Costco Eggs: Is A Membership Worth It Just For This Item?
Costco eggs are typically cheaper per dozen than the standard grocery store.
QUICK SUMMARY
With rising prices really everywhere, especially at the grocery store over the last couple of years, customers and shoppers are rightfully consistently on the hunt for the best deals. Costco has plenty of options at their stores, like party trays, and even offers EBT services. But when it comes to some of the staples, that conversation heightens even more because these are the items that end up in carts more times than not. It’s led to folks wondering if Costco eggs are the best deal around and if the membership warrants a trip just to get their hands on these things.
With Costco eggs, there have been some supply concerns in the past and the price has definitely fluctuated as well. But as you’ll see, Costco eggs are a good deal at the retailer.
Let’s take a look at Costco eggs and whether they are worth it for the membership involved.
COSTCO EGGS ARE KIRKLAND BRAND
Like other food options at the retailer, Costco eggs come from the Kirkland brand. The stores sell eggs in two dozen holders, going well beyond the one dozen we typically find at the standard grocery store.
Kirkland Signature eggs are said to come from Wilcox farms. In terms of quality, this brand has been established as able to compete with many other big-name outfits, so there’s no perceived drop-off in purchasing eggs from Costco.
COSTCO EGGS ARE, ON AVERAGE, CHEAPER THAN GROCERY STORES
Again, when we are shopping these days, most things come down to price and whether the deal is worth it for a trip to the store. And know that prices are always fluctuating based on a variety of different factors. When it comes to Costco eggs, there are deals to be had by shopping at the bulk retailer.
As of this writing, according to aggregated price sourcing for Costco eggs, a package of two dozen cage-free eggs will cost $6.49, averaging to $3.25 per dozen. The reason the latter is important is because that’s the cost comparison for a typical grocery store trip.
According to the USDA in March 2023, the average price of a dozen large, cage-free eggs was $4.02, meaning Costco eggs come at a relative savings. This would represent somewhere in the range of a 20 percent savings (store dependent).
A Costco membership is $60 per year per family. Just buying eggs at Costco wouldn’t make the membership at the retailer “worth it” just on that item alone (unless you bought about 80 dozen eggs), but the savings aren’t immaterial in the long term.
There is also a five-dozen option for Costco eggs. This will run customers $15.99 which comes out to right about $3.20 per dozen. It’s an extra five cents savings per dozen eggs, but if you are taking more of these in on a daily or weekly basis, then this makes for an even bulkier option.
COSTCO ALSO SELLS ORGANIC KIRKLAND EGGS
Kirkland offers organic eggs at Costco, too. These are more expensive than the cage-free option but still represent a savings compared to other brick-and-mortar grocery stores. Costco organic eggs are currently running at $7.59 per two dozen which works out to about $3.80 per dozen.
For comparison, at Walmart right now there are a dozen organic eggs being offered at $4.17 per dozen and $6.16 for an 18-count. While Walmart clearly isn’t the end-all-be-all in terms of price comparison, it is a good litmus test to see where Costco members might be getting savings on certain items.
From this perspective, the store’s options do appear to be cheaper as well.
COSTCO EGGS TYPICALLY LAST FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS IN THE FRIDGE
When eggs come refrigerated, it is important that they stay that way in order to maintain freshness and also to keep them from going bad. That is the case with Costco eggs as well and because a customer is buying in bulk from these locations, preservation time is even more important when it comes to ensuring a good buying experience.
They can last about a month when refrigerated, which is something to take into mind when buying them in two or five dozen containers. Will your brood be eating enough eggs to justify the savings on the larger quantity of eggs? If they end up being thrown out then there is obviously a reduction in the “savings.”
THEY DID FACE SOME EGG SHORTAGES
Some viral videos emerged in February 2023 that showed problems customers were having with getting their hands on two dozen packages at the retailer. A reported bird flu outbreak is said to be at the heart of a production slowdown that caused egg shortages at multiple locations. And of course, because this is a new world, the problem went viral on Tiktok.
There were reported dustups among Costco shoppers trying to get their eggs purchased. Higher prices and lower inventory can sometimes do that to people. And it wasn’t just this video that highlighted the problem. Plenty of other instances of issues made their way onto the internet, with customers increasingly frustrated about the Costco egg shortage.
In all, getting this item at Costco does seem worth the trip. It isn’t always the case with the retailer, but there are plenty of deals to be had.
