Like a large majority of the world, I love shopping at wholesale stores. Standard stores just can’t compete with Costco Wholesale’s price points, but did you know there is a way to save even more money? The answer to keeping more money in your wallet lies within the details found on the Costco price tag.
Easy Cheat Sheet:
$0.97 – Clearance Item
$0.88 or $0.00 – Manager Markdown
$0.49, $0.59, $0.69, $0.79, $0.89 – Manufacturer Discount
$0.XX* – Item is going to be discontinued
Items ending in $0.88 or $0.00 are typically marked down by a Manager
These items could be marked down to a stellar price for a number of reasons. Make sure that before you rush to get it in your cart you make sure that there isn’t a reason that it has been marked down, such as a missing or broken piece.
Items ending in $0.97 have been marked down from the original price
Unlike typical retailer stores, Costco will not have BIG sale signs indicating that a product is on clearance. Instead, the secret Costco price code for clearance is a price ending in $0.97. A further indication that the product may be marked down more in the future, is if the date on the signage is from several weeks ago.
Items ending in odd pricing ($0.49,$0.59, etc.)
It is said that these items are due to Costco receiving a special discounted price from the manufacturer.
Items with an asterisk* in the upper corner will be discontinued
The beauty and the beast of shopping at wholesale stores is the reality that new products are always coming in, which means other products are always disappearing. Take notice of the asterisk* to be aware when one of your favorite products might be gone during your next visit. This doesn’t always indicate a price slash, but this secret code still serves a lot of value to frequent Costco shoppers.
These secret price codes also apply to the Liquor Store too! Often times after the Christmas season there will be awesome markdowns on both alcohol and food gift sets.