recipes straight from suppliers in the "Farm to Table” section of the Costco Connection e-zines, which get released each month.
The blogger behind The Costco Connoisseur was less than pleased by the swap, writing, “The only polite word that comes to mind to describe this is: LAME.”
In case you haven’t held on to your old copies, Costco cookbook devotees can still find archived copies by searching “Cooking the Costco Way" on the Costco Connection website.
If you still really want to buy a cookbook from the wholesale retailer, their website currently offers an exclusive edition of “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” from Ina Garten, which includes four bonus recipes. The cookbook was originally released in 1999, but Garten has since become something of a star on the Food Network.
Kirkland Signature 5-Pocket Jeans
In 2016, Costco briefly discontinued its Kirkland Signature 5-Pocket Jeans for men and then reintroduced them with “design improvements.”
However, fans of the original “dad jeans” were not pleased with the changes. A customer posting on Reddit argued the newer version was a poor substitute because of its thin material and different fit and design.
Costco seems to have canceled production of these jeans entirely (possibly replacing the Kirkland Signature brand with Urban Star), according to dozens of distraught commenters on Facebook.
"I've been wearing KJs for many years, and am dismayed they are no longer being carried. I don't really like to think about my clothing much, and they were reliable and wore pretty well. Sniff," wrote one commenter.
Costco still carries Kirkland Signature Men's Jeans; however, reviewers on the store’s website still fondly remember the 5-Pocket version.
Fresh made gelato
Some of you may or may not remember this one, depending on whether your Costco food court offered it.
Certain Costco locations served gelato in a variety of flavors like strawberry, chocolate, stracciatella, pistachio or mixed berry. They each cost $1.50 for a three-scoop waffle cone or $4.99 for a quart to go.
A petition on Change.org (with over 100 supporters) says Costco stopped offering gelato in 2015. CellSalesThrowaway2 on Reddit claims the food court favorite was just a trial offering on the menu that was deemed a failure and removed after a year or so.
While you may not find it freshly served in the food court any more, Costco does have several gelato options in the frozen grocery aisle. Mashed reported at the end of 2020 that Costco customers were thrilled with the Talenti Gelato Layers variety pack that the warehouse chain had just started to offer.
Pocky Chocolate Biscuit Sticks
Pocky, a sweet Japanese treat consisting of cream-coated biscuit sticks, is a pretty popular snack.
Reddit user ladyerim said they’re the “best snack. Satisfies that munchie need with not too many calories and a bit of a sweet treat.”
While Costco hasn’t completely stopped selling Pocky — they have them available in flavor variety packs and smaller, individual packs — they no longer sell the 1.06 pound package of the chocolate flavor, as reported by Eat This, Not That!
This 12-count item was available for $8.99 at Costco, whereas a single pack costs around $1.23 at Walmart. Pocky won’t be hard to find if you want it, but the bulk deal definitely will be sorely missed.
Kirkland Signature cinnamon roll protein bars
You can get all kinds of protein bars at Costco, and even some tasty keto-friendly options if you shop online, but there’s one special bar that’s missing from the shelves.
Unfortunately, the Kirkland Signature cinnamon roll-flavored protein bars — named by Mashed as “the best tasting protein bars Costco has ever sold” — have disappeared from the store.
There are still Kirkland Signature protein bars in flavors like chocolate brownie, peanut butter chocolate chunk, and cookies and cream, but customers say they fall a little flat in comparison.
The 2020 review by Mashed says that the chocolate flavor has an unpleasant aftertaste, and while it’s probably a coincidence, Costco’s website mentions that the recipe for their bars recently got a refresh.
Their ingredient list promises four grams of fiber, five grams of sugar and 21 grams of protein per bar, as well as erythritol in the chocolate they use — which apparently has little to no aftertaste, but one Redditor who used it as part of their keto diet described its flavor as a “chemical fart.”
It seems it was only the cinnamon roll flavor that you could eat all day long, and they are nowhere to be found.
Kirkland Signature Turkey Burgers
In the same year that Costco cleared many fattening items from its food court menu, it also removed this healthy item from its store shelves.
The extra-lean turkey patties, clocking in at only 200 calories each, were a welcome alternative to the beef variety, and they were a popular choice for customers looking to drop a few pounds.
Healthline wrote an in-depth comparison of the nutritional value between three ounces of ground beef and the same amount of fat-free ground turkey. They determined that, in addition to having fewer calories, the turkey had equal or greater amounts of protein than the beef — which is an important factor for weight loss.
"They were very lean and an excellent source of protein. I used to eat them all the time and look for them often ... I guess Costco just wasn't selling enough of them," writes DonaldsOrangeBeanBag on Reddit.
