Costco is renowned for its vast selection and great deals on tons of different products, but even among its loyal customer base, there are certain grocery items that simply miss the mark. From disappointing taste experiences to unexpected quality issues, there’s unfortunately a good number of Costco products that are better off left on the shelves. Keep reading to find out which eight grocery items Costco super fans have deemed “just awful,” offering insights into what to avoid on your next shopping trip.
1. Mini Cucumbers
User @livinlrginchitwn started a thread in the Costco subreddit, asking, “What’s the worst item you get and will stop getting from Costco?” and generated over 3,000 responses from superfans. One of the most popular answers? “Those danged mini cucumbers,” which was first suggested by @squid_biscuits.
“You can take your time picking the most firm, fresh bag and they will be growing more fuzzy hair than Willie Nelson by the time you get them out of the car,” they wrote, earning over 500 upvotes.
“They’re moldy in less than 24hrs,” another user agreed, replying to the comment. “I feel like they used to last like a week.”
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2. Lobster Bisque
Unfortunately, this one has pretty bad reviews from customers as well. “So stinky I flushed my bowl down the toilet and my wife ran hers down the garbage disposal,” one person described the warm delicacy as.
“I bought the lobster bisque thinking it would be savory and smell great,” replied another customer. “NOPE. Smelled fishy, and it tasted like sweetened lobster pudding soup. Gross.”
“I hated it as well,” offered up a third person. “I was incredibly bummed.”
3. Bananas
Another very popular reply was Costco's bananas. "Their bananas are ripe when they're still green and then once they turn yellow they turn brown the next day," one person wrote, describing their experience.
Another person disagreed: "I've literally never seen those bananas turn yellow. They go from green to rotting!"
"I bought bananas from Costco once and they all spontaneously peeled themselves," another superfa shared. "Went into the kitchen and every bananas peel had split open." Odd—maybe stick to Trader Joe's for bananas?
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4. Sushi
Costco's fresh sushi can be tempting to pick up for an on-the-go meal or low-effort dinner, but heed superfans' warning: it's not always the best quality. "Their sushi is possibly the worst I've ever had," one person wrote. "It is below gas station grade. The rice was both gummy in parts and hard in others. The only good thing I can say about it was it surprisingly didn't make me violently ill."
"This," another person agreed. "I literally spit it out and threw it all in the garbage."
"100% absolutely gross," warned another. "Just awful. Stay away!"
5. Rotisserie Chicken
While this one might ruffle some feathers, a good amount of Redditors suggested that the famous Costco Rotisserie Chicken is something to watch out for. "Tastes like chemicals," one person warned.
"Whatever they're injected with now makes us sick," another person agreed.
"I’ve heard so many people rave about their rotisserie chickens but I hate them so much!" reads another comment. "The taste is so off to me! Idc that they’re only $5, gross!"
6. Strawberries
It looks like poor quality produce is becoming a trend at Costco, because quite a few customers added strawberries to their list of things to avoid at the big box store. "Red and pretty, but either hard as a rock and flavorless, or completely moldy and inedible in less than 48 hours," one person described.
"I bought the biggest, most beautiful strawberries there once," said another customer. "It was like they'd genetically engineered the flavor out of them."
"Every time they mold and I vow to stop buying them, and yet I continue to buy them," wrote one loyal shopper. Let this person's experience be your warning!
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7. Kirkland Cream Cheese
Unfortunately, this is one Kirkland brand that simply cannot dethrone the name brand. Philadelphia Cream Cheese will forever be the best-tasting cream cheese out there, at least according to Costco customers. "Nothing compares to the Phili cream cheese," one person wrote. "The Kirkland brand feels 'gritty' or the taste is off."
"Texture is so off," another person agreed.
"We ended up throwing out the entire package when we tried it," one person said of their family's experience. "Anyone who claims they can't taste the difference has no tastebuds."
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8. Chicken Pot Pie
And finally, you're going to want to skip the Chicken Pot Pie. "It's just salt overload!" one person described it as. "Literally all you can taste is salt."
"As a chicken pot pie fan, it's so disappointing," another person agreed.
"The one time I tried it, it was so bland that it tasted like cardboard," added a third shopper.
"Another vote for the chicken pot pie," a final customer said. "Too salty. We each took a couple of bites and threw it out."
