Costco price tags are seen as customers shop for clothing on July 13, 2021 in Novato, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesPop quiz for all the bargain hunters: How can you tell if an item's on sale at Costco? … Anyone? That's what we thought.
Instead of red slashes, plastered-over labels and dedicated clearance sections, Costco runs its deals on a secret code of numbers and symbols printed right on every price tag posted around the store. A seven here or an asterisk there can communicate which items have been discounted, which might soon be, which are about to run out and which coveted items you may never see again. If you learn how to decode the labels, you can make smarter spending decisions and better time your big purchases.
Thankfully, the Costco code has been cracked, largely thanks to social media sleuths and bargain-chasing influencers who've broken it down in viral videos across the web. These clips have answered questions ranging from, "What does an asterisk mean on a Costco price tag?" to" What's so special about the Costco prices that end in .97?" and even "Why are some Costco price tags green?"
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Scroll on to unravel these and other Costco price tag secrets, and put that insight to good use on your next warehouse run.
Prices ending in 9 are the norm
Most Costco products hit shelves with prices ending in .99, and that makes up the majority that you'll find posted in stores. "Standard pricing ends in .99, which is just the regular price that has not been marked down," says Jessica Spangler, the influencer, author and money educator behind @ecommjess with 735,000 TikTok followers, in a popular video where she breaks down Costco's pricing practices. Think of prices ending in .99 as Costco's everyday retail prices.
Prices ending in 7 are markdowns
Most stores indicate discounts by striking through the original price and adding a sticker with a new, lower price (while ensuring you can still see the regular cost). But not Costco. "When you see an item that ends in .97, it means this item is on sale," says Sean Sweeney, the "no coupons needed" shopper with more than 38 million YouTube views, in a TikTok clip called "9 Costco secrets that only employees know."
That's the Costco way of slyly communicating a discount. Costco fans on social media may refer to this as the "sad seven," indicating an item is likely on its way out. "If you see this, you can consider it clearance," according to Spangler.
The deepest discounts end in .00 — and may only be available at that warehouse
Double zeroes indicate get-it-gone-quick prices on items that local warehouse management wants to clear out. You don't want to sleep on these deals because they're not likely to last.
"If you see an item that ends in .00, this is considered a manager's special, and this is the lowest price this item will ever be," Sweeney says. These store-level markdowns are warehouse-specific, Costco employees say, so don't expect to find that .00 pricing on a certain item at all Costco stores — even others in the same city.
An asterisk means an item won't be restocked
If you spot an asterisk on the top right corner of a Costco price tag, consider that your warning to stock up, because that product won't be replenished.
"This is called the Death Star in Costco," Sweeney says. "It means there are no more shipments coming in for this item, and if you want it, you'd better buy it now, because you may never see it again." An asterisk doesn't necessarily indicate an item's been discounted, only that it won't be restocked, and once it's gone, it's gone — maybe for a while, as with seasonal produce and holiday merchandise, or perhaps for good.
Green labels indicate a product is organic
Costco has an impressive array of organic products — from fresh produce, meats, and dairy to coffee, sugar, pasta, and condiments. The accompanying green price signs make these easy to spot as you're browsing groceries.
Pro tip: Check the date stamp for when the tag was printed
In the bottom right corner of most Costco pricing signs, you'll spot a numeric date in tiny print (like, seriously, bring your magnifying glass). Some on social media suggest that if the date is, say, a few weeks ago, the item may be due for a markdown. That's not always the case, we're told — "This date is simply the time this tag was printed," Sweeney points out. But it stands to reason that products marked with bygone dates are the ones to watch for future discounts.
If you're not a Costco member, right now is a prime time to join. If you spend $60 on a Costco Gold Membership at Stack Social — the normal price for a yearly membership — you'll get a $40 Costco shopping card. With that $40 back in your wallet, you're scoring a year's membership for essentially $20, making this one of the best Costco membership deals we've ever seen.
Costco|stacksocial.com
Now that you're up on the Costco code, keep an eye out for those Death Stars and sad sevens next time you're at the warehouse!
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