It's time to solve this Costco mystery
Whether you walk into a Costco Wholesale or Costco Business Center, you’re going to be hit with Kirkland products every which way you turn. Kirkland, Costco’s private-label brand, seems to have its own version of every household item imaginable, from batteries to wine. And we are here for it, since Kirkland makes some of our absolute favorite products—from those chocolate-drizzled, protein-packed nut bars to the much-anticipated Kirkland french fries (which, by the way, were totally worth the wait).
But because Kirkland is so, shall we say, prolific, in its manufacturing of everything a person could possibly need, when you come across something they don’t put their name on, it makes you go hmmm. Like mayonnaise, for example. Look around Costco—you won’t find a jar of Kirkland-brand mayo anywhere … because it doesn’t exist.
So what’s the deal? What does Costco have against mayonnaise? Well, there’s actually an interesting story here. Read on to find out all the details—and what you can do about your poor mayo-less sandwich.
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Why can’t you find mayonnaise in Costco?
It’s a bit of a myth that you can’t find mayonnaise at all in Costco. You can—but it isn’t Kirkland-brand mayo. However, it isn’t for lack of trying. If you’re familiar with the Kirkland brand, you know that Costco puts a lot of testing and effort into making high-quality products, like what went into the development of the food court’s humongous chocolate chip cookies.
Once upon a time, about a decade ago, the company did try to whip up its very own branded mayo, just as it has done with so many other items, but the results fell flat and not up to the warehouse club’s high standards. The problem was that Costco wanted to increase the nutritional value of mayonnaise while also keeping costs low, and things fell apart in a variety of ways.
What happened, exactly?
If you enjoy Costco lore (and what card-carrying Costco member doesn’t?), settle in for story time. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Kirkland research and development team wanted to make a healthier mayo, so they added omega-3 fatty acids. This sounded like a great idea, since omega-3s are linked to heart health, brain function and reduced inflammation. Because mayo already contains fats, it should have been an easy vehicle to blend in these beneficial fats without affecting texture.
Of course, this is where things went awry. But let’s pump the brakes for a second, and talk about what’s typically in mayo. Mayonnaise generally contains emulsified eggs, oil and acid (like vinegar or lemon juice). What turns mayo into the creamy goodness we know and love is that emulsification process. If the ingredients don’t properly emulsify, the mayo separates and basically becomes glop. If you’ve ever tried to make homemade mayo and ended up with said glop, you understand the heartbreak.
Well, when Costco tried to add the omega-3s to its Kirkland mayo, the ingredients became less stable and broke apart. And there was absolutely no way Costco was putting a gloppy, broken Kirkland-branded condiment on its shelves.
Why is it so essential to Costco to get Kirkland products right?
Costco is known for keeping prices low and for its ridiculously good return policy, all in a huge effort to maintain customer loyalty and trust. Maintaining this loyalty and trust also applies to creating impeccable Kirkland products. The retailer doesn’t merely want to bring members savings—it wants to bring them savings on the absolute best-quality products possible.
This is evident with mayo-gate. Costco wasn’t interested in producing any old mayo recipe or simply replicating what the big brands were already doing. The powers-that-be wanted to build a better, more nutritious mayonnaise, and they weren’t willing to put out an imperfect product.
Have there been other Kirkland fails at Costco?
We aren’t privy to many other Kirkland products that were in development but didn’t make the final cut to appear in-store. However, there are some items that briefly appeared on shelves before quickly seeing themselves out.
- Boxed Kirkland Signature Macaroni and Cheese: The Kirkland Signature mac and cheese that we all know and love in the deli section continues to be a mainstay. However, there was a time when a boxed Kirkland version existed. Allegedly due to a large number of returns, the Kirkland boxed mac was pulled from the warehouse, but you can still get the big brands (Kraft and Annie’s) there.
- Kirkland Signature Light Beer: Make a beverage cheap enough, and I’m likely to give it a try. But apparently even at 50 cents a bottle, Costco could not unload its Kirkland Signature Light Beer. And stores were quite literally giving it away (well, more or less).
- Kirkland Signature Cola: Sometime in the early aughts, Reddit users report purchasing Kirkland-branded soda at Costco … and then never purchasing it again, since the taste paled in comparison to mainstays like Coke and Pepsi. “Costco had a variety of private-label sodas/pops in the ’90s,” says Redditor SEA_tide. “They didn’t sell very well. Most likely, they were manufactured by Cott Beverages (who did most of the private-label sodas at the time) or Shasta, as Shasta would occasionally show up instead. There’s really no need for Costco to do a private-label soda when other things would be much more profitable.”
Will they ever try to make Kirkland mayo again?
It doesn’t seem likely Costco will try to make mayonnaise again. It hasn’t been mentioned in any recent Costco earnings calls, and there are no rumblings indicating that the company is currently exploring the item any further.
Can you find any mayo in Costco?
Yes, you can! Costco is not a mayo-free zone. There are a few options here, including the classic Hellmann’s brand. Costco sells Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise in a 64-ounce jar for $11.99, more than double the size of the 30-ounce jar you could get at Walmart. Now, the amount of mayo a household uses varies widely, even person to person. But let’s say you’re someone who uses 1 tablespoon of mayo on a sandwich. You could, in theory, make 256 sandwiches with that 64-ounce jar of Hellmann’s from Costco, assuming you don’t use mayo for anything else.
And while it may not be Kirkland Signature mayo, Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise has been the bestselling mayo in the U.S. since 2019. Buy it Costco-style and you’ll get an item that’ll last you for ages, and a lot cheaper than you’d be able to get it elsewhere. That’s a win-win in our book!
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Sources:
- Wall Street Journal: “Why U.S. Costco Stores Don’t Have Mayo”
- Cruising Costco: “Unsuccessful Kirkland Products”
- Reddit: “Why doesn’t Kirkland sell a cola?”
