What do you buy for your pantry at Costco?

Organic quinoa and Fage Greek yogurt, but our very favorite is the frozen wild caught Copper River salmon! It's not always available. Before anyone rolls their eyes, I'm from Arizona. It is by far better than any fish available, even Whole Foods. Give it a try!

another thread just reminded me, I buy the Red Star Yeast at Costco all the time. The 2 pound bag lasts quite a long time in the freezer.

Food wise, Sundried tomatoes definatley, Roasted Red peppers, Big bags of frozen berries for my smoothies, Fage Yogurt and boursin cheese, otherwise i shop at Wholefoods for everything else. When it comes to meat, chicken, pork and fish, I only trust Wholefoods. Check out their 5 step program which illustrates unmatched; highest quality standards!!

*Canned corn
*Tomato sauce
*Sea salt
*Marinated artichokes
*Canned black olives

Our Costco also sells good quality nursery shrubs during the planting season. I have purchased several varieties of boxwood which have flourished. I've also bought beautiful hibiscus and mandevilla.The price is phenomenal compared to the typical nursery prices. However, it's best to get them early before they've been indoors too long without the benefit of some real sunshine and tender loving care. Of course, buy your groceries first, and with all the savings you can pick up a shrub!

Made my list and I'm checkin' it twice as we will have our first Costco in Sarasota, FL. sometime this year. Made a list from the Trader Joe's question also, as our first TJ's will be opening in a few weeks.
Never shopped in either store but I'm excited now thanks to all your wonderful tips.

And thanks to a ll for your great tips! Lots of them are going on my list for our next Costco "treasure hunt"!

Artichoke, Parmesan & Garlic Dip -- heat it up 'til it's warm and gooey -- SO good! Also, Seattle Mountain coffee beans roasted in the store (we like the Sumatra) -- very good coffee at less than half the price of retail coffee shops. Unfortunately, not all Costcos have the ginormous coffee roaster that makes this possible. The coffee available at roaster-less Costco stores is inferior.

I LOVE Costco, also fall prey to their "treasure hunt mentality" (and, yes, that is what they call it) and buy just about everything others have recommended. There is one additional item that has become a total STAPLE for my cooking that I haven't seen mentioned: the Kirkland Signature (so Costco's own brand) Organic No-Salt Seasoning. It is truly AMAZING and since I try to cook with less salt, it really really does a nice job as a salt substitute for almost all savory cooking (or as a supplement to a greatly reduced from original amount recipe required bit of salt). When they have them, I also have a special fondness for their garlic/jalapeno stuff olives!

Amysarah, I will be interested to know how you see the difference between the two stores.

And thanks, dinner at sheila's, for the specificity of your list! I do love that Kirkland sweet butter, and like to have some in the freezer.

Costco can't be beat for certain items. The large quantities can sometimes be a deterrent, but sometimes I've split the items with a friend which makes it an even bigger savings. If you have the freezer space many items can be frozen. some of my favorite items to buy there are:

Kirkland Brand whole Telicherry black peppercorns
Kirkland Brand extra virgin olive oil
Bella San Luis sundried tomatoes in olive oil
Kirkland Brand Grade A 100% pure maple syrup
Kirkland Brand jarred hearts of palm
Mayorga (local roaster) whole bean coffee
Canned wild salmon (when available)
Canned Yellowfin Tuna in olive oil
Turbinado Sugar (sugar in the raw)
3# bag walnuts
Quart size half and half
Quart size heavy whipping cream
Philadelphia Cream Cheese (large 3# block great for baking)
Kirkland Brand salted and unsalted butter
Dodoni Greek Feta cheese in brine
Locatelli Brand Pecorino Romano Cheese (when available)
Fresh fingerling potatoes
Meyer lemons (when available)
Lemons
Limes
NY Strip and Rib Eye Steaks
Coleman organic whole chickens
Wild fresh Alaskan Sockeye salmon (when available)
Frozen shrimp,raw, tail-on, and deveined 21-25 per bag and 31-40
Frozen wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Fillets Iindividually wrapped portions)

Amysarah, I am certain others who are more knowledgeable than I am will weigh in on this but my initial thinking is informed by the fact that Sam's Club is a Walmart company, and Walmart tends to cater to an especially broad demographic. Perhaps more boxed and prepared foods? I do know that the Costco stores that carry wine have a broad selection, occasional delights and, according to all the helpful food52-ers here, excellent champagne. I only went to Sam's Club once and found less that I wanted to buy than at Costco.

