There are so many things to love about Costco, from the savings on bulk purchases to the incredibly affordable and delicious food court.
But as someone who’s been a Costco member for 20 years and counting, I can tell you there’s one major pitfall of shopping there regularly — having to say goodbye to some of your favorite products.
At my typical supermarket, items will get discontinued once in a great while. At Costco, seeing items suddenly disappear off the shelves is pretty common.
Case in point: Back when we were first married, my husband stumbled upon a bag of cheddar and beer-flavored potato chips, and he was hooked. No sooner did that item win a spot in our regular rotation than Costco got rid of it, leaving him seriously bummed.
And it’s not just snack items there are at risk of disappearing.
Sometimes, Costco will discontinue staple items without warning. And when that happens, members risk being left in the lurch.
Costco brings back discontinued member favorite
Last September, Costco members were saddened (and in some cases, outraged) to learn that their beloved Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter was pulled from the store’s shelves.
In the interim, Costco made Naturally More Organic Peanut Butter available to members as a replacement. But it wasn’t the same.
Just as all seemed lost, members started to notice a few months ago that Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter had made its way back to Costco’s shelves, Delish noted. But the rollout was slow.
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While some Costco members saw Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter come back in late 2025, for others, its return was more recent.
But the reaction has been telling. Many Costco members are genuinely thrilled to have their favorite peanut butter back.
“Wife and I were jumping in the aisle,” said one user on Reddit.
“Can’t believe it’s back after being out of stock for months. Love this stuff,” said another.
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Why Costco products sometimes disappear
There are a few reasons why Costco is sometimes forced to pull products from shelves.
In 2025, Costco discontinued its Kirkland Signature Soy Milk due to slow sales, as RetailWire reported. But even if a product is selling well, Costco may have to pause or discontinue it due to supply chain issues.
That’s what happened with Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter.
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As Delish reported, Kirkland peanut butter brand relies on a specific type of peanut that experienced shortages. Once a new crop became available and supply chains got back to normal, Costco was able to bring the item back.
But sometimes, when Costco products disappear, they go away for good. And that’s intentional.
Costco is known for its “treasure hunt” shopping experience. The company intentionally keeps a limited selection of items and rotates inventory frequently. This creates urgency among shoppers while allowing Costco to prioritize high-demand products and favorable supplier agreements.
The good news is that because Costco is so member-oriented, it tends to listen to feedback. If a popular item disappears and enough members protest, that could be enough to sway the company to bring it back, as long as the logistics make sense.
But otherwise, having to say goodbye to Costco products forever is a side effect of maintaining a membership, as my husband learned years ago when his favorite chips went poof.
This also means that if there’s a favorite item of yours that’s becoming harder to find, you may want to stock up on it while you can.
Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.
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