A concerned citizen began a petition on Change.org to bring the product back, but there has been no word on the turkey burgers’ return.
Thankfully, the reviews for the Columbus turkey burgers currently sold at Costco have been pretty positive.
Polish dogs
It came as a shock to us all. To make room for more healthy items on its food court menu, Costco got rid of its Polish dogs in 2018.
The decision outraged loyal customers, who took to Twitter to protest under the hashtag #SaveThePolishDog. "Hey @Costco if I wanted a healthier vegan friendly option I wouldn’t be at your food court ... I go to Costco just for your hot dog lunch some days #SaveThePolishDog" tweeted @JanaKeck.
A Change.org petition to save the sausage even generated over 16,500 signatures.
Sadly, their efforts were in vain, and Polish dogs are still missing from the menu.
But don’t fret, friends. You can still snag the regular, all-beef frankfurter, and Costco’s $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is in no danger of disappearing any time soon. You could even consider making a trip up north — Costco Canada has no plans as yet to eliminate the Polish dog from its food court menu.
Litehouse freeze-dried garlic
Anyone who has delighted in the scent of simmering garlic knows it comes at the cost of stinky hands for days after mincing those fragrant cloves.
This is where something like Litehouse Foods’ freeze-dried garlic comes in handy.
Unfortunately, you will no longer be able to purchase these 45-gram jars of garlic — which amounts to about 45 cloves — for $5.79 at everyone’s favorite bulk shopping center.
Reddit user If_I_had_my_druthers spotted the product on the shelves of Costco with the infamous asterisk on the price tag — a sign that says you won’t be seeing the product for much longer.
This Costco fan and Redditor wrote: “Informed by Litehouse Foods customer service rep that Costco no longer stocking the brand. Will miss these food service size jars.”
Kirkland Signature Take and Bake Pizza
mma mia, it’s another discontinued item!
On par with other Kirkland Signature products, the take and bake pizza was a hit. The pizza was made in house, refrigerated and sold as a ready-to-bake dinner for customers.
This product set up a nice balance between popping a frozen pizza in the oven and going through the effort of whipping up your own from scratch. Unfortunately, Costco no longer sells these tasty pies.
Reddit user Dislodged_Puma reported, “As far as my warehouse told me, Costco corporate decided that Take and Bake pizzas weren't worth it along with some of the other "in-house" packaged food. Like the warehouse lost the pizza maker and everything.”
A Costco employee, Reddit user thedarpelness, wasn’t as sad as others were to see it go. They shared: “We had to hand place like 60 pepperonis on each one. [For] The Super Bowl we had to make like 200 pizzas … My hand hurts just thinking of it.”
Kirkland Signature frozen four-cheese ravioli
This tasty instant pasta, stuffed with ricotta, asiago, parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses, was definitely a hit with customers, judging by the irate Facebook comments demanding its return.
Food blogger MelanieCooks declared the product tasted “just as good as the cheese ravioli in Italian restaurants” and that she wouldn’t be surprised if restaurants were serving the Kirkland Signature pasta at inflated prices.
No formal announcements were made regarding the ravioli’s regrettable departure, but the product isn’t listed on the Costco website, and customers say it’s been a long while since it was offered in-store.
While you may be missing this tasty ravioli, Costco does still have a wide variety of dried pasta available on their website. The standard wheat pasta comes in a multitude of shapes like spaghetti, fusilli and lasagna sheets. There are healthier options too, like cauliflower noodles, organic varieties and even quinoa-based vegan mac and cheese boxes.
Power Up Trail Mix
Power Up trail mixes are sold as a variety of medleys — antioxidant, mega omega, protein packed and high energy, to name a few.
They blend nuts and dried fruits into delicious and hearty combinations that are sure to fuel you up, maybe even for a long walk through the aisles of Costco as you look for wherever they moved the toilet paper to this time.
Sadly, Power Up trail mixes can no longer be found on that particular trek. A disheartened Reddit user, lookie4dacookie, shared: “Best trail mix in the world is being discontinued. Would it be bad form to buy them all? Asking for a friend …”
If you’re searching for the perfect hiking snack during your next Costco trip, they still sell a variety of trail mixes from other brands, including their own Kirkland Signature.
Half-sheet cakes
Add Costco’s iconic half-sheet cakes to the growing list of things COVID-19 has canceled this year.
The warehouse chain shelved these sweet slabs in the spring of 2020. A staple at birthday parties, the half-sheet cakes were an inexpensive way to feed around 50 people a pop. The cakes came in vanilla and chocolate.
Costco informed Delish that it has no immediate plans to revive the fan favorite.
