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Use this simple trick to fill your kitchen with limited-time favorites before they're gone.
With aisles that boast home decor, grills, jackets, wine, giant jars of peanut butter, entire pallets of ramen, and even computers, it seems like there isn’t much you can’t buy at Costco. But despite the fact that the bulk retailer’s warehouses average around 146,000 square feet, each Costco location usually has only about 4,000 unique products on its shelves at any given time.
That may sound like a lot, but a typical grocery store carries more than 10,000 SKUs. By offering a smaller selection, Costco can stock larger quantities of the items it does sell while regularly rotating in new and limited-time products. So if you've ever fallen in love with a bakery treat or snack only to find it gone on your next trip, now you know why.
Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to tell if a Costco item may not be around for long. If you spot any of these signs, it might be a good idea to stock up before your new favorite disappears from the shelves.
Related: These 8 July Costco Finds Are Already Flying Off Shelves
Costco's limited inventory and constantly rotating selection are part of what gives the warehouse its treasure-hunt appeal. So when you stumble across a product you love, take a quick look at the shelf tag. If the large white price sign has a small asterisk in the upper-right corner, you've spotted what's known as Costco's "star of death."
This is Costco’s way of telling customers that the product won’t be restocked right away. Seasonal favorites, such as the store’s hefty pumpkin pie, will have an asterisk added to their price tags toward the end of their annual run, but other items that get the “star of death” will disappear from the retailer forever.
For example, Costco shoppers on Reddit recently reported that the store’s popular ground bison has an asterisk on its price tag, and store supervisors have confirmed it’s being discontinued. Reporter and content creator Jeff Rosen recently noted that Carbone’s Spicy Vodka Sauce now has the star of death at Costco, but this isn’t a product that’s historically been stocked year-round. So if it’s already disappeared from your store, don’t despair; the spicy sauce will probably be back.
Related: The 8 Best Breakfast Pastries at Costco — From Danishes to Decadent Croissants
The numbers on Costco price tags can also give you hints about product availability, although the information they provide is less concrete. Foods and beverages with a price that ends in .99 are being sold at full price, indicating there is plenty of inventory left, and they are unlikely to disappear soon.
Price tags ending in .97, .00, or .88 are a different story. Those numbers typically mean an item has been marked down by a manager. While they don't necessarily mean a product is about to disappear, they can signal a clearance item or low inventory. If you spot one on a longtime favorite, it may be worth asking an employee if it's coming back — or stocking up while you still can.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
