9 Groceries You Should Never Buy At Costco

Costco has its ride-or-die fans (or should we say members?), and we are definitely among them. It's a place that brings joy, a selection of tasty food samples, and pretty competitive prices on anything from car batteries to candy. It's hard for the warehouse to steer us wrong, but some items are better off avoided and purchased elsewhere. Since not every product is worth the cost or trouble, we wanted to compile a handful of items that you should never buy at Costco. 

Most of these items suffer quality issues, but a couple of them simply aren't good items to buy in bulk for the average consumer or household — e.g., you're not a restaurant owner who will use pounds of a product before it goes bad. This goes hand in hand with one of the insider secrets that seasoned Costco shoppers know: Stick with your shopping list to actually save money. Impulse buying and purchasing anything that looks interesting or affordable is where people start to face issues. Buying these items can end up costing you more money because you may have to throw the product away. It's wiser just to avoid the following items entirely. 

It is certainly beneficial to have dried herbs and spices on hand, as they can add flavor and aroma to a variety of dishes. However, you might not want to purchase large quantities of a particular herb or spice from Costco. Instead, it's best to buy smaller amounts from a regular grocery store so you can ensure that you use them while they're still fresh. Typically, dried herbs last between one and three years, while dried spices can last a little longer — two to three years. But this can vary based on the herb or spice itself and how you store it; the quality degrades when they're exposed to moisture, air, and light.

Purchasing 19 ounces of a basil, oregano, onion, and garlic blend from Costco is difficult to use up while it's still in peak fresh condition, and it may be hard to come up with uses for such a combination aside from using it in something like homemade tomato sauce. Snagging the 18-ounce container of granulated garlic seems like a great deal, especially if you know you use garlic, but we found that it can often end up getting very clumpy and gross after a few months — which is well within that two- or three-year period of peak freshness.

Don't get us wrong, we love nuts and have purchased many kinds from Costco. So, we speak from experience when we say it might not be the best option for the average Costco consumer. With such a large quantity, you risk the nuts spoiling or going rancid, which affects both their taste and texture. The way the nuts are processed, whether they are roasted, shelled, etc., can also influence their quality and how long they can last. While the price might make them cost-effective in the moment, that's all void if they go bad and you have to throw them out. 

The only reason to purchase 2 pounds of pecans in one go is if you're making multiple pecan pies from scratch. One 9-inch pie only uses about 1½ cups of the nuts anyway, so you're still left with a lot of leftover pecans. Generally, nuts can last around one year when refrigerated and mere months at room temperature (less if you live in a warmer climate), so that doesn't leave you with a lot of time. Instead of buying them from Costco, find a bulk shop; that way, you can look at the nuts before adding them to a bag to check their condition and buy only the amount that you need.

Hemp hearts have many wonderful health benefits that make them enticing to stock in your home. They have fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, iron, and more. Plus, they're a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids. They can be used in anything from no-knead protein bread to tabbouleh, making them a versatile addition to your pantry. You might have seen the Kirkland Signature 2-pound bags of hemp hearts (also called shelled hemp seeds) and felt tempted to place them in your cart, but we suggest skipping them. 

It can be difficult to use hemp hearts in large quantities, meaning there's a higher chance of them going bad before you can finish them. Similar to nuts, they can last up to a year when refrigerated, but only last around three months if you place them in the cabinet. We've found that these Kirkland hemp hearts can develop a strange, bitter flavor if left too long. Costco reviewers also mention that they've bitten down on a hard whole seed, so there's a quality issue, too. Just buy a smaller bag from your local grocery store and make sure to use it within three months.

Whole mushrooms can last up to a week in the refrigerator, so you'd better have a selection of recipes in mind if you're purchasing a hefty amount of them. Even if you do cook through the fungi pretty quickly, Costco's mushroom quality is not the best. 

Buying the 24-ounce pack from Costco may sound great if you're making several mushroom-heavy dishes, since it saves you another trip to the grocery store to load up. But unfortunately, we have found a strange green slime on the fungi within a couple of days of purchase — and it's happened more than once. Others share that they've faced similar issues with the 'shrooms, noting that they go bad quickly and that they tend to avoid buying any produce — fruit or veggies – from Costco because of this problem. Others comment that the mushrooms often don't look fresh in-store and have brown spots on them. If they look like that while still in the store, imagine what they'll look like over the next day or so at home. 

Because the container is large and encased in plastic, you can't see anything but the first layer of mushrooms anyway; some may already be rotten while still at the store, and you wouldn't even know it. Spare yourself the trouble, cash, and cleanup by avoiding purchasing mushrooms from Costco in the first place.

