11 Surprising Things You Can Get at Costco

What can’t you get at Costco?

Costco is kind of a one-stop shop. While some aren’t keen on the idea of buying their clothes at the same place they do their grocery shopping, few stores have the amount of variety as Costco. Where else can you purchase a two-carat diamond and three pounds of garlic all in one place?

Groceries make up the bulk of the warehouse’s sales (pun intended), but Costco has more to offer than its famous $5 rotisserie chicken and $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. You can load up on your snacks and paper products while getting new tires, scheduling an eye exam, and filling a prescription—all in the same visit. What’s more, you can even book your travel plans through Costco.

By now, many shoppers are aware of Costco’s breadth of inventory and services, but there are still a few lesser known gems. Here are some surprising Costco finds to make your annual membership cost that much more worth it.

Related: Costco Is Putting a Stop to Membership Sharing—Here's What You Need to Know

Caviar

There are two main reasons to shop at Costco—to save money and to buy in bulk. You might not think of Costco as a seller of luxurious or gourmet goods, but think again. In addition to fine jewelry and luxe vacation packages, Costco is home to an entire gourmet food section, complete with tins of caviar (aka fish eggs). Be prepared to spend at least $100 on a couple ounces of caviar, but if you love the stuff, you can also buy pounds of it in true Costco fashion.

Bottled Water Delivery

The best part about grocery shopping at Costco? The free samples. The word part? Lugging those heavy cases of bottled water to the kitchen when you get home. Fortunately, Costco has a handy solution. The warehouse will deliver your bottled water to you through its water delivery services. Choose from purified or spring water in 5-gallon bottles at a time. You can also rent hot or cold water dispensers since those large jugs aren’t exactly easy to pour from. And if alkaline water is your thing, they have that too.

Holiday Meal Kits

When the holidays are near, Costco gets in gear. The warehouse always has prepared meals, but the holiday spreads are next level. The Thanksgiving meal kit, for example, has everything you need to feed a family of eight for $200. It includes five pounds of turkey, seven side dishes, and two desserts. The best part is that Costco will deliver the festive meal to your door, so you don’t have to brave the busy lines. Costco typically sells other holiday-specific food packages throughout the year, including ones for Christmas, Easter, July 4th, and more.

Kitchen Appliances

Home improvements can be costly, so it’s a good idea to check Costco before making big purchases because chances are the warehouse might have what you need—and on the cheap. The small kitchen appliance aisle at Costco is a fun one to peruse, but did you know that Costco also sells large household appliances? It’s not just ovens and refrigerators, either. Costco has sinks, garbage disposals, range hoods, and even wine cellars.

Japanese Wagyu Beef

Costco is known for merging quality with affordability, and that even applies to its more luxurious products. If you enjoy the finer things in life, Costco has a few treats for you, including a variety of Japanese wagyu steaks, roasts, and burgers. The pricey meat is of the highest quality (A5 grade) and imported from Japan. It’ll run you over $100 for a few pounds, but Costco frequently has deals to help you save money. Plus, you’d spend more if you bought them anywhere else considering wagyu beef can easily cost around $200 per pound. 

Related: How to Cook Ground Beef So It’s Never Dry and Flavorless

Mini Greenhouse

You can buy a full-size greenhouse from Costco, but if you don’t have the space, the mini version will do the trick. The mini greenhouse protects your fruits, vegetables, and herbs from birds and insects, while also retaining warmth so your plants don’t freeze over in the winter. It’s priced under $350, which includes shipping. It’s easy to assemble (and disassemble), and it’s every gardener’s dream.

Food Composters

Sustainability is a hot topic in the United States. While shopping at Costco can create a lot of waste from excess packaging, the warehouse has a few products to help you lower your carbon footprint. Food recyclers and composters are among them. Choose from countertop appliances that transform your food scraps into high-quality fertilizer, or outdoor bins that break down your food to make compost.

Indoor Pizza Oven

Outdoor pizza ovens don’t come cheap, and though Costco sells those too, the electric indoor models are a better value. For around $400, you can have restaurant-quality pizza whenever you want. Pull this out at parties to impress your guests, or use it to make a regular weeknight dinner that much more exciting. While electric pizza ovens don’t have the wood burning factor, they reach temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, so they’re not like your regular oven.

Large Cheese Wheels

Who needs 72 pounds of authentic Italian cheese? We do, apparently. Costco sells giant Parmesan cheese wheels for nearly $950. Imported from Italy, this cheese is the real deal. It’s aged for at least two years, and complies with super strict Italian standards. Other retailers sell a similar cheese wheel for nearly $3,000, so this is a grate deal.

Emergency Meal Kits

You don’t have to be a doomsday prepper to be prepared. There’s nothing wrong with keeping emergency items in your garage or shed just in case. You’ll need things like flashlights, batteries, water bottles, and back-up generators, which can all be found at Costco. And you know what else Costco stocks? Emergency food kits—the kind that you just need to add water to. Many of them contain dozens of servings, and last on the shelf for more than 10 years. Even if emergency prepping isn’t on your radar, these food pouches come in handy for camping, hiking, and large events.

Related: 9 Bug-Out Bag Essentials to Prepare You for Any Emergency

Aged Ham Leg

When it comes to holiday feasts, you’d expect to find turkey and ham roasts at Costco. You might not expect to find an entire ham leg, however, but here we are. This one-of-a-kind item is a special kind of ham. It’s called Iberico Bellota Ham, and it’s known for being the finest ham variety in the world. Costco’s version weighs just over 15 pounds, and includes a stand for presentation and a knife for carving. Something like this will cost you over $900 anywhere else, so you’ll save at least $300 by getting your fancy ham at Costco.

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