4 Seasonal Buys From Costco That Are Not Worth the Money

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Costco is a one-stop shop where members flock for reliably low prices on everything from paper towels to billiards tables. However, their favorite wholesale warehouse club isn’t always the best bet for certain seasonal buys. 

Costco shoppers might do better looking elsewhere for the following seasonal purchases because they can probably find better quality, lower prices or more choices with a little poking around. 

Also see the six types of Costco price tags every frugal shopper needs to know.

Valentine’s Day Roses

Whether for Cupid’s annual visit or any occasion that calls for the queen of flowers, you might want to stick with your local florist when ordering roses instead of reaching for your Costco card. 

Excluding boutonnieres and wrist corsages, Costco has fewer than 20 online offerings involving roses in its floral department. For context, 1-800-Flowers lists nearly 100 rose arrangements and more than 200 Valentine’s Day-specific bouquets and gifts.

Furthermore, most of Costco’s selections have very few reviews, with some having no reviews at all. And some reviews were less than favorable.

Summer Bathing Suits

Costco carries bathing suits, but even if you buy one in store, you won’t know if it fits until you get home. A good fit is more critical for bathing suits than just about any other piece of apparel — but Costco doesn’t have fitting rooms where shoppers can try before they buy. 

The store’s generous return policy applies to swimsuits, but a trip to the store should negate the need — and if you’re shopping online anyway, you can do better elsewhere in many cases. 

For example, Costco sells O’Neill board shorts for $23.99, but the O’Neill website has plenty of comparable pairs for less. 

Seasonal Produce

If you’re really going to tear through a ton of produce, by all means, buy seasonal produce from Costco and enjoy those bulk savings. 

If not, you will probably wind up contributing to the 40% of the food supply that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says Americans waste every year. That’s why platforms like FoodHero — which pairs bargain-hunter buyers with sellers looking to offload surplus food — caution against buying fast-spoiling perishables like produce in bulk unless you truly have enough mouths to consume it quickly. 

All-Season Holiday Cards

No matter the season or occasion, greeting cards are always in style — and they’re not getting any cheaper. 

Although Costco offers fairly competitive prices, it does so for only two selections of cards. Both are 40-packs, but since they’re mixed-occasion cards for all holidays and seasons, many people might find that there aren’t enough to go around for any single special time of year.

Even if that’s what you’re in the market for, you can do better elsewhere. For example, Amazon sells a highly rated 60-pack from American Greetings for $0.50 per card compared with $0.65 for Costco’s dual offerings.

Editor’s note: Pricing and availability may vary depending on location.

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