A Costco representative replied to one saddened customer on Facebook with the explanation: "To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing, Costco has reduced service in some departments."
Kirkland Signature American Cheese
In 2018, Bloomberg published a piece that claimed millennials were speedily killing off American cheese, so it comes as little surprise that Costco discontinued this Kirkland Signature product.
Unlike the still-popular Kraft Singles, Kirkland Signature cheese slices weren’t individually wrapped. Consumers disagreed about whether the convenience would be worth the wasteful packaging. Considering the texture of American cheese, it could become a pretty sticky situation.
Many felt that the store brand product beat its name brand competitor in taste, but in the end Kraft has survived where Kirkland has not.
“Sales were dropping on the KS stuff,” writes Costco Panda, a self-professed insider, on Reddit. “Down several million dollars a year. Made more sense to increase our purchase volume from Kraft and, in turn, get a better price.”
The cheese came in five-pound packages with 120 slices each. Oddly enough, the Kirkland brand American cheese is still listed on Costco Australia’s Business Center website.
Threatened seafood
An eight-month Greenpeace campaign helped convince Costco to launch a sustainable seafood policy in 2011 — and drop several wild-caught species from its seafood section.
“Costco must use its massive buying power to leverage positive change in our oceans,” the environmental group wrote. Greenpeace says its "Oh-No-Costco" campaign garnered more than 100,000 signatures.
The retailer no longer sells wild seafood species “that have been identified at great risk,” such as Atlantic cod and halibut, shark and Bluefin tuna. In 2019, Costco added some varieties of wild salmon to its list as well.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — part of the U.S. Department of Commerce — states that the U.S. is recognized as a global leader in the space of sustainable seafood. There are laws determined by fishery management planning that dictate how seafood can be caught, and U.S. fisheries monitored, managed and legally enforced under national standards.
Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce
Were sold at Costco in bundles of two for $9.99 before they were discontinued. The product had a solid fan base, too. User justcodeit on Reddit boasted that the sauce has “best-in-class ingredients which is why the price tag is higher than Sweet Baby Ray's buffalo or other buffalo sauces on the market.”
In a photo that Reddit user kucupapa shared of the product, you can see the infamous Costco death star on the price tag — letting customers know that the end is near for the product’s life at Costco and you should snatch it up fast.
Hawaiian Hurricane Microwave Popcorn
The Hawaiian Hurricane Company started as a pushcart in Kaneohe, Hawaii selling popcorn with creative and exotic ingredients, like mochi crunch and seasoned seaweeds, mixed in.
The fact that this delicious popcorn is available in a microwavable form makes it even better. Instead of hopping on a plane to Hawaii to get their fix, customers grabbed their Costco memberships and headed to the store.
Reddit user ladylilliani shared a photo of the popcorn after a Costco haul and said, “10 or 15 years ago, I received one pack as a gift from a friend. Ever since, I've been looking for this. Amazon sells it sometimes, but at a ridiculously high price, so I never got it. This is a treat.”
You may not need to go across the ocean to purchase this treat, but you will have to seek it out at retailers other than Costco going forward.
BBQ beef brisket sandwich
Although this food court favorite was only available at select Costco locations, fans grieved when the retailer swept grease aside to make room for healthier meals.
"Costco may giveth and Costco may taketh away," writes sandbrah on Reddit.
The sandwich was crammed with juicy beef dripping in sweet BBQ sauce and topped with a creamy coleslaw. At $4.99, however, it probably didn’t get the same following as cheaper items on the menu.
Fortune reported in 2018 that “at least some” warehouses had dropped the BBQ beef brisket sandwich, however Kitchn suggested in 2019 that it occasionally resurfaces as a seasonal item.
Redditor RTK9, who claims to have worked in the food court, said, "I know this is an unpopular opinion, but ... I say good riddance. That sandwich was more of a pain in the butt to prep and go through all the procedures for than making 50 chocolate nut covered ice cream bars in a row. That, and the amount of fat in it on the label was astounding."
Pampers diapers
Diapers are a big expense for parents, and it makes sense that they’d want to stock up on this essential in bulk. Unfortunately, Costco doesn’t make it easy to get large quantities of certain brands of diapers.
In August 2021, Costco ran a members-only sales event that limited the amount of Kirkland brand diapers that each customer was allowed to buy.
At the same time, an S.O.S went up on a Facebook group for Costco customers saying that they’d seen the “this product will be discontinued” star on the price tags of all Pampers brand diapers, according to Eat This, Not That.
Now, there are a number of baby hygiene products available on the Costco website, like baby wipes and pull-ups, but the only remaining diaper options are specifically Huggies or Kirkland, both of which are manufactured by Kimberly-Clark.