Bananas are one of America's favorite fruits and are one of the most popular picks among consumers. You can find them at just about any grocery store. But usually, you can pick out how much you want to buy, whether that's just a couple of individual ones or bigger bunches. If you're tempted to buy yours at Costco, you may want to think again. At the wholesaler, you're forced to purchase the fruit 3 pounds at a time — no matter whether you get organic or not. The price may be enticing, particularly if you know you eat a lot of bananas, but the fruit comes with a few potential issues. 

Redditors complain that the fruit begins to brown while it's still green and never quite makes it to that yellow part of the ripening process. Some say that they remain underripe, while others share that they can't finish that large of a batch before it starts to turn, which happens within two days of purchase. One person complained that they bought green bananas; by the next day they were yellow, by day two they were already brown with black spots. There's even a whole Reddit thread complaining about the Costco fruit, where users lament that they're forced to make banana bread with the black and brown fruit to avoid waste. Others simply toss them, though, effectively wasting money, so you're better off buying your desired amount from another store.

Who doesn't love a nice, cold glass of orange juice with breakfast, or perhaps, poured into a mimosa? Actually, there are lots of creative ways to use OJ, including in meat marinades and as a flavoring in French toast batter. But the key with all of these options is to use a good, tasty juice. You don't want the orange juice to contribute a bad flavor to your creations, and you'll face that exact problem (and then some) with Costco's Kirkland Signature organic OJ. 

Customers simply aren't happy with it anymore, mentioning a whole slew of recent quality and flavor issues. Long-time fans of the wholesaler's orange juice express frustration with the changes, lamenting how it used to be an impressive option but has since gone downhill in flavor to the point that it tastes rancid. People note that it looks different than it used to, as though it's been watered down. They also call out that the price is high for the two-pack. If you see the juice in the Costco fridge, simply walk right by it. You can't do much with two 59-ounce containers of unpleasant OJ.

Costco's bacon used to be a go-to grocery item for many, but it has since faced major quality issues — something that a lot of Costco customers agree on (although a few think that the company's bacon was never a tasty option in the first place). People share that the Kirkland Signature meat just isn't as good as it used to be, noting a downhill shift in quality over the years. Multiple people call out the thin, cobweb-like pieces that are difficult to get out of the packaging; that's the problem we've noticed as well. 

Pieces seem to stick together and then break apart as you attempt to take out a piece, so you're left with bacon shreds rather than one slice. But others mention that the inconsistency is equally annoying, with the ultra-thin pieces, thick slices, and standard-sized ones all in one package. Some say that the flavor also isn't very good or that it's too salty. Given all the bad reviews and the fact that you have to invest in such a huge quantity (four 1-pound packs of the bacon), you should skip buying this sliced pork product from Costco.

Costco bread can be occasionally tasty, but only if you're able to eat it in a timely manner — within one or two days maximum. In our experience, the bakery items' suggested best-buy date is usually correct — giving you just a couple of days to eat it. We've purchased breads that essentially come with a ticking countdown of freshness. It can start to get hard the next day, especially if you slice into it right away, which can make bread difficult to cut, eat, and work with. 

You may notice quality issues as well. One time, we purchased the rustic Italian loaf, and it was underproofed and underbaked, which made it dense and a tad doughy. And this isn't a one-time problem; others say they've seen similar results with their Italian loaves. That means you get a hefty amount of subpar bread that starts to get stale quickly — none of that makes it worth buying. Just about every bread from the Costco bakery gets a negative callout, from the ciabatta to the baguettes. Customers say that they don't like Costco's bread options whatsoever, that the bread is disappointing, and that the bakery quality has been second-rate for years. Find a smaller local bakery to support and buy your bread in smaller quantities, too.

For those wondering how the frozen chicken bakes compare to the food court one, we can easily help clear that up: To put it succinctly, they suck. The frozen ones, which come in a box of six individually wrapped bakes, aren't comparable in shape, texture, or flavor to the food court ones — they seem like different products. Even if you follow the cooking instructions exactly, the frozen chicken bakes are too crunchy on the outside, while the interior has funky, chewy pieces of bacon and big hollow gaps where chicken and filling should be. Others mention that the filling is dry, flavorless, and generally mild. 

The fresh one, though, is divine and is considered the best food that the food court has to offer. It's piping hot, savory (cheesy, creamy, and rich), and filled with chicken and that Caesar dressing. And nothing compares to that wonderfully balanced dough; it has a mix of the delectable exterior crust (firm yet not too crunchy) and then the pillowy, chewy interior. It's not just us who think so. Others agree that the food court one is superior to the frozen variety, so just order the fresh one while you're in-store to have as a meal or snack before you leave.