Costco Shoppers Slam "Awful" Store-Brand Foods: "Couldn't Finish It"
Avery Gonzales
Updated on February 22, 2026
Costco shoppers are seriously devoted to the wholesale retailer's food. The rotisserie chicken is a weekly staple in some households, while the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo at its food courts has gained so much fame that executives refuse to raise its price. But everything can't be a winner, and Costco's customers are also not afraid to share their complaints. Recent Reddit threads make it clear that many people aren't happy with certain store-brand products, as they're calling them "awful" and claiming that they "couldn't finish" some. Read on to learn which foods you may want to think twice about purchasing.
RELATED: Costco Shoppers Are Abandoning These Kirkland Products: "Gone Downhill."
1 Pad thai
Snapdragon is a brand exclusive to Costco, but some shoppers aren't sold on its food. On Feb. 25, Reddit user @spacekitten2121 posted a review about Snapdragon's Pad Thai with a simple message: "Don't do it."
"We live in the middle of no where with no Thai restaurants for 50 miles at least. I was craving Pad Thai and grabbed this at Costco. I knew it wouldn't be amazing but it was really not good," they wrote. "Even if you are tempted, don't do it."
The comment section of this Reddit thread proved that they are not alone in their opinion. "We couldn't finish it. It tasted way too fishy," one user responded. Another replied, "We had to throw it away. It was awful."
2 Cinnamon rolls
Kirkland Signature is the most well-known Costco store brand but the retailer's shoppers seem to be at serious odds with some of its foods. In a Jan. 27 Reddit thread, one user posed the following question to others: "What is the worst Kirkland Signature product in your opinion?"
The answer for many is its cinnamon rolls, according to a comment that received over 450 upvotes. "The bakery cinnamon rolls are dry as hell," user @NinjaMcGee wrote. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, they make me feel like an anaconda choking down a beach towel. No thanks."
"Whoever said they were a dupe of Cinnabon has never had Cinnabon," someone else added. "I've tried them twice, and they're straight almond extract mixed with cream cheese frosting."
RELATED: Shopper Claims Costco Food Made Her "Violently Ill" Amid Listeria Outbreak.
3 Caesar salad
A month prior, Reddit user @dysenterygary69 asked a similar question in a Dec. 12 thread: "What are some Kirkland Signature items that are just not good?"
For them, the answer is Costco's store-brand Caesar salad. The initial Reddit poster explained that they think there is "WAY too much lettuce" and that the "ingredients are basic and not flavorful." They also said there was no "spice packet" mixture of herbs like what comes in the bagged version and that the dressing for this store-brand version was "just plain bad."
A commenter agreed that the Caesar salad is not worth it: "The caesar salad used to be my favourite thing from Costco, but I've found it seems to have changed over the last year and doesn't taste as fresh/good anymore… the quality of the lettuce can be hit/miss, the cheese doesn't seem to be fresh and gets wet/soggy from the lettuce, and the dressing also seems to be less tasty."
4 Chicken salad
It's not just the Caesar salad that is garnering criticism from Costco shoppers, however. In the comment section of @dysenterygary69's Reddit thread, one user noted that they were "surprised nobody said chicken salad yet."
"Maybe I'm crazy but I remember it being addictive," they wrote. "Nowadays it tastes like somebody walked by and knocked a salt shaker into it. No flavor except straight salt."
Other consumers also claim that the Kirkland Signature chicken salad has changed for the worse. "Now it seems like they just add a cup of oil to the recipe," another replied. "Used to love it, no more."
RELATED: 6 Kirkland Products Costco Shoppers Hate: "Offensively Bad."
5 Animal crackers
Kirkland's animal crackers are also a point of contention for Costco's customers. A March 13 Reddit post sharing that the product was back in New York stores turned into a debate when one user commented, "Am I the only one who thinks these are not good?"
Spoiler alert: They're not. "They're tasteless and crispy," another person responded. "Can't enjoy the flavor or taste."
Some called the animal crackers "bland," while others said that even their children don't like them. "They're awful with a weird spice taste," another user added.
Kali Coleman Kali Coleman is a Senior Editor at Best Life. Her primary focus is covering news, where she often keeps readers informed on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and up-to-date on the latest retail closures.Read moreFiled UnderFood • News • Retail • ShoppingRead This Next6 Kirkland Products Costco Shoppers Hate
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