What UK Costco Stores Have That American Ones Don't

For many Americans, Costco membership is the key to a month's worth of pre-portioned chicken breasts, snack samples, and $1.50 hot dogs in the food court — and that membership is accessible to anybody who wants it. Across the pond, however, Costco is a different beast. Notably, the rules for Costco membership in the UK are different. And when it comes to food, Costco stores around the world carry products based on local markets, meaning that items on shelves and in the food court in UK stores differ from the U.S.

For U.S. Costco shoppers, standard food court items include that $1.50 hot dog, pizza, chicken bakes, salads, sandwiches, and sweet treats like milkshakes and salted caramel brownie sundaes. In the UK, food court customers have a slightly different experience, with items like double chicken burgers, cottage pies, jacket potatoes (that's a baked potato for those not up on their British lingo) with baked beans, BBQ-chicken pizza, and chicken fajita wraps. That jacket potato can also come with tuna and mayonnaise, a common British combination. The bargain hot dog is still available in the UK, costing £1.50. Other food court offerings available in the UK (as well as other European countries) but not the U.S., include a Korean beef BBQ bake, fish and chips, chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, and french fries.

Costco in the UK has a very different food inventory for stocking its shelves than U.S. Costco, which goes back to catering to the local market. One of the items is a Kirkland hazelnut spread, which is essentially Costco's version of Nutella. UK Costco shoppers also have access to another local product that Americans don't: Marmite, a spread made from yeast extract known for its particularly powerful salty flavor, in giant 600-gram plastic tubs. Other items, including Aberdeen Angus beef and haddock fillets at the UK Costco, are domestically sourced and exclusive to the UK market.

While U.S. Costco will have Lay's potato chips, UK Costco has Walkers products, which are the UK's best-sellers. These include Quavers, Wotsits, and Monster Munch. U.S. shoppers can get bags of Snack Factory pretzel crisps, but unfortunately miss out on, ironically, Penn State Pretzels, a UK-brand selling "American-style" snacks. U.S. shoppers may get to fill up on Tate's Bake Shop cookies, but UK shoppers have access to McVitie's, a UK cookie brand (or biscuit brand as Brits call them) with items like Jaffa Cakes, digestive biscuits, and Chocolate Hobnobs.