Top 7 Items Purchased From Costco: Costco is the place to go if you need to stock up on food, household products, appliances, apparel, and many other items. As we recently reported, on top website poll discovered that 46% of Americans conduct the bulk (pun intended) of their shopping at wholesalers due to the price, quality, and variety of things available. Although Costco sells a wide selection of products, the most popular things may surprise you. Here are the seven most-purchased items from Costco:
Top 7 Items Purchased From Costco in the US
Toilet Paper
During the epidemic, when stores could hardly maintain it on the shelves, the need of toilet paper was pushed home even more forcefully. However, it appears that purchasing toilet paper in bulk is so prevalent that it generates significant revenue for Costco. According to Reader’s Digest, the company sells over a billion rolls of toilet paper annually and generates well over $400 million in revenue.
Hot Dogs
According to Thehotdog.org, another of Costco’s best-selling commodities is not even something most people buy in bulk: 100% beef hot dogs from their food court. Probably due to the time and effort required to shop thoroughly at the wholesale retailer, which leaves everyone hungry. Costco sells approximately 151 million per year, totaling $226 million. As previously reported, these hot dogs are so popular that the corporation has committed to keeping the price of the hot dog and Coke combo at $1.50 for the foreseeable future.
Smoked Kirkland Hickory Bacon
If you could bottle a food’s aroma and wear it as a perfume, bacon would likely be the most popular choice among meat eaters. According to Fox Business, Costco appears to have its finger on the bacon fans’ pulses, as they sell a significant amount of their Kirkland brand hickory smoked bacon. According to Insider, something about the epidemic increased bacon sales; perhaps all the time spent indoors made consumers seek comfort food. While there is no record of exactly how much they sell, and inflation may have begun to affect sales, it continues to remain a Costco customer favorite.
Rotisserie Chicken
While the majority of food items purchased at Costco are likely to require preparation, their precooked rotisserie chicken keeps people coming back. According to the Wall Street Journal, Costco sold 87 million of these delicious chickens in fiscal year 2017 alone. According to NPR, Costco had to implement a special supply chain in Nebraska in order to keep this item arriving hot and fresh.
In addition, the company has maintained the same low pricing of $4.99 for roughly three pounds of chicken for this popular product.
Fox Business reports that while they earn approximately $40 million annually, they are actually losing money. Occasionally, client happiness justifies a loss.
Gasoline
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Costco is definitely not gasoline, but after reading how inexpensive it is, it could.
According to MechanicBase.com, Costco’s sales of gasoline fuel account for approximately 10% of their entire revenues, which amounts to approximately $20 billion annually. Their member gas stations can sell millions of gallons of gasoline in a single month. Although you won’t find a Costco gas station at every Costco warehouse, there are normally a large number of them nearby, but with lengthier queues than a conventional gas station. Members of Costco receive an additional discount on gasoline that non-members do not. According to Barron’s, depending on the region, Costco members could save up to $1 per gallon by purchasing gasoline from Costco, but on average, Costco gasoline is around 30 cents cheaper than the nearest competitors.
Major Appliances
Katie Roberts, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com, notes that Costco is a popular place to purchase major appliances for several reasons: “They are marked down significantly during holiday sales and include an extended warranty. Around major sales holidays such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, Costco typically offers discounts of up to $800 or even $1,000 on a variety of appliances. In addition, Costco gives members with a substantial benefit in the form of an extended warranty for key equipment such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and washers and dryers. Costco will extend the manufacturer’s warranty to a maximum of two years from the date of purchase.
Cash Cards
Roberts noted that gift cards are also popular at Costco. “Gift cards are advantageous purchases at Costco since they are available for less than their face value. For instance, Costco has offered $50 Jiffy Lube gift cards for only $30 – a 40% savings! Typically, gift cards are reduced anywhere between 10% and 25%. A noteworthy gift card bargain currently available is a $500 Southwest Airlines eGift card for $450. That’s a 10% discount, which might be extremely useful given the high cost of flying.”
