If you’ve walked through Costco lately and felt like something was missing, you’re not imagining it. The warehouse giant has been quietly pulling some of its most beloved products off shelves, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most painful years yet for loyal members. From food court staples to Kirkland Signature grocery items that people have relied on for years, the hit list is long and growing.
Some of these disappearances are driven by rising commodity prices. Others come down to slow sales or supply chain headaches. A few are just Costco being Costco, rotating inventory the way it always has. But whatever the reason, the result is the same: products you love are vanishing, and most of them aren’t coming back.
Here’s the full rundown of what’s gone, what’s going, and what you can do about it.
Kirkland Signature Chocolate Chips
This one stings. The Kirkland chocolate chips were a baking aisle favorite, and Costco pulled both the red bag (Semi-Sweet) and the blue bag (51% Cacao, dairy-free) due to soaring cocoa prices. A warehouse manager explained the math pretty clearly: to keep the Kirkland quality standard, the price would need to jump to around $16.99 per bag. Nestlé can sell its 72-ounce bag of Toll House chips for $15.48. When the store brand costs more than the name brand, it defeats the entire purpose of Kirkland Signature.
Costco’s plan is to keep them off shelves for at least a year and potentially bring them back if cocoa prices cooperate. But cocoa-growing regions in Africa have been dealing with rough harvests, so don’t hold your breath. Reddit was predictably upset, especially because the Kirkland chips were dairy-free, unlike the Nestlé replacement. One commenter summed it up: “Just my lactose intolerant luck.” The Kirkland chips were manufactured by Blommer Chocolate Company, which had a sustainability program with Costco ensuring fair wages for cocoa farmers. That partnership is now on pause too.
Pepsi at the Food Court
After 13 years, Pepsi is officially out at Costco food courts. The switch back to Coca-Cola was announced at a Costco shareholders meeting and has been rolling out across locations since mid-2025, with most stores completing the transition by early 2026.
Costco originally swapped from Coke to Pepsi back in 2013, reportedly to help keep the $1.50 hot dog combo price intact. That combo price, by the way, has been the same since 1985, and Costco sold over 150 million of them in 2024 alone. The soda fountains now pour Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Powerade, Minute Maid lemonade, and depending on your location, Barq’s Root Beer and Coke Zero. Some customers had actually been complaining for years that the Pepsi fountain ratio was off and everything tasted too syrupy. So this one isn’t universally mourned. But if you’re a Pepsi person, your food court experience just changed permanently.
Kirkland Signature Sport Drink
The Kirkland sport drink was a fan favorite: a 24-pack of 20-ounce bottles in three flavors, sweetened with cane sugar and packed with electrolytes, all for a fraction of what Gatorade costs. A reviewer who ranked it in 2024 said it was “as good as Gatorade” and probably indistinguishable in a blind taste test.
Costco employees confirmed to multiple shoppers throughout summer and fall 2025 that the 24-count cases were no longer being stocked. The product shows as “out of stock” on Costco’s website rather than fully removed, which has given some people hope. One Redditor reported a Costco worker suggesting the drink might return in a different size. There’s also speculation it’s being reformulated. Either way, it’s not on shelves right now, and there’s been no official word on when or if it’s coming back.
Kirkland Signature Sliced Roast Beef
This one has been a slow, painful goodbye. The Kirkland sliced roast beef disappeared from deli cases, and with beef prices continuing to climb, there’s basically no chance it’s coming back in 2026. Shoppers on Reddit have reported paying three to four times what they used to pay at Costco for similar roast beef at other stores. One member found something close at a Costco Business Center, but it wasn’t the Kirkland package.
The food court version was already long gone. That roast beef sandwich debuted at around $9.99 depending on location, a steep price compared to the $1.50 hot dog. It came on an artisan roll with onion relish, lettuce, mayo, mustard, red onions, and roasted cherry tomatoes. It was good, but the price tag was its downfall. The sandwich was gone by 2023, and the deli sliced version followed in 2024.