While they may not be the exact same product, it seems that Costco is sticking with the goods from that manufacturer only. There is no sign of Pampers anywhere on their website these days, and the brand may be gone from the warehouse shelves for good.
Tasty Bite Tikka Masala
What’s better than a warm meal you’ve cooked up for yourself? A delicious meal that’s ready in one minute, maybe.
The brand Tasty Bite has you covered when it comes to ready-to-eat Indian and Pan-Asian meals. From tandoori rice to chana masala — and the meal that is now discontinued from Costco, Tikka Masala.
The Tasty Bite Tikka Masala is a microwavable curry dinner beloved by Costco fans. Reddit user ickyvikki13 responded in a thread about discontinued items Costco shoppers wish would come back saying, “Tasty Bites Tikka Masala! They replaced it with their lentils, but it's just not the same.”
While it may no longer be available at Costco, the brand does still make the product. You’ll just have to purchase it elsewhere (and in smaller quantities).
Kirkland Mediterranean blend oil
Kirkland’s Mediterranean blend of cooking oil was apparently so popular that when it was discontinued in early 2021, foodies started a Reddit subthread about how to recreate it in their own kitchens.
This blend, a mixture of canola, olive and grapeseed oils, has a smoking point of around 400 F, making it suitable for both cooking and in salad dressings. This versatility was part of the reason customers loved it.
Costco shoppers might be used to the “now you see it, now you don’t” merchandising strategy of the bulk store, but Costco hasn’t addressed publicly why they decided to stop carrying it.
While Costco’s website still offers a three-liter container of Kirkland pure olive oil and many other brands besides, the customer who wanted this particular blend will be left with more questions than answers.
And perhaps a messy kitchen as they try to figure out the right recipe for themselves.
Studded tires
Costco stopped selling this type of snow tire in stores across the U.S. (except for Alaska) back in 2007 for environmental reasons.
While studded tires certainly make it easier to drive on icy streets, they can also cause serious damage to roads. Goodyear writes that while these studs are helpful in certain circumstances, they are not to be used when there is no snow or ice on the road.
According to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, certain states — like Illinois and Wisconsin — have regulations that prohibit the use of studded tires for passenger vehicles entirely. Other states are permitted within certain weather conditions or timeframes, and some will allow studded tires on the roads only if the studs are rubber, not metal.
“Many manufacturers are moving away from studded tires because of the road damage they cause,” Costco’s corporate tire buyer Pat McClintock told The Spokesman-Review. He added that the studded tires could damage other tires during shipping, plus they didn’t sell as well as they used to.
Chocolate frozen yogurt
Costco’s chocolate frozen yogurt is another item that didn’t make the cut when the warehouse was revamping the food court menu, though you can still get the vanilla flavor.
San Luis Obispo’s The Tribune first reported in 2018 that a Costco in the California county had discontinued the chocolate yogurt and it seems as though other locations followed.
Loyal customers were disappointed, to say the least. "Heck, I'd even be happy if they did chocolate and vanilla on alternating days. I would gladly plan my Costco trips on an odd/even yogurt schedule," writes tred16 on Reddit.
Despite the 400 petitioners on Change.org who have refused to accept the transition, it seems Costco doesn’t plan on bringing it back.
Hand-dipped ice cream bars
Costco got rid of this delectable dessert way back in 2013, but seasoned shoppers remember it well.
The vanilla ice cream bar, dipped in chocolate and encrusted in toasted almonds, sold for only $1.50 at the food court.
Some speculate that rising almond and dairy prices may have prompted Costco to remove the treat from its menu, although the company has been known to sell at a loss with its roast chickens.
"I kind of figured the main reason was because of the labor intensity — unwrap the bar, dip it, wait to cool, roll it in almonds, wrap it. Not like the pizza, which was 'shove into an oven and then sell six slices.' Don't care, double the price, hire dedicated staff and assist with dipping robots. I want my damn dipped ice cream bars with almonds!!!" writes PinochetIsMyHero on Reddit.
You could also find Kirkland Signature vanilla almond ice cream bars in the freezer section, but fans of the food court version claim they simply couldn’t compare.
Cuddle With Me dolls
In 2009, Costco stopped carrying a Cuddle With Me doll that customers found racially offensive.
The dolls came in three different ethnicities — Caucasian, African American and Hispanic — and each was accompanied by a plush panda or monkey. A Costco member in North Carolina filed a complaint regarding the African American doll, which was paired with the monkey and a banana and wore a headband with the label “lil’ monkey."
