There's A Secret Meaning Behind Costco's Prices

Yes, yes, we love Costco. So we were both fascinated and impressed by this Uproxx exploration of the different meanings behind certain Costco price codes. Turns out, something that ends in .99 has a different meaning that something that ends in .97: "We've also all noticed that Costco prices things... oddly. There are items that end in configurations of $x.09 or $x.29 cents or are priced at exactly $x.00 all the time. There's a method to this madness." As straight-up Costco nerds, we find this all tremendously fascinating.

If a price ends in .98 or .99, "That means Costco didn't get a special deal from the supplier... It's not on sale or marked down in any way." But any other price that ends in ".x9"—like .29 or .79—indicates a manufacturer deal, which means that Costco bought these items in bulk, meaning more of a bargain for you.

.97 is Costco's code for manager sale prices to move stock, indicating even more of a discount item. But the real deals are the prices that end in .88 and .00, which are for discontinued or damaged items that won't be replaced. Says Uproxx, "Translation: these are steeply discounted to move out of the store as quickly as possible. If you see something you like, act fast." A sign with a double asterisk in the top right-hand corner indicates something similar.

We are grateful to Uproxx for cracking these retail codes, and now we can't wait to hit the big-box store this weekend. We just hope we have room for more giant packs of paper towels and multi-unit cases of tuna cans.