Multiple shoppers clocked the ultra-low price of potatoes at this Fremont Costco location on November 28, 2023. One user posted their findings to TikTok, reporting the $1 bag of potatoes, as well as a $3 bag of oranges and a $2 bag of apples. A commenter replied, “My trust issues [are] telling me to not buy them.”
Others agree that this pricing is somewhat suspicious, even for Costco. On Reddit, one user responded to the discovery: “They didn’t sell enough for Thanksgiving and are now trying to unload their excess potatoes so they don’t lose too much money.”
There may be some merit to the theory that Costco hopes to unload its produce before it goes bad. In anticipation of Thanksgiving week, many grocery stores bulk up on items they expect to sell to celebrating customers. With reports that there would be a record number of people shopping for Thanksgiving dinners, it makes sense that Costco would have boosted its inventory. As the holiday wraps up, many of the remaining foods are reaching the end of their shelf life. Hoping to make the most of this deal, excited potato lovers shared ways to elongate the life of these root vegetables, such as boiling and freezing them until needed, making bulk mashed potatoes to save for future dinners, and even donating a majority of the potatoes to a food bank for immediate use. One user in the r/Costco forum shared, “I would start making homebrew vodka at those prices.”