Costco immediately pulled all of the sets that included the plush monkey out of its stores. Although the other versions were available for a while, Costco seems to have banished the collection entirely.
"As soon as it became clear to us that this toy item was offensive to some of our members, we decided to remove it from our warehouses," said former CEO Jim Sinegal in a statement.
The only dolls currently found on Costco’s website are twins: The set of pink, plush Baby Emma and Allie retail together for $19.97.
Krusteaz Pumpkin Spice Bread 4-pack
Pumpkin spice-flavored anything is a sought-after novelty these days. The Krusteaz pumpkin spice bread mix makes for a great autumnal treat and a chance to get in the kitchen and bake.
Natalie, the author of Cost Cuisine, a Costco food review blog, wrote, “If you love pumpkin spice flavored anything, seriously go to Costco and pick this up ASAP. I’ve never had this mix before and I’m currently trying to figure out how many boxes I should stock up on when I’m at Costco next.”
Alas, Eat This, Not That! reported that Costco has stopped selling this item. But you can still purchase the mix at other retailers or stock up on the bulk ingredients to whip up a loaf from scratch the next time you hit the warehouse.
Kauai Coffee Company Whole Bean Medium Roast Coffee
Is there anything better for a coffee fiend than a store that sells those vital beans in bulk?
Despite some discontinuations, Costco continues to offer plenty of coffee bean options, including some under their own Kirkland Signature brand. The Kauai Coffee Company Whole Bean Medium Roast Coffee, however, is no longer present on their shelves.
Instagram user @costco.love shared a photo of the coffee beans for sale, noting the signature star to let customers know the product wouldn’t be around much longer.
At $14.97 for a bag of 1.5 pounds, Kauai Coffee says their medium roast “delivers a bright aroma with light floral notes, making it the perfect cup of coffee to drink, day or night.”
If this coffee was an essential in your grocery haul, you’re not totally out of luck. You can still purchase it online or from other grocery retailers.
Kirkland Signature body lotion
This popular product was probably phased out sometime in 2017 and plenty of displeased customers took to Facebook to request its return.
Made with plant extracts and lightly fragranced, the Kirkland Signature body lotion was a go-to for shoppers with dry and sensitive skin. “What's it going to take, Costco? I'll never get through winter without this terrific body lotion. Bring it back!” pleads Lilia A. Chacon on the social media platform.
The warehouse chain has no plans to bring the body lotion back to U.S. shelves in the near future, claiming it didn’t meet inventory sales targets. However, if you’re planning on making a trip across the border at some point, you can grab the product from a Canadian store.
Sensitive-skinned people who can’t take a trip to Canada for the Kirkland product will have to make do with the many options still available at the U.S. stores. Aveeno, Cetaphil and Weleeda all offer multi-packs of their top-selling body lotions through the wholesaler, and Sebamed’s Fragrance-Free Gentle Hydrating Lotion is a good option as well.
Kirkland Signature milk chocolate peanut butter cups
Costco customers claim the Kirkland Signature peanut butter cups were good enough to rival Reese’s.
As one satisfied Amazon user put it: “Kirkland brand nails it. The peanut butter is super creamy. There is just the right amount of chocolate. This decadent marriage of chocolatey, salty creaminess is almost too good to be real. DO NOT have these in the house if you are on a diet.”
However, the beloved product is no longer listed on the store website, and fans bemoan that they’re no longer offered in stores either.
If you really need that peanut butter cup craving satisfied — in bulk — Costco has a number of options for fans of Reese’s original product and its many size variants.
The standard package of two cups comes in a box of 36, or if you’re really hungry you can grab a 24-count box of the 2.8 ounce King Cups. You can even get a 105-count box of individually wrapped mini cups for under $10.
Eggs from caged chickens
In 2020, Costco hatched a plan to only sell cage-free eggs in its stores across the globe as part of its animal welfare policy. However, it might take a few years to get there, depending on suppliers.
As of the 2020 fiscal year, 93.2% of the wholesaler’s eggs in U.S. stores were cage-free, but Costco has already achieved its 100% goal in France, Iceland, Spain and the U.K.
You can check your egg cartons for the cage-free certification before you purchase them. Kirkland Signature Organic Large Brown Eggs and Kirkland Signature Liquid Egg Whites are among the available cage-free Costco products.
Cage-free systems allow the hen to walk around, spread their wings and lay eggs in a nest, which is a major — and desperately needed — departure from the battery cage system. Battery cages are so small that the hens typically spend their lives confined to an area the size of a regular sheet of paper.
Kirkland Signature Performance One golf balls
Costco’s known for its lenient return policy, but when a relaunch of its Kirkland Signature Performance One golf balls failed to meet the mark, the retailer ended up axing the product entirely.
