Costco workers reveal 14 things they'd never buy from the store

Áine CainApr 14, 2018, 19:32 IST

Mike Mozart/Flickr

Costco products are famous for being bulk-sized and cost-effective.
Business Insider reached out to Costco employees to find out what items they would never buy at the store.
Most workers cited the chain's bulk sizes as the reason they'd skip over certain products - especially perishables.

Costco products are known primarily for their bulk sizes.

The retail chain is also famous for selling just about everything, from giant teddy bears to enough pizza slices to qualify as the 14th largest pizza chain in the US. There are always a few surprises thrown in with the staples, too.

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But Costco employees themselves know firsthand which deals are worth it - and which are best to skip.

That's why Business Insider spoke with 27 Costco employees to learn what products they never buy at the store. Eight of those employees - who hailed from California, Kentucky, Nebraska, Washington, Minnesota, Ohio, and Florida - didn't have a response for us. They all said that they buy everything at the chain.

"I can honestly say I can't think of anything I wouldn't buy," a worker from Ohio told Business Insider. "Some items are out of my price range. But, if I had disposable income, I would buy everything from Costco."

Here's a look at which products other employees tend to skip:

See Costco workers reveal 14 things they'd never buy from the store >>

Protein powder, bars, or supplements

— a Costco employee from Minnesota

Produce

— a Costco worker from Idaho, an employee from Hawaii, and a worker from Minnesota, who added, "While our produce department is one of the best in the business, I personally don't eat veggies fast enough to buy in bulk."

Tires

— a Costco worker who just said they'd been working for the chain "too long"

Packages of meat

— a Costco employee from California, who added, "It's too much for my household."

Mac and cheese

— a Costco worker from Texas

Fruits

— a Costco employee from Florida, who added, "They go bad very quickly."

Bakery products

— a Costco worker from Iowa, who added that the "packaging is just too big."

Condoms

— a Costco employee from Ohio

Shoes

— a Costco worker from Washington

Sushi

— a Costco employee from Illinois

Kirkland brand clothing

— a Costco worker from Arizona

The gallon-sized mayonnaise jars