Costco Superfans Share Their Favorite Discontinued Products

Shopping at Costco is full of highs and lows. One moment you’re devouring a twisted churro, and the next you find out the combo pizza has been discontinued. Costco shoppers on Reddit know the feeling. The superfans recently commiserated together after sharing their favorite discontinued products in two popular threads. These shoppers were “sad,” even “devastated,” by these departures, so we decided to pay homage to their favorite dearly departed items. Did we miss your favorite discontinued product? Let us know in the comments.

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A year after shuttering its in-store photo kiosks, Costco announced the closure of its online photo center, marking the end of an era of cheap, high-quality images backed by the retailer's excellent customer service. Since then, Costco has partnered with Shutterfly, which offers club members a 51% discount and free shipping on orders priced over $49. 

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Discontinued in 2013, this hand-dipped and made-to-order vanilla ice cream bar was coated in a crunchy layer of hardened chocolate and almonds. And at just $1.50, they were a steal. “I would pay $4.99 if they brought those back,” a Redditor commented.

Related: The 25 Best Finds at Costco

Costco’s Polish sausage was another food court favorite that the wholesaler discontinued. “In order to simplify our menu and make room for healthier options, we have decided to offer only the all-beef Hot Dog. Sales show this is what the majority of members prefer,” Costco’s website reads. We don’t have access to sales data, but Redditors sure miss the sausage. “I would kill to burp that taste all day again,” one Redditor wrote.

Related: 26 Prepared Meals at Costco to Feed Your Family

Costco shoppers missed this food court sandwich so much that home chefs have made copycat recipes. A Redditor recommended this version, which involves slathering two Costco torta rolls with pesto and mayonnaise before packing them with turkey, cheese, onion, and tomato.

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We’re not sure what’s “all-American” about this cake, but Redditors say it was a favorite thanks to its fudgy frosting, layered deliciousness, and low price. “That was the best cake I've ever had,” a Redditor wrote, bookending their comment with a crying emoji.

With plenty of unhealthy options like pizza and hot dogs, it’s too bad Costco axed this food court favorite. “I worked across the parking lot from a Costco and I made that my lunch on a lot of days,” one disappointed shopper commented.

Like a Biergarten, Costco’s sold massive pretzels alongside its famous hot dogs and pizza. One Redditor who used to buy them says they were “devastated” when the pretzels were discontinued.

Costco shoppers are passionate about pizza. After the store did away with the food court’s combo pizza, someone even launched a Change.org petition to bring it back, arguing that the pizza “ignites a party of tremendous flavor in the mouths of millions of Costco membership holders.” More than 12,000 have signed so far.

While Costco still offers Kirkland dress shirts online, shoppers claim that they aren’t the same. “I only have one and wish I'd bought a dozen of them when they were in the warehouse forever,”  a Redditor wrote.

This bakery favorite was packed with “giant cloves of roasted garlic,” according to one Costco shopper. “I still dream about that garlic bread,” someone added.

While some Costco shoppers claimed that these are still in stock at their stores, many complained that they haven’t seen this snack favorite in ages. “For a while I was buying 3 or 4 bags at a time in case they stopped carrying them. Those ran out a long time ago …” a Redditor wrote.

Writing for Insider, Hollis Johnson called the now-discontinued barbecue brisket sandwich "the best thing at Costco, period." And superfans are inclined to agree. Mountains of juicy beef and a mound of creamy coleslaw nestled between two fluffy buns ... who wouldn't want this thing back?

If you want a Costco superfan to wax poetic, ask them about bagel dogs. On Change.org, members are still petitioning for their return 14 years after their departure in 2009. And they sure are passionate. "Those delicious frozen hot dogs wrapped in a warm breakfast pastry were the pinnacle of childhood innocence, symbolic of a simpler time," the petition reads.

Although Costco still carries wrapping paper, the wholesale retailer has switched from ginormous 366-square-foot rolls of high-gloss goodness to a pricier three pack. One member says that the bulk wrapping paper was "the MAIN reason" they got a membership. "I used the last of mine this Christmas, and I took a few moments of silence as I wrapped that last gift," they wrote.