Kirkland Signature Country French Bread
A quiet loss that hit families hard. The Country French Bread was a two-pack that sold for around $5.99 in 2024 and was a staple for a lot of households, especially ones with picky eaters. Shoppers who asked bakery staff directly were told it’s been discontinued. No explanation from Costco, no replacement announced. It’s just gone.
Churros at the Food Court
Churros have had a rocky history at Costco. The original recipe was pulled during COVID when the food court menu got slashed. A twisted version came back later but disappeared by early 2024, replaced by double chocolate chunk cookies. Most fans agree the original churro recipe was superior to the twisted version, and neither one is available now. There’s some speculation they could return in 2026, but that’s just wishful thinking at this point. The cookies are fine, but they’re not churros.
Kirkland Signature Frozen Ground Sirloin Burgers
The Kirkland frozen ground sirloin burgers came in packs of 1/3-pound patties at an 85/15 lean-to-fat ratio. For people who wanted a leaner option than the standard 80/20 patties, these were the go-to. Availability has been dwindling for months, and while some Costco Business Centers may still carry them, regular warehouse locations are running dry. Costco still carries 18-count Kirkland Ground Beef Patties and 15-count Grass-Fed Patties, both at 80/20, but the leaner sirloin option is effectively gone for most shoppers.
Kirkland Signature Organic Soy Beverage
This one left without any fanfare. The Kirkland organic soy milk quietly disappeared from shelves in early 2025. One shopper who emailed Costco directly was told that slow sales caused the company to discontinue production. Reddit users scrambled to share equivalent replacement brands from other stores, but nothing matched the Kirkland price point. If you were buying it regularly, you were apparently in the minority.
Food Court Smoothies Keep Changing
The food court fruit smoothie, made with strawberry, blackberry, and açaí, was a beloved end-of-trip treat for a lot of members. Before that, there was a berry smoothie with a slightly sweeter mix. Both are gone as of 2025, replaced by a strawberry banana smoothie. There was also a brief appearance of a banana smoothie in early 2025, which was introduced and pulled within weeks, followed by a frozen strawberry lemonade that also disappeared due to problems with the lemonade base. The food court beverage lineup has basically been a revolving door.
How to Tell What’s Getting Cut Next
Here’s the insider trick every Costco member should know. Look at the price tag in the upper right corner. If there’s an asterisk there, Costco loyalists call it the “Death Star” because it means that item is on the chopping block. It doesn’t always mean permanent removal (seasonal items get flagged this way too), but if the item isn’t seasonal, it’s a strong signal to stock up immediately.
It gets worse when that asterisk is paired with a .97 price ending. That combination means the product is being cleared out at a discount on its way to permanent removal. Other price codes worth knowing: .99 means standard Costco pricing.88 indicates a manager-level markdown (sometimes for slightly damaged goods or returns), and .00 signals a sale. You can also visit the customer service counter and ask directly. Employees may be able to tell you if a flagged item is ever coming back and roughly when.
Why Costco Does This
Costco intentionally keeps a limited product selection and rotates inventory to create urgency. It’s the “treasure hunt” model, and it works. The company prioritizes high-demand products and favorable supplier agreements, so if something isn’t selling fast enough, or if the cost of sourcing it gets too high, it’s gone. Carrying the Kirkland name is no guarantee of survival.
The silver lining? Not every disappearance is permanent. When Kirkland Creamy Peanut Butter vanished due to crop shortages, fans were devastated. The replacement, Naturally More Organic Peanut Butter, “wasn’t the same,” according to pretty much everyone. But once the supply chain normalized, the Kirkland version came back to wide celebration. So there is hope for some of these products. Just not all of them.
For now, take a closer look at those price tags next time you’re in the warehouse. If you see that asterisk on something you love, grab extras. You might not get another chance.
