9 Overpriced Kirkland Products Not Worth Your Money Or Time

Costco's in-house brand, Kirkland Signature, can help you unlock the true value of your membership with lower prices on popular bulk items. But how are you supposed to know which ones are good?

Let's be honest: not every product is a winner. Luckily, we scoured Reddit to find out which overpriced Kirkland products just aren't worth your hard-earned money.

Kirkland Signature now generates roughly $90 billion a year, about a quarter to a third of Costco's total sales, spanning categories from groceries and cleaning supplies to electronics and clothing. 

Costco has built the label's reputation on matching or beating name-brand quality at a lower price, which explains why shoppers trust it as much as they do. Still, with hundreds of products carrying the name, quality can vary widely from one item to the next, and not every Kirkland Signature swap is a smart one.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $10.10

There are a lot of great Kirkland Signature products that help you stretch your grocery budget. However, some products received a lot of hate online, and the Kirkland Signature Caesar Salad is one of them. People say the greens in the salad are often wet or soggy in texture, or the consistency of the chicken is off.

One user on Reddit complains: "Way too much lettuce, ingredients are basic and not flavorful. No spice packet. And the dressing is just plain bad. Don't think I'll get another one."

The kit typically weighs around 2.3 pounds and comes with chopped romaine, croutons, shredded parmesan, two packets of Caesar dressing, and lemon wedges to squeeze over the top before serving. It's sold in the prepared foods section and generally serves three to four people as a side dish. 

Because the dressing tends to wilt the lettuce quickly, it's best tossed and eaten the same day rather than stored as leftovers.

Price: $9.99

Kirkland's signature blue dish soap is another skip. Customers say the formula is way more runny than other soaps, and doesn't seem to cleanse well.

"We threw out the giant jug of Kirkland brand dish soap - it didn't seem to cut grease at all. If you are already using Dawn, you will probably struggle to find options with similar cleaning power - I tried about half a dozen before going back," said one frustrated Reddit user.

The bottle holds 90 fluid ounces and is marketed with a no-phosphate, 4x grease-cutting formula plus odor-eliminating technology in a fresh scent. Despite those claims, it doesn't carry the same reputation among shoppers as Costco's Dawn Ultra, which many reviewers say cuts through grease more reliably per squirt.

Price: $23.49

Kirkland detergent pacs are not the internet's favorite way to clean clothes. They even argue that these pods leave a detectable film on clothing, which kind of defeats the point of any savings.

"When I went to grab one for my next load of laundry, I noticed some sliminess and saw one had started leaking, which then had turned into clumps of pods being half empty, and the bottom of the bag filled with loose detergent," shares one Redditor.

Each package holds 152 pre-measured pacs, about 127 ounces total, built around what Kirkland calls Catch & Release Technology, designed to isolate dirt and stains so they don't redeposit onto clothes. 

The pacs are meant to dissolve fully in any water temperature and work in standard and HE machines alike, though the complaints about leaking and film suggest the packaging doesn't always hold up as well as the formula's marketing promises.

Price: $16.99

Kirkland brand batteries have a bad track record. One Redditor said, "So these batteries honestly are dangerous. These specific ones have been in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment, are completely unused, and just decided to pop on their own. I am never buying these again."

If you're stockpiling batteries, it may be better to go for the brand name instead.

Costco's own CEO has confirmed that Duracell manufactures the Kirkland Signature AA and AAA batteries, which come in 48-count packs and typically run 25 to 35 percent cheaper per battery than Duracell's own Coppertop line sold at the same warehouses. 

Both are rated 1.5 volts with a 12-year shelf life, and independent tests have found their performance nearly identical, with leaking cited as the most common complaint for each. Kirkland Signature only makes AA and AAA sizes, so shoppers needing C, D, or 9V batteries have to buy Duracell instead.

Price: $26.49

The brand's signature protein bars are a definite no-go. The dense texture and chalkiness make them a chore to eat.

"The Kirkland protein bars suck so much its unbelievable. The taste is gross, the texture is nasty, the smell is unappealing; make sure to avoid these," admits one Redditor.

