It would be pretty fair to call grocery shopping a mundane activity. When you need food, you head to the supermarket to stock up on items for your pantry and fridge. And repeat.
Shopping at Costco, on the other hand, can be a lot more enjoyable. And that’s not just because of the incredible prices.
One of the things Costco does really well is keep its inventory fresh and exciting. And Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand allows the company to introduce new products at prices members love.
As retail expert Zel Bianco told RetailWire, “Private label does not need to mean dull and boring all white packaging and products of questionable quality. Quality products like those from Kirkland are just as good as national brands and for the most part less expensive.”
But for new products to hit the shelves at Costco, old ones sometimes need to be pulled. And that can result in a world of disappointment for members.
Your favorite sandwich may not be the same following the discontinuation of this Costco Kirkland product.
Image source: Shutterstock
Costco discontinues popular Kirkland product
It’s not an unusual thing for shoppers to become loyal to certain brands. Or, to put it another way, it’s not uncommon to be picky about the brands you bring home.
If there are certain Kirkland products you buy on a regular basis, you may be inclined to keep doing so not just for the low prices, but also, the specific taste or nuance.
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One much-beloved Kirkland product has long been the Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. Fans say it has a rich flavor with just the right amount of salt.
But over the past few weeks, Costco fans have not been able to find Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter in stores. And an online search doesn’t even bring up a somewhat hopeful “temporarily out of stock” message.
Rather, the website spits back “We were not able to find a match.” That’s basically a death knell.
It’s also a huge disappointment for fans of Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter.
As one Reddit user said, “This is what REAL peanut butter is like, not the processed garbage with added sugars and hydrogenated oils you are used to buying.” So it’s sad to see it going away.
Discontinued products are a risk of shopping at Costco
Yanking products is a fairly common practice at Costco, and there are a few reasons why the company does this.
First, Costco will only sell a product if it feels it can offer it at a great price. And it will only produce a Kirkland version if there’s actual value there compared to the national brand.
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If Costco is unable to source a given product at an affordable price point, it may pull it on a whim. Similarly, if a given ingredient that’s needed for a Kirkland Signature product becomes unavailable, Costco might pause production temporarily, or even on a permanent basis.
Secondly, Costco intentionally tries to limit its inventory to maintain good quality and price control. So when it wants to bring new products in, it needs to phase old ones out.
But that could lead to a world of disappointment for Costco fans given the frequency at which products are discontinued, especially in the context of the Kirkland brand.
Popular Kirkland Signature products that have been discontinued
Some other popular Kirkland products shoppers can no longer find include:
- Kirkland Signature Light Beer, discontinued in 2018
- Kirkland Signature Mango Salsa, discontinued in 2020
- Kirkland Signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, discontinued in 2024
- Kirkland Signature Soy Milk, discontinued in 2025
That said, sometimes Kirkland Signature products are only pulled temporarily.
Earlier this year, the popular Kirkland Signature Sweet Heat snack mix disappeared for a good number of months, only to reappear again.
So there’s hope for Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter fans. And if you want to express your disappointment over its current absence, let Costco know.
You can give feedback online or fill out a card at your local warehouse club store. If enough members speak up, it could be enough to bring this and other missing favorites back into Costco’s lineup.
Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.