Here are 7 things you should never buy at Costco — you’re overpaying if you do, an expert shopper warns

Costco, Schmostco.

The West Coast-based warehouse chain may be one of America’s favorite retailers, but don’t get blinded by the bargains, one expert warns — there are plenty of items you might be better off buying at your run-of-the-mill grocery store.

In an article for Eating Well, food scribe Su-Jit Lin writes that no matter how much you might love your regular trips to the home of the $5 rotisserie chicken — Lin counts herself among Costco’s many fans — it’s important to shop the store smarter than many of us do, simply because Costco is not always the last word in discount shopping.

There are a host of favorite things Lin admits she won’t leave the store without, like a tray of fresh croissants from the bakery, or high-quality staples like the Kirkland brand extra-virgin olive oil, or the Himalayan Sea Salt Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut potato chips, which you can only find at Costco.

However, she warns, don’t lose your head — not all deals are created equal.

Furthermore, if you’re not shopping for a small army, there are many cases where bulk buying just won’t make sense, she said.

Here are the seven items, some of them very popular, you might want to avoid — and why.

Milk

“Picking up a gallon of conventional dairy milk might seem like an easy convenience while you’re there, but a quick comparison shows you can actually shave nearly half a dollar on a gallon of milk by getting it elsewhere,” Lin wrote.

Sandwich Bread

“It can feel like a no-brainer to grab a double-pack of soft sandwich bread at Costco,” she said.

“When you’re paying $5 to $7 for two loaves, it looks like you’re only paying a dollar or so more than buying a single loaf at the grocery store.

“But depending on the type or the brand you choose, you might be overpaying.”

Bagged salad kits

“Bagged salad kits are majorly convenient,” she said.

“But they’re not always cheaper in the family size. Oftentimes, at roughly $7 to $9 for a super-sized kit, it tallies up to be the same price per serving, at the sacrifice of more variety and sometimes, more waste if you can’t finish it in one serving (although some Costco locations are selling more double packs of smaller size bags).

“Dressed salad doesn’t exactly keep well.”

Raw chicken

“There are some meat buys at Costco that are well worth it. The salmon and steak are known for their exceptional quality and, of course, that famous rotisserie chicken,” Lin said.

“But the raw chicken is always a pass for me. While they’re tempting in their neatly vacuum-sealed freezer-friendly bundles, at around $3 a pound for breasts or thighs, I’d rather save a dollar a pound at the supermarket and portion them out in freezer bags myself.”

“I’ve bought large family packs of chicken breasts for as low as $1.79 a pound at major supermarkets, and chicken leg quarters in a bag are often a bargain for as little as 59 cents a pound at major supermarkets and Walmart.”

Herbs and spices

“Dried herbs and spices lose their potency and coloring over time, and unless you cook at a restaurant or some other kind of commercial kitchen, the odds of a home cook finishing one of those enormous tubs of crushed red pepper, granulated garlic, nutmeg or Old Bay seasoning before its flavor dulls are slim to none,” she warned, noting that ground spices are best used within one year.

Canned soup

“There’s nothing more reassuring than having an emergency stock of sick-day soup in your cupboard. It’s a gentle promise that if you catch a sniffle, you don’t have to brave the world outside,” Lin said.

“It can be tempting to stock up at Costco, but you’d actually be better off doing so at your local supermarket when they go on sale.”

“Name-brand condensed soup is typically only a dollar a can on sale and even less when you buy store brands.

“Meanwhile, the unit price is as much as a quarter more each at Costco. For heartier soups, Costco sells eight-packs for a little under $2 a can, but they often go on sale elsewhere at a price of three for $5, sometimes even less.

“And best yet, when shopping at a supermarket, you’re not married to a single flavor.”

Cereal

“When you look at regular prices of popular cereals at grocery stores, it’s easy to get sticker shock and feel that $7 to $14 for two oversized bags of it at Costco might be reasonable.

“But most of the major cereals are made by three brands: General Mills, Kellogg’s and Post, and supermarkets will usually alternate which brand to put on sale.

“These manufacturers also often put out digital coupons, which you can use for added savings,” she wrote.