lifestyle
Published October 22, 2023, 8:55 a.m. ET
A Costco shopper took to TikTok to reveal the meaning behind the prices of Costco items.
In a video that has amassed 1.3 million views and counting, Ryan Quinlan, @butthatsmyopinion, explains to the wholesaler’s customers what each listed price supposedly means based on the cent amounts.
“Never miss out on a great deal again,” Quinlan captioned the video.
The secret of the prices lies in the indication of the period, which serves as an identifier for possible discounts.
“I first learned about the rule after noticing patterns in Costco’s pricing,” Quinlan told FOX Business.
“My wife and I like to go to Costco often, and when we finally noticed the little asterisk, I wanted to know what it meant.”
This interest led him to an online forum where users explained prices.
“If you’re at Costco and you either see the star or the prices don’t end at 99 cents, that can be a crazy deal,” Quinlan said.
Prices ending in “.99” are considered full-price or regular-price items.
A TikTok user shared the secret meaning behind Costco’s prices.TikTok/@butthatsmyopinion
Anything ending with “.97” is considered a “Store Manager Deal”.
“It’s exclusive to this store and probably won’t last long,” the TikToker continued.
Prices ending in “.49” and “.79” have the same meaning – a special offer from the manufacturer.
These prices refer to products that go through a test run to see how they sell – and “they’re usually cheaper than the retail price,” Quinlan noted.
Items ending in “.00” are expected to be low in stock. The leadership team is trying to get these items off the shelf.
The mystery behind the asterisk on Costco price tags was also addressed.
Price tags with an asterisk are used to indicate discontinued items whose prices are very low in the hope of selling them quickly.
“They just want it gone, so they usually do some crazy deals with it,” Quinlan added.
According to the video, an asterisk or a price that doesn’t end in .99 could signal a good deal.TikTok/@butthatsmyopinion
Costco shoppers shared their thoughts in the comments section on TikTok.
“I work at Costco. Can confirm. If you purchase an item at full price within 30 days and we still have the item in stock, you can adjust the price,” one user commented.
“I call it the ‘Asterisk of Death’ – RIP my favorite discontinued products,” another TikToker shared.
Quinlan also joined the conversation to reveal another special pricing trick.
“Every time I see the special prices, I check the retail price online,” he noted.
“So I can see what it would cost me at other retailers. For example, if it’s $100 in store but $200 on Amazon and Bestbuy, then I know it’s a great deal.”
Others noted that this breakdown applies to most stores.
“Best Buy does the same thing on the first three points,” one commenter wrote.
After putting this theory to the test, Quinlan wanted to share the news with his thousands of followers on TikTok.
“Just a few Costco trips later, I realized that all the great deals were using the sale price codes and I thought others would like to know since it helped me find great deals,” Quinlan commented.
“While I don’t believe there are any exceptions to the pricing codes used, that doesn’t always mean it’s a must.”
Costco declined to comment on the meaning of its price tags at this time.
Load More…
{{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2023/10/22/costco-shopper-says-he-cracked-secret-to-wholesalers-price-tags/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share