8 Kirkland Items You Probably Shouldn’t Be Buying at Costco
Updated: Feb. 23, 2021You'll probably find better deals on paper products elsewhere.
Kirkland Detergent(s)
Unless you are doing boatloads of laundry, you should avoid buying detergents in bulk since they only maintain their cleaning power for six months to a year, per Good Housekeeping. Plus, other stores tend to have more coupons and deals for detergent than Costco. One blogger found a detergent on sale that equals $0.03 per load compared to Kirkland’s $0.115 per load.
Kirkland Facial Tissues
Tissues from Kirkland are fine but aren’t as popular as other brands. Wirecutter didn’t include Kirkland among the 15 brands it tested earlier this year, while Good Housekeeping recommended five other brands, beginning with Kleenex. A 2014 test from Consumer Reports, the most recent available, found these tissues were just so-so compared to other big-name brands like Puffs Basic, even though they cost the same. Puffs ranked higher in strength and softness. These are the 16 things DIYers should always buy at Costco.
And remember, NEVER flush tissues down the toilet.
Kirkland Toilet Paper
Like facial tissues, skip this other Kirkland paper product. Consumer Reports found that although Kirkland toilet paper is soft, it only offers so-so strength. The consumer ratings on Consumer Reports aren’t any better, with recent reviewers complaining about diminished quality. Don’t miss these 13 Costco tips frequent shoppers keep to themselves.
Kirkland Diapers
The quality of Kirkland diapers isn’t an issue, but buying one size in bulk isn’t a great idea. Cheapism reports that the smallest quantity of diapers available at Costco is 192, so a child might outgrow them before finishing the whole box. Smaller packages are available at Target or Walmart, and sites like Amazon even have convenient subscription services.
Kirkland Coffee
Pre-ground coffee starts going stale in as little as 30 minutes, according to some coffee experts. Others say roasted coffee is only at peak freshness for two to three weeks. So it’s best for your palette to buy a smaller, fresher portion of ground coffee that lasts a week or two.
Kirkland Rice
Uncooked white rice is not an expensive grocery store item. So unless you really consume a lot of it, there’s not much advantage in buying it in bulk and having to store it in your pantry. Plus rice and other whole grains contain oil that attaches to the grain and could cause them to go rancid sooner, Eat This Not That reports.
Kirkland Milk
The prices and quality of Kirkland milk are perfectly fine. The reason you might want to avoid buying this at Costco, however, is because of the square-shaped jugs. According to Reddit discussion boards, the unique packaging causes frequent spills and might be reason enough to buy your milk elsewhere. These are the 15 things you aren’t buying at Costco — but should.
Any Kirkland Item You Haven’t Tried Before
Buying in bulk is a commitment. That’s why it is better to be safe than sorry and buy small amounts to test instead of allocating money and space to large quantities of items you may not like. Next, find out these 12 things Costco employees won’t tell you.
