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When you’re new to a certain experience, whether it’s a job, a sport, or a hobby, you can fall into certain traps that you learn to get out of over time. That was the case with my purchases at Costco.
When I was a Costco newbie, I made certain mistakes that I now know to avoid. But one of those mistakes was refusing to buy Kirkland products for basically no good reason. And I’m still angry at myself for giving up the savings I would have enjoyed.
When being stubborn costs you money
The reason I refused to buy Kirkland products as a new Costco member was because I was convinced they would somehow be lower quality. I have since learned how foolish that line of thinking was.
I also surprise myself, because I’ve never been the type of person who focuses on brands. I bought most of my wardrobe on Amazon a while ago. And if you show your latest bag, I can guarantee you that I won’t be able to identify the brand by its logo.
But in the past, I was a little pickier about food than I am today (and I wonder where my kids get it from). I avoided Kirkland food products because I somehow convinced myself that my purchases would taste different.
Then something surprising happened. On a trip to Costco, I decided to keep an open mind and take home some Kirkland products. And lo and behold, I enjoyed every one of them.
Nowadays, I buy Kirkland products at almost every opportunity, whether it’s cheese, chips, or baked goods. And as a result I can spend less on food. Not only that, but some of my favorite foods are of the Kirkland variety, like the muffins we eat at my house every weekend. I’m really not just saying this: they are better than bakery muffins and cost a lot less.
How about a 20% risk-free savings?
You may be hesitant to try Kirkland products because of the same concerns I once had. But choosing them instead of brand-name products could make you spend much less.
As Costco CFO Gary Millerchip said during the company’s most recent earnings call: “We evaluate the potential for new high-quality Kirkland Signature items with a goal of providing at least 20% value versus which we would sell the national brand item.
Basically, if you would normally spend $100 on name-brand products at Costco, choosing the Kirkland version could leave you spending just $80. That’s a very important thing at a time like this, when everything is so expensive.
You should also know that, as a matter of policy, Costco stands behind every Kirkland item it sells. So let’s say you try a certain food product whose taste just doesn’t suit you. You can return the opened product to Costco for a full refund, as long as most of it has not been consumed. Because of this, there really is no risk when trying Kirkland products. (By the way, this is Costco’s general return policy; it is not limited to Kirkland items.)
I wish I had realized in the past that buying Kirkland products at Costco was a smart decision. I can’t go back in time and change things. But you can bet that from this point on, I’ll be sure to keep an open mind when it comes to store brands, whether it’s Costco or another store with a less expensive line of private label products. I highly recommend you do the same, at least at Costco, where you can get your money back if a purchase doesn’t work out.
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