We Asked ChatGPT What Americans Should Stop Buying at Costco
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Americans are hooked on Costco. The warehouse club’s sales exceeded $250 billion in fiscal 2024, making it the third biggest retailer in the U.S. But though Costco may be America’s main go-to superstore (after Amazon and Walmart), it’s got areas it needs to work on. To shop smarter, we asked ChatGPT what items Americans should stop buying at Costco.
Honestly, ChatGPT kind of bombed on this one. It’s almost as though (with the exception of one category) it missed the memo that we were asking specifically about Costco items and not just about the risks of buying perishables in bulk. So, we dug deeper. By taking the case out of AI’s hands, we found some solid reasons to ditch, or at least reconsider, buying some of these items at Costco.
Fresh Produce (in Bulk)
ChatGPT is pretty conscientious when it comes to food waste and cautions against buying produce in bulk from Costco. “Unless you have a large family or eat lots of fruits/veggies daily, a lot of it will go bad before you finish it.”
What ChatGPT didn’t go into is the fact that a lot of customers have strong feelings (negative ones) about Costco’s produce, with some saying some fruits and vegetables sold there spoil extra fast.
“Buy fresh produce in smaller quantities at local grocers or farmers’ markets,” ChatGPT said.
Milk and Dairy
Another food waste alert. ChatGPT said to avoid buying gallons of milk or huge tubs of yogurt from Costco because they can spoil before you finish them. But this can happen if you buy dairy in large quantities from any store. A better reason to not buy dairy from Costco goes unaddressed by ChatGPT: Kirkland milk is usually more expensive at Costco than generic brands at Walmart, Aldi and Target.
Condiments and Sauces
Costco is all about jumbo sizes and when it comes to condiments and sauces, ChatGPT has the same concern it does with bulk produce and tubs or gallons of dairy: They may spoil faster than you can use them up. But there’s another reason the AI chatbot said, and that’s that they may lose flavor if you don’t use them up quickly. “Even non-perishables degrade in quality once opened,” ChatGPT said. So, that’s interesting and true — but it’s not Costco-specific, so it fails to be a good reason to not buy this stuff at Costco.
Baked Goods
Dear AI overlords, ChatGPT really doesn’t want you to waste food. “Costco muffins, cakes and croissants are delicious – and massive,” it said. “They go stale fast.” Yes, true, but again, gigantic pastries from any bakery don’t stay fresh for long.
We looked outside the bounds of ChatGPT to find out if baked goods from Costco are a bad buy, and it turns out some may be, at least when compared to what you can get at Walmart. The publication Mashed ruled that Walmart has better bread, a larger selection of alluring cookies, a better array of donuts, a better variety of cakes, a better pie selection and more in-house made muffins than Costco.
Spices
“Spices lose their potency over time, especially in bulk,” ChatGPT said. True. But again, this insight applies to spices sold in any store. ChatGPT had nothing more to say on the matter. But there’s more to the story if you poke around online. One interesting reason to maybe skip the spices at Costco: Shoppers have complained that Kirkland shortchanges you by putting a far-less-than-full amount of seasoning product in its containers.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Guess what? ChatGPT thinks you might not use that mega pack of meds you bought at Costco before they expire. “A 500-count bottle of ibuprofen – useful only if your household uses them regularly,” ChatGPT said. Why didn’t ChatGPT call out Costco for its recall earlier this year of Kirkland Signature Severe Cold & Flu items? That’s a far better reason to buy your OTC medications elsewhere.
Books
ChatGPT said that Costco sells “popular or gift books but they aren’t usually discounted enough to beat online prices.” Well, you should do your homework before taking ChatGPT’s word on this. A good reason not to buy books at Costco is because you may not even have the option to buy books at Costco. In late 2024, the warehouse club retailer announced it would stop selling books in hundreds of stores in 2025.
Electronics
Every retailer has some bad reviews and bad prices on electronics. Costco is no exception, as ChatGPT pointed out. But where the AI chatbot really (and finally) came in handy was when it pointed out that “models may be outdated or custom versions made for warehouse clubs.”
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