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Just because it’s at Costco, doesn’t mean it’s the best price you can find. Worst buys at Costco absolutely exist! I’ve proven it with grocery items, and now I’ll prove it with non-grocery products. So, go ahead and buy the Kirkland items that are better than the brand name, but make sure you know what to avoid, unless you want to sink your budget. (I know you don’t!)
Does comparing Costco prices across other stores sound overwhelming? Don’t worry, that’s where I come in. I did all the sleuthing to find out what Costco sells that’s actually a complete waste of your time and money.
(Looking for the best Costco deals? Download the KCL app and I’ll have your back.)
1. Don’t buy a Costco dog bed unless you want to pay more for less bed.
You can spoil your dog and still save money when you avoid picking up Costco dog beds. And if you look closely, you’re not only saving, but you’re also getting more bed for your money, since the Costco bed is smaller.
- Costco: Small Size Dog Cuddler Bed, 25″ x 21″ $44.99
- Target: Small Size Dog Cuddler Bed 28″ x 23″, $29.99
Savings: $15
2. Costco’s vacuum prices can never squelch my love affair with Kohl’s vacuum prices.
When Kohl’s does something well, they do it crazy well. Vacuums, for example. This happens during Black Friday, but also just whenever Kohl’s feels like it, which ends up being multiple times a year.
Why? It’s the Kohl’s Cash you can earn and spend, it’s the Kohl’s Rewards you can earn, it’s the promo codes, it’s the sale price. It’s everything. Check out the second example below with the Bissel vacuums. You’ll get a comparable Roomba vacuum from Kohl’s that’s originally twice the price of the one at Costco. But you’ll pay $34 less than you’d pay for the Costco one.
- Costco: iRobot Roomba i4 $349.99, regular price
- Kohl’s: iRobot Roomba 677 (
reg. $374.99) $188.99, after sale and promotions (below)
Savings: $161
Spend $50, receive $10 Kohl’s Cash
Spend $100, receive $5 Kohl’s Rewards
Cardholders, use unique coupon code for 15%, 20%, or 30% off
Non-cardholders, use GET15 for 15% off
Free shipping on orders of $75+ or free curbside pickup
Final Price: as low as $188.99, plus $5 Kohl’s Rewards and $30 Kohl’s Cash
- Costco: Bissell Garage Pro Wet Dry Vac $187.99, regular price
- Kohl’s: Bissell Crosswave Wet Dry Vac (
reg. $319.99) $153.99, after sales and promos (below)
Savings: $34
Spend $50, receive $10 Kohl’s Cash
Spend $100, receive $5 Kohl’s Rewards
Cardholders, use unique coupon code for 15%, 20%, or 30% off
Non-cardholders, use GET15 for 15% off
Free shipping on orders of $75+ or free curbside pickup
Final Price: as low as $153.99, plus $5 Kohl’s Rewards and $30 Kohl’s Cash
3. Don’t be tempted to buy a Costco TV!
Maybe you want to be the one who gets to load a TV up into a car in front of Costco, but don’t give in. Buy your TV elsewhere and even if you don’t get to do the I-just-bought-a-new-TV swagger, you can comfort yourself knowing how much you’re saving!
Best Buy and Walmart both beat Costco on TV prices. And if you want to level up your savings, wait until Black Friday or Super Bowl season to buy a TV, because that’s when the deals really sparkle.
I compared Costco’s price on a 75″ TV with the same size of TV at the other retailers. These are not Black Friday or Super Bowl prices either! They’re just examples of sales I’ve seen in recent months. Expect to see even deeper savings around those holidays.
- Costco: Samsung 75″ LED 4K UHD TV, $899.99, regular price
- Best Buy: Hisense 75-Inch Class H6510G Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV (
reg. $999.99) $599.99, sale price - Walmart: Philips 75″ Class 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (
reg. $698) $598, sale price
Savings: $300
4. Ignore Costco’s flower bouquets, even if they are pretty (and they are!).
Heck, you could buy two Whole Foods bouquets and put them together for a mega bouquet and it’d still be cheaper than what Costco offers.
- Costco: Deluxe Garden Bunch, $9.99
- Whole Foods: Awesome Blossom Bouquet, $4.99
Savings: $5
5. Men’s boxer briefs are a definite nope at Costco.
Target is where you need to focus all your underwear-buying energy. You’ll save over a dollar per pair!
- Costco: 32 Degrees Men’s Boxer Brief 3 pack, $12.99 ($4.33 each)
- Target: Hanes Men’s Boxer Brief 5-pack, $15.99 ($3.20 each)
Savings: $1.13 per pair
6. Costco doesn’t offer the lowest price on smart plugs.
Amazon’s smart plugs cost less than the ones at Costco. And I don’t mean the Amazon branded ones — those are more expensive. Instead look for non-Amazon brands like Kasa, and you’ll be fine.
- Costco: Feit Wi-Fi Smart Plug 3 pack, $24.99 ($8.30 per plug)
- Amazon: Kasa Wi-Fi Smart Plug 2 pack, $14.99 ($7.50 per plug)
Savings: $1 per plug
7. Pass up Costco’s Sonicare toothbrush unless you love to overpay.
You should only ever buy Sonicare at one store — Kohl’s. Listen to me and save 65%.
Watch for a promo code (or a few that you can combine together! Kohl’s allows up to four in one purchase). In this case, you only need one promo code since the sale price is so great.
Expect to see a Sonicare deal at least once every couple months at Kohl’s.
- Costco: Philips Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush, 2-pack $99.99 ($49.99 each)
- Kohl’s: Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush, $17.49 each (example of a deal below)
Savings: $32.50 each
Cardholders, use unique coupon code for 15%, 20%, or 30% off, limit 10
Non-cardholders, use GET15 for 15% off
Free shipping on orders of $75+ or free curbside pickup
Final Price: as low as $17.49
8. Don’t get suckered into paying full price for Powerbeats Wireless at Costco.
Powerbeats headphones go on sale at Walmart and Target during Black Friday as reliably as leaves drop from trees in the fall. It’s gonna happen and you can expect it.
In 2020 I saw a deal at Walmart, for example, that handily beats (ha! pun!) Costco’s price, listed below. I’ll concede that the Powerbeats model (Costco) is newer than the Powerbeats3 model (Walmart), so of course it’s a little more expensive. You’ll have to decide how much that extra $40 for the newer model is worth to you.
It’s typical for Black Friday deals to feature an older model than what the brand may have just released. I don’t upgrade unless I need a replacement. In fact, I still have my Beats Studio wireless headphones from a Black Friday deal in 2017. Works good enough for me!
- Costco: Powerbeats Wireless headphones: $119.99
- Walmart: Powerbeats3 Wireless headphones: (
reg. $119) $79, sale price
Savings: $40.99
That’s all I’ve got! What are some things you never, ever buy at Costco? Tell me in the comments.
