If You See This Symbol on Your Favorite Costco Item, Stock Up Now

That product might not be on the shelves for long.

Big box store members are already smitten with perks like these little-known benefits of having a Costco card, but then there are the products themselves. Not only are Costco prices unbeatable, but they also carry top-quality options, so when you find a favorite item, it can be devastating to realize it’s no longer carried the next time you stop by. While you’re at Costco you’ll also want to stock up on these Kirkland items.

Part of the reason Costco prices are so cheap is that the chain only carries a limited number of each product. Of course, that also means that the store won’t hang onto an item that isn’t selling when they could replace it with something more appealing. Luckily, there’s an easy way to find out if your favorite product is about to be discontinued.

Take a look at the upper right corner of a Costco price tag. If you see an asterisk, that’s a sign that the wholesale store won’t be restocking the item. Maybe the product hasn’t been selling well, or maybe the manufacturer upped its prices and Costco prices can no longer accommodate it. Either way, it could be your last shot to get your hands on that item in-store—at least for now. To start, see if any of these 15 Costco must-buy products have the special price tag.

Even if a product disappears from the shelves temporarily, it might pop up again in the future. For instance, seasonal items like holiday gift wrap or certain foods might not appear until the next year, but they’ll show up again once they’re back in season. Still, if you have your sights on a non-perishable item that you know you’ll use up within a few months, you might as well stock up on more to make it through the year. Next, find out the 25 secrets Costco employees won’t tell you.

[Source: MentalFloss, Snopes]

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.