Did you notice lower prices at Costco? According to the company, the warehouse chain famous for bulk buys and $1.50 hot dog deals cut prices for some of its store-brand Kirkland Signature items such as chicken wings and milk chocolate almonds.
That’s good news for Floridians, as Costco expands even further into the state.
The prices dropped during the company’s third quarter, which ended in early June. Costco executives announced the change during a May 29 earnings call.
“Our goal is to be the first to lower prices where we see opportunities to do so,” said Gary Millerchip, Costco’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.
What’s cheaper at Costco?
According to Millerchip, price cuts included:
USA TODAY found that some products listed on Costco’s website did not reflect the lower prices. The website does note that “Warehouse pricing may vary.” USA TODAY contacted Costco on Monday, June 8, for additional information.
Costco plans to open 30 stores a year. Where in Florida
There are at least four new Costco locations in progress around Florida in Pensacola, Perrine, Port St. Lucie, and Sanford. They won’t be the last.
The company said during the call that it plans to open about 26 warehouses during fiscal year 2026, and 30 or more new warehouses annually in the coming years.
The company currently has 931 warehouses, including 34 in Florida, 639 in the United States, 115 in Canada, and 43 in Mexico. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Iran war impact on Costco gas prices, stock
Costco CEO Ron Vachris said during the May 29 earnings call that the ongoing Iran war has had a “significant impact on product supply and gas prices.”
As a result, the company is doing its best to keep gas in stock, he said, adding that Costco’s gas team had multiple daily deliveries to many locations. Some customers came to Costco for the first time to fuel up, he added.
Last year, Costco expanded its gas station hours for all members to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sundays.
Will Costco lower prices after tariff refunds?
Vachris also discussed President Donald Trump’s signature tariffs. The president last year declared a national emergency and announced a 10% tariff on most imports to the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in February that the administration had exceeded its authority under certain federal law, effectively allowing businesses to request refunds for the tariffs paid.
“We started submitting our refund claims for the [fees]” Vachris said. “These submissions will go in over what may be the next few months … We should start receiving refunds on approved claims on a rolling basis over the following two to three months.”
Costco has said the refunds could mean lower prices for consumers, though it wasn’t immediately clear in what form. In a March earnings call, Vachris said the company would return any recovered tariff charges to its members “through lower prices and better values,”
“As we’ve done in the past, when legal challenges have recovered charges passed on in some form to our members, our commitment will be to find the best way to return this value to our members,” Vachris said, though he added the future impacts of tariffs “remain extremely fluid.”
The company is facing a class-action lawsuit that a group of shoppers filed in March, alleging that it passed the costs of illegal tariffs to customers. Costco executives said in March that the company absorbed much of the tariff costs rather than passing the full cost of tariffs to its customers through higher prices.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., Anthony Thompson, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What’s cheaper at Costco now as new Florida stores open
Reporting by Saleen Martin and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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By Saleen Martin and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