The line comes in a 20-count variety box mixing flavors like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk and Cookies and Cream, each packing 21 to 22 grams of protein per bar. 

Reviewers consistently single out Cookies and Cream as the weakest of the bunch, pointing to its stevia sweetener as the likely source of a sour aftertaste, along with a dense, gritty texture that keeps the cookie bits from standing out. 

It's become one of the more frequently returned items in the lineup, even as fans still praise the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk flavors for offering solid value on protein per dollar.

Price: $16.05

Kirkland used to be known for crafting an incredibly tasty, high-quality, grab-and-go chicken salad, but not anymore.

A customer ranted on Reddit: "I also love chicken salad, and I'll never buy it again. It is the blandest thing I've ever eaten. Spent several days trying to figure out how to jazz it up on my sandwiches, and nothing ever worked. Don't disappoint yourself."

The tub combines shredded chicken, mayonnaise, celery, onion and seasoning, sold by weight in the deli section for around $16. 

Some shoppers find the flavor too mild to eat on its own and recommend doctoring it up with grapes, chopped almonds, extra celery or crumbled bacon for more texture and sweetness. Others say the mildness actually works in its favor for kids or picky eaters who prefer a plain, straightforward chicken salad without a lot of extra seasoning.

Price: $11.99

Kirkland's house conditioner used to be a highly praised, underrated internet darling in the beauty world. In recent years, the formula has been switched up, and not for the good.

The newer product is drying, has zero slip, and has made some consumers' hair feel heavier post-shower, making this new version one to pass on.

The conditioner comes in a 33.8-fluid-ounce bottle for around $12 and is marketed under a Nourish + Hydrate formula that's free of sulfates, parabens, phosphates and dyes and is safe for color-treated hair. 

Longtime fans say an earlier version, once rumored to be made by the salon brand Pureology and relabeled for Costco, had a richer, more moisturizing feel than the current formula. 

The 100% vegan claim and lower price compared with salon-brand alternatives still make it appealing on paper, even as some regular users say the newer formula doesn't live up to the old one.

Price: $19.99

Redditors think the quality of Kirkland tissue is fine. They even like the box designs. They just hate the box's functionality.

"It's narrower, with less sheets, and more cost," complains one user. 

Costco sells Kirkland Signature tissue in a few formats, including a 3-ply upright box with 84 sheets in a 12-pack for about $20, and a 2-ply flat "lodge pack" version with 110 sheets across 30 boxes. 

Both use tissues measuring 8.2 by 8.4 inches. Some shoppers compare the per-sheet cost unfavorably to Costco's Kleenex options, such as the Trusted Care 2-ply tissue that comes in a 10-pack of 230-count boxes, arguing that the larger name-brand boxes deliver more tissue for a similar overall price.

Price: $14.49

According to Costco shoppers on the internet, Kirkland's Signature Bar Soap has never stood up to its competitors.

Says one Redditor, "As for my opinion, I do not like Kirkland's soap bars. They do not smell very good and even turn stinky after a while compared to other soaps I've used. They also leave a lot of soap scum in the shower, and do not feel anywhere as moisturizing as they claim."

The soap comes in a 15-bar pack of 4.5-ounce bars for around $14.49, formulated with 25% moisturizing cream and 5% shea butter along with cocoa butter, and marketed as free of parabens, phthalates and sulfates. 

Despite that formula, some reviewers say the lather leaves behind noticeable soap scum and that the fresh, clean scent doesn't linger the way pricier bar soaps do.

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Most of the time, stocking up at a big box store like Costco can be a smart way to save money. But not all of the time.

Luckily, you don't have to try every Kirkland Signature product to know which ones aren't worth your time or money.

Because Kirkland Signature spans everything from food to cleaning supplies to personal care, it's worth checking recent reviews before committing to a bulk-size purchase, especially for products with a shorter shelf life or a formula that could change without much notice. 

A quick search on Reddit or the Costco product page can save you from bringing home a 15-pack of something you'll end up returning. And if a Kirkland Signature item does disappoint, Costco's return policy means you're rarely stuck with it for good.