The golf balls initially rolled out in 2016. Customers were delighted, but Acushnet Holdings Corp., owner of golf ball maker Titleist, was less so. The corporation claimed Costco’s product violated Titleist patents, and the two companies battled it out in a lawsuit.
The case was settled in 2018, and Costco pulled back its original product. The wholesaler debuted a new version of its Performance One golf balls soon after — however, plenty of customers complained about its lack of durability. Costco refunded buyers for both the product and shipping costs, even without returns.
It’s unknown whether the big-box giant plans to revamp and re-release the Performance One product once again. For now, the Kirkland Signature Three-Piece Urethane Cover Golf Ball Performance Plus is available.
Kirkland Signature comté cheese
This delightful French cheese might be Costco’s version of the Polkaroo — sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t.
While it appears to be offered by different grocery delivery apps such as Instacart or Burpy as part of their wholesale service, Costco does not list it with their in-store inventory.
The cheese itself, which hails from the Franche-Comté region of France, is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk and is aged in the caves of the Alps for anywhere between four and 24 months.
The lack of pasteurization might have been the cheese’s downfall, as the CDC has previously issued a caution to the public about the risks associated with ingesting raw milk products, including some cheeses.
Maybe the risk was part of the attraction, as a Change.org petition from an upset fan began circulating in 2018, wanting this product back on store shelves. While the petitioner claimed victory, there is no evidence that the cheese actually reappeared.
MyPillow products
Several big box retailers cut ties with MyPillow in 2021 and CEO Mike Lindell blames “cancel culture.”
An online petition requesting Amazon, Walmart, Costco, and Bed, Bath & Beyond to stop selling the bedding maker’s products has garnered over 110,000 signatures.
Costco initially told Newsweek that it would continue selling MyPillow products due to "contractual commitments to MyPillow that we intend to honor, as we seek to do with all of our suppliers." However, Lindell later told The New York Post that Costco would stop selling MyPillow merchandise after it sold through whatever inventory it had left in stock.
Costco hasn’t commented on the removal, but other retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond have pointed to declining sales when explaining their decision to drop MyPillow products from store shelves.
Lindell was suspended from Twitter in early 2021 for spreading disinformation regarding the 2020 presidential election, and he was banned again in May 2022, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Kirkland Signature Light Beer
For better or for worse, Costco stopped production of its Kirkland Signature Light Beer in 2018.
The 48-packs sold for $22 — less than 50 cents per can. Many mourned the end of an era. "Costco stopping sales of Kirkland light beer is like McDonalds not giving toys with the happy meals. THIS. IS. ANARCHY," tweeted @KalypsoPuppy.
One California man even made a viral commercial for the beer in his backyard back in 2017.
While the beer had a cult following of party-goers on a budget, it certainly had its critics as well.
One reviewer on RateBeer famously compared the brew’s smell to a “urine-soaked diaper sitting on a piping-hot radiator.” The beer has an average rating of 2.45 out of 5 on the website and with feedback like that, it’s no surprise Costco didn’t keep it around.
Although the light beers are long gone, you may still be able to grab a $20 craft-brewed variety pack with pale, blonde, brown and India pale ales.
All American Chocolate Cake
This glorious mountain of rich, chocolatey goodness was abruptly abandoned by Costco without explanation, leaving customers confused and distraught.
The four-layer chocolate cake was packed with frosting and garnished with chocolate shavings, weighing in at seven pounds. It cost $16.99, according to food and drink website The Daily Meal. No one knows why Costco stopped making it, only that it vanished some time in 2019 and now remains the stuff of legends.
The loss even inspired a petition on Change.org, which garnered more than 8,000 signatures.
In 2021, however, the warehouse club introduced a mini version of the beloved bakery item — the Mini All American Cakes, which come in a pack of six and cost $7.99.
Bibigo Organic Potstickers
Within their vast frozen food section, you can find Korean-inspired frozen meals by Bibigo at Costco. Though, not all of the brand’s products are available.
For instance, the Bibigo organic potstickers are no longer sold in the bulk-sized freezers, much to many customers' chagrin. Reddit user skilletID shared, “I love the beef version of these, but have not seen them in our store in a very long time. I reluctantly buy smaller bags at Meijer.”
Bibigo’s mini wontons and beef bulgogi are still for sale at Costco, as well as potstickers by the brand Ling Ling for an alternative.
This works out well for some customers who actually prefer the Ling Ling potstickers over Bibigo. Redditor Dramatic-Club-323 shared, “I'd rather pay more for Ling Ling at the grocery store” instead of getting a Bibigo bargain at Costco.
