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The costco wine aisle, with a man shopping for bottles and a shopping cart in the foreground.
Photo: Costco Wholesale

It’s No Secret: We’re Big Fans of Costco

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I love Costco. (And before I go any further, I should note that Costco isn’t paying us to say this. I really do love Costco.) Yes, it can be impossible to find a parking spot, even in the farthest corner of an enormous lot on a Sunday. Yes, the lines of cars queuing up for cheap gas are always insane. But Costco makes it worth your time by curating some of the best things available at prices that make you wonder how the company is making money. (The answer: member fees, mostly.)

What’s amazing is that despite having a pretty small catalog, Costco carries a lot of Wirecutter recommendations. And then there’s Costco’s generous return policy—you can return pretty much anything at any time if you’re dissatisfied (as long as you don’t abuse that policy).

Here’s the list of all the Wirecutter picks we could find at Costco, with notes on which things can be purchased only by members, which electronics are subject to Costco’s 90-day return policy, and which Wirecutter picks are exclusive to Costco.

One thing I’ve learned in working on this topic is that Costco’s website can be finicky—when an item goes out of stock, the URL just goes dead, and when the item comes back in stock, the URL can change. This can make for a frustrating experience, but we’ve done our best to be as accurate as we can, and we encourage you to check your local Costco warehouse for stock.

Some of my favorites:

Plantronics BackBeat Fit 2100 Wireless Headphones
Top pick in The Best Headphones for Running

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 5000 Gum Care Edition
Variant of the runner-up in The Best Electric Toothbrush
Members only
This package of two comes bundled with two chargers, travel cases, and an extra brush head.

Downlite Hotel & Resort Hungarian White Goose Down Comforter, Mediumweight
Budget pick in The Best Comforter
Exclusive to Costco

I also interviewed the duo behind the popular Instagram account Costco Does It Again, which highlights great Costco finds. They shared five secrets for making the most of your next Costco trip. I learned from them that each Costco actually stocks slightly different items and often features local brands. “You go to a city over and you might find more organic products or different products, so if you’ve got a few, don’t stick to your normal Costco, branch out a little bit,” said Laura Wiertzema of Costco Does It Again. Warehouses also often carry locally made brands, including smaller organic labels and local craft beers.

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