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 known for its $1.50 hot dog and soda deal and its $5 rotisserie chicken deal, one knowledgeable shopper has revealed the groceries that aren’t a good value at the 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 is cheaper per ounce or pound here, and if you live in a small household or alone with your dog like me, your unit price will skyrocket if you simply can’t salvage the big purchases quickly enough to avoid spoilage,” she wrote Good food.

Shoppers may be better off purchasing certain items at a local supermarket rather than the big box store, which charges between $60 and $120 per year for membership.

Here are the seven products that Lin says don’t offer the best bang for your buck at Costco.

Milk

“Picking up a gallon of conventional dairy milk may seem like an easy thing to do while you’re there,” she wrote, “but a quick comparison shows that you can actually save almost half a dollar on a gallon of milk by getting it elsewhere.”

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

Plus, half-gallon options can sometimes be a better deal per ounce for those who don’t need a full gallon, she explains, especially when 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 which brand you choose, you may be paying too much, Lin warned.

“Grocery stores 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 in my Atlanta suburb to just $2.15 per loaf ‘, she says. wrote.

Plus, you don’t always have to buy two loaves of bread to get the discount offer she added.

Salad packages in bags

At around $7 to $9 for a super-sized family pack, this often equates to the same price per serving, Lin warned.

“I’ve seen brands like Taylor Farms, Fresh Express, EatSmart, Dole and more on sale at Kroger, Publix, Sprouts and Lidl for anywhere from $2.75 to $3.50 per set,” she wrote.

‘And if you can buy the smaller sizes individually, you can enjoy a greater variety of salads.’

Raw chicken

In addition to the famously affordable rotisserie chicken, the salmon and steak at Costco are also of good quality, Lin said.

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

That’s because even though the store offers breasts or thighs for about $3 per pound, some grocery stores offer better deals.

“I’ve bought large family-sized packages of chicken breasts for as little as $1.79 per pound at major grocery stores, and chicken legs in a bag are often a bargain for as little as 59 cents per pound at major grocery stores and Walmart,” she wrote. .

Herbs and spices

Lin states that dried herbs and spices lose their potency over time, so a huge container of crushed red pepper, garlic granules, nutmeg or Old Bay seasoning probably won’t be necessary for most households.

Canned soup

While it may be tempting to stock up on soup at Costco, Lin said, you may be better off doing so at your local grocery store when it’s on sale.

She wrote, “Brand name condensed soup typically costs only a dollar a can on sale, and even less if you buy store brands. Meanwhile, the unit price at Costco is as much as a quarter more per unit.

“For heartier soups, Costco sells eight packs for just under two dollars a can, but they are often on sale elsewhere for three for five dollars, sometimes even less.”

Grain

“When you look at the regular prices of popular cereals at grocery stores, it’s easy to get sticker shock and think that $7 to $14 for two extra-large bags of it at Costco might be reasonable,” Lin wrote.

But, she argues, most of the major cereals are made by General Mills, Kellogg’s and Post, which supermarkets usually sell alternately.

Additionally, these manufacturers often release digital coupons, which can ultimately give you triple savings.

It comes as Costco considers a possible increase in membership fees – amid the departure of the company’s longtime finance boss.

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

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

There have been a total of seven membership fee increases since Costco was founded in 1983, each time increasing by $5. On average, walks take place once every five years.

The longest period in which annual contributions remained unchanged was between 1983 and 1992.

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

“While we have continued a little longer than the average increase, we feel that we have certainly added more value to the membership,” Galanti told analysts in December.

“I use my standby answer, my answer is it’s a matter of when, not if. But right now we feel pretty good about what we’re doing.”