A little bit of a tangent, but: there's a Sam's Club about 10 minutes away and a Costco about a half hour. Sam's is good for some things (e.g., nuts, cereal, some baking supplies and cheese, olive oil) but from the lists here it seems Costco is better. Has anyone been to both that can compare? Is it worth schlepping to Costco instead?

nuts of all varieties
organic sugar
butter (I freeze it)
half-and-half
whipping cream during caramel-making season
olive oil
canned garbanzos
dry pasta
canned diced tomatoes
dates
vanilla extract
Adam's peanut butter
Parmesan & Pecorino
frozen blueberries

"I go for a few things and end up dazed $300 later, with an armchair and a potted palm."

Thank you, calendargirl, for your perfect description of the Costco shopping experience --- and a good lol giggle!

King Arthur flour
baking powder
granulated sugar
brown sugar
10x
heavy cream
unsalted butter
organic eggs
frozen berries
oatmeal
prunes
olive & veg oil
chocolate morsels
vanilla
dried cranberries
navel oranges
oils
the NINA brand tomatoes are awesome
the Cambozola cheese is rocking our world lately
nuts
the frozen edamame are great

Meat: boneless country ribs or boneless shoulder to make carnitas or pulled pork, and the pork chops are great, the steaks are great, organic chickens, too. I buy a rotisserie chicken every few weeks, until the kids get sick of it. Sadly, the New Zealand lamb is sub-par, smelled and tasted bad - had to throw it out. They were a teeny bit tiffed that I didn't return the product, but I did get my refund. Will never buy lamb there again.

Fish: I've never been completely happy with the fish from Costco, so never buy from there anymore.

I try to avoid the bakery and the frozen packaged goods case.

Canned tomato, organic peanut butter, nuts, olive oil, vanilla (extract, paste), canned tuna, pasta & sauce, dried onion flakes, tabasco

Flour, sugar and butter when I need a lot of them (i.e. for holiday baking)

Meat, veg, eggs, dairy products - whatever in season/looks good, when needed

parchment paper

Granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla beans (around the holidays), unsalted butter, cream cheese, Brie cheese, Feta cheese, organic chickens, heavy cream, onions, garlic, avocados, mangoes, olive oil, Italian red & white wine vinegar. And cat litter. I'm not the only one with a pantry.

cheddar cheese, nuts, avocados, meyer lemons and cara cara oranges in season, chanterelles in season, organic spinach if they have it, big bags of quinoa, smoked salmon, frozen cheese tortellini, wheat tortillas, La Brea bakery wheat bread, paper napkins. Sometimes they have wild Pacific salmon, in season, and sometimes I get the tilapia. I used to get cookbooks there but lately they haven't had many. I haven't been happy with the bananas there and although I used to get strawberries there, I now only buy organic which I've never seen there. Rotisserie chicken. Very, very occasionally I will buy the chocolate muffins which are truly not a breakfast food or in any way good for you but my teens find them delicious for what we call "cake for breakfast." I have a friend who loves the croissants but I am picky and haven't tried them there.

I usually go with a list and go straight for the stuff I need (with a little detour to the book aisle, but overall, my store seems to have cut back its book offerings).

My Costco food list:

cage-free eggs
unsalted butter
dutch-processed cocoa
organic boneless skinless chicken thighs
Parm Reg cheese
chevre
canned sardines
dried apricots
nuts (almond, walnuts, pecans)
avocados
fresh berries
artichokes
lox
prosciutto
Fra' Mani turkey meatloaf (it's the best meatloaf I've ever had)
31/40 frozen shrimp, w/ shell on
aged cheddar
chanterelles (when they have them)
asparagus
French green beans
pork tenderloin
white rice

I generally try to buy staples I use often and wouldn't necessarily make myself (canned/dry beans, tomatoes, pasta, rice) and depending on which Costco you're at they often offer a lot of organic options such as butter, rice milk, coffee, and cereals.

Their store brand extra virgin olive oil is good and highly rated. The parmesan reggiano cheese is a good buy. Protein Bars and Shakes are good. A foodsaver and food saver rolls bags are useful items to have for storing bulk purchases in single packs. I break down the PR cheese and wrap with a paper towel and vac pack--it'll last a year or so in the 'fridge protected that way. The paper towel is vital for PR cheese as it 'weeps' in the bag long term.

The CostCo "kirkland" brand champagne is quite good, according to my guest better than a mid-range veuve clicquot.
The Kirkland Canned Salmon is surprisingly good with big meaty slices of fish; free of spines, bones and eyeballs.

Cinnamon, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, chocolate chips (sometimes), oatmeal, avocados, canned stewed tomatoes, canned garbanzos, peanut butter. And when I need them: dried plums, raisins, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts & almonds. I used to buy frozen blueberries and strawberries, but I no longer have an extra freezer. Now that they carry unsalted butter, I stock up on butter as well--when I have the room!