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Costco workers reveal 6 things they'd never buy from the store

Costco products are known for their reasonable prices and bulk sizes — but there are some employees say they choose to avoid. Their reasons for skipping over certain items ranged from personal taste to issues with the large sizes and quantities.

  • Business Insider reached out to Costco employees to find out what items they would never buy at the store.
  • Most workers cited the chain's bulk sizes as the reason they'd skip over certain products — especially perishables.

Costco products are known primarily for their bulk sizes.

The retail chain is also famous for selling just about everything, from giant teddy bears to enough pizza slices to qualify as the 14th largest pizza chain in the US. There are always a few surprises thrown in with the staples, too.

But Costco employees themselves know firsthand which deals are worth it — and which are best to skip.

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That's why Business Insider spoke with 46 Costco employees to learn what products they never buy at the store. One of the most popular answers was the store's produce — due to its bulk quantities. But many told Business Insider that they buy everything at Costco.

Here's a look at which products other employees tend to skip:

Produce

A number of employees told Business Insider that the bulk-sized produce orders at Costco didn't fit in with their household and lifestyle.

"While our produce department is one of the best in the business, I personally don't eat veggies fast enough to buy in bulk, so two thirds of it will spoil before I eat it," a Minnesota-based Costco worker told Business Insider.

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A Costco manager that's worked all around the US said that buying produce was a "waste of money" for them, as they couldn't "eat the huge quantity fast enough."

Three additional employees from Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii agreed that they steered clear of buying produce from Costco for the same reason.

A California-based Costco employee said the large packages of meat were "too much for my household."

An employee from Florida added that Costco has to work hard to keep its fruits and vegetables fresh within the store, noting that quality control is hard but essential when dealing with such large quantities.

But not all of the Costco employees who Business Insider spoke with agreed. Three employees from Iowa, Arizona, and Minnesota, as well as one employee who just said they'd worked there "too long," said that they considered produce to be the best deal in the store.

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"We get first pick before any other grocery store," an employee from Arizona told Business Insider.

Bakery products

A Costco worker from Iowa said that the "packaging is just too big" on the store's bakery items.

Another employee based in Pennsylvania added that they "don't have the necessary storage space" for the store's baked goods.

The gallon-sized mayonnaise jars

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For one Costco employee from Minnesota, there's such a thing as too much mayonnaise.

Any food they haven't tried before

A Costco employee from Illinois told Business Insider that they avoided selecting brand new items at the store.

The reason?

"Because then I'd have a six month supply," the employee told Business Insider.

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Books and DVDs

One Ontario-based Costco employee said they found the store's books, gaming-related items, and DVDs "expensive."

Nothing

A total of eight Costco employees didn't have an answer for Business Insider. They all said that they buy everything at the store.

"Honestly there is nothing I wouldn't buy if I wanted it," a Washington-based employee said.

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A Costco employee in California said they have bought items from all of the store's departments.

"I can honestly say I can't think of anything I wouldn't buy," a Costco employee in Ohio told Business Insider. "Some items are out of my price range. But if I had disposable income I would buy everything from Costco."

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