Rao’s Alfredo Sauce
Rao’s is a company known for their abundant variety of pasta sauces, along with soups and frozen entrees.
Costco customers used to be able to buy a two pack of their alfredo sauce for $6.97 in store. But Costco superfan, @costco.love on Instagram, shared a photo of the alfredo sauce on clearance — in other words, on the last leg of its Costco life.
While Rao’s does offer a variety of other sauces — from marinara to bolognese to basil pesto — none of their products seem to be available on Costco’s website.
Reddit user SkyIsland_Dreamer shared, “Both the Raos Marinara and their Alfredo are excellent! Also, they are a real bargain compared to buying them in grocery stores.”
Shoppers won’t be totally lost on bargain Italian delights, though. The store sells its own Kirkland Signature sauce, along with other brands like Prego.
Pots Fudge Lava Cake
Pots is a unique company selling ready-to-eat desserts in ceramic pots. Depending on which you get — should it be the lemon cheesecake, apple cinnamon crumble or flourless chocolate brownie — you can eat them chilled from the fridge or heated in the oven or microwave.
Pots’ fudge lava cake is a particularly beloved treat in their range, but you won’t find this divine dessert in Costco’s divine quantities any longer.
Reddit user and Costco employee foxygoose responded to a sweet-toothed fan’s post regarding their unsuccessful search for this product: “Costco employee here. Costco Item number 1142519. I don't see it in stock anywhere in the U.S.”
While you may not be able to grab these at your local warehouse, the fudge lava cakes aren’t totally discontinued and you can get your Pots chocolate fix at other grocery retailers.
Island Princess Macadamia Popcorn Crunch
Island Princess makes gourmet Hawaiian snacks with caramel corn, macadamia nuts and chocolate.
Costco has sold a variety of their products over the years and just last year, shopper @costco.love on Instagram noticed this toffee-coated popcorn was on its way out of Costco stores.
While the 16-ounce bag of this treat, which was sold for $3.97, is no longer spotted on the shelves, it is still sold on Costco’s website for $59.99 in a pack of two 24-ounce jars.
So, you technically can still get your fill of this snack in bulk.
Palmetto Cheese
Costco reportedly pulled Palmetto Cheese from shelves in 2020 after brand owner Brian Henry made a public Facebook post attacking a popular protest group.
The Post and Courier reports that the pimento cheese would no longer be carried in more than 120 U.S. Costco stores, and one Myrtle Beach location says the item has been discontinued and would not be re-ordered.
Costco has yet to comment on the product being removed. Henry told the news outlet that “Costco rotates items in and out during the course of the year. They will occasionally add and drop products as a matter of normal business ... We remain optimistic that Palmetto Cheese will be back on the shelves in the not too distant future.”
Henry made a public apology in September 2020 and said the company would be rebranding “to be more sensitive to cultural diversity,” according to MyrtleBeachOnline.
Lavazza Espresso Italiano Whole Bean Coffee
Everyone starts the day in their own way, and it’s safe to say that coffee is a part of the routine for many.
Lavazza Espresso Italiano whole bean coffee is a medium roast with aromatic notes of fruit and flowers that many Costco customers have enjoyed pouring themselves a cup of.
Reddit user ideal_enthusiasm shared, “I got Lavazza on a whim when it was on sale at business Costco,” writing that the flavor was smoother than the Kirkland Signature coffee.
Much to the dismay of coffee-fueled bargain shoppers, Instagram user @costcohotfinds discovered this 2.2 pound bag of beans was marked with an asterisk on a trip to the store.
While you may not be able to pick up these beans at Costco anymore, Lavazza coffee is still available directly through the company and at some grocery stores.
Cinnamon sugar pretzel
The food court at Costco is the stuff of legend, with a perennial fan favorite being, of course, the hot dog and soft drink combo for $1.50.
An item less talked about but still greatly missed is Costco’s soft pretzel, specifically the cinnamon sugar kind. They sold for one dollar and were evidently replaced by the churro, according to Mashed.
While they have already been off the menu for a few years, fans continue to mourn their loss, and seem to vastly prefer them to the churros that were added to the menu instead.
One potential reason for their disappearance is the recent U.S. trend over the past several years toward promoting healthier foods. An entry for the dessert pretzel on My Fitness Pal says it has a whopping 554 calories and 77% of the average person’s daily recommended intake of carbohydrates.
But since the pretzel was replaced with the churro — not exactly a healthier option — it also could have come down to cost. Costco often watches the items that aren’t selling as much as they would like, and churros are easier and cheaper to produce than those delicious twisty treats.
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wedges
Sure, the pre-grated stuff is convenient, but have you ever had your pasta the traditional Italian way, preparing your Parmigiano Reggiano right at the time of cooking?
Once grated, parmesan cheese quickly loses its flavor, so the jarred, made-by-Kraft option that Costco currently sells doesn't even qualify for top parmesan cheese status.
The removal of this product might be due to supply chain issues, as some hopeful Redditors brought up in a thread about the disappearing cheese, but it has not returned to the shelves of the warehouse yet.
Unless you’re willing to pony up $950 for a 72-pound wheel of it, you can no longer find the wedges at Costco.
But, you can still sign up for Business Center delivery, if you’re willing to buy at least 10 pounds of it at a time.
Kevin’s Natural Foods Products
Kevin’s Natural Foods is a brand specializing in ready-to-eat dinners packed with clean ingredients. Their products are paleo and keto friendly and free of antibiotics and refined sugars.
Costco shoppers have enjoyed Kevin’s Natural Foods products over the years. Reddit user joelikesmusic shared: “These are delicious. Local Costco only carries the Korean BBQ and sometimes the teriyaki. The Thai coconut is great. I do wish Costco carried more flavors.”
But the store will actually be doing the opposite of adding variety to their Kevin’s products. Instagram user @costco_doesitagain shared a photo where these healthy, quick dinners were marked to be discontinued and they no longer appear on Costco’s website either.
Luckily, you can buy Kevin’s products at other grocery stores, and Costco still sells some paleo and keto friendly products.
Roundup
A Change.org petition with over 85,000 signatures may have led Costco to drop this Mosanto-owned weed-killer from store shelves.
Founder of Moms Across America, Zen Honeycutt, created a petition calling for the retailer to drop Roundup, following billion dollar lawsuits that claimed the herbicide caused cancer. Honeycutt announced on her website that she had confirmed with three people from Costco headquarters that Roundup would no longer be sold in American warehouses.
A Costco representative told People magazine that the company did not “have a statement available about the decision.”
Bayer, the company that owns Monsanto, maintains that Roundup is safe to use. Yet the World Health Organization classifies Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” and numerous U.S. cities have either banned or restricted the substance.
It may or may not be dangerous for humans, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that pets who ingest or even touch plants that have recently been sprayed with products using glyphosate are at risk of developing digestive or intestinal issues.
Chaokoh coconut milk
Several retailers, including Costco, dropped Chaokoh coconut milk from shelves recently, after PETA accused the brand of using coconuts harvested through monkey labor.
PETA investigators claimed that Thai supplier Theppadungporn Coconut Co. sourced its coconut milk from facilities and farms using caged monkeys. The company denied the allegations, telling USA Today that its suppliers have signed memorandums of understanding that there’s no monkey labor at their farms.
In a letter to PETA’s president in September 2020, Costco Vice President of Corporate Food and Sundries Ken Kimble said the wholesale club was investigating its suppliers but would pull the product from store shelves for the time being.
The company has since issued no updates on whether it will resume selling the controversial brand.
A 2021 article from National Geographic states that even months after the controversy, farmers in Thailand were still using monkey labor to harvest their coconuts for distribution in the international market.
Island Princess Mele Macs
Another one of Costco’s Hawaiian snacks, the Island Princess mele macs, are no longer available at the store.
These toffee- and chocolate-coated macadamia nuts do remain available as part of the “Best of Hawaii Gift Set” on Costco’s website along with other treats such as chocolate-covered pineapple and choco mochi.
However, the gift set costs a whopping $109.99, so if you’re not interested in the other items in the package, it’s a pretty steep cost.
Luckily, the macs are still available through other retailers — you’ll just have to pay more.
You can get a 15-ounce bag at Walmart for $29.99 (but @costco.love on Instagram spotted the same bag at Costco for just $6.97 before they stopped selling them).
MacFarms Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Macadamias
With its seemingly endless aisles, Costco is never short on sweet snacks. Unfortunately, if the MacFarms salted caramel milk chocolate macadamias were your favorite, you may be leaving that snack aisle disappointed and dissatisfied.
You can still buy the macadamia nuts through MacFarms directly or from other retailers, though you won’t be getting as good a deal as Costco offered.
At the time of their last on-shelf spotting (thanks to Instagram user @costco.love), they were being sold in a 28-ounce bag for $7.97. At Walmart, the same sized bag is being sold for $26.95.
So if you’re a die-hard fan, it’s still possible to purchase them, but you’ll have to dole out a lot more cash.
Originally Published: https://www.moneywise.com/koen/32-things-costco-wont-sell-anymore
Posted on 09/01/2023 at 10:00 AM