12 Produce Items You Shouldn't Buy At Costco, According To Customers On Reddit

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Costco is legendary for a reason. Some Costco foods are better than your homemade favorites, and you can return practically anything at any time if it doesn't suit your needs. However, the warehouse giant isn't known for great produce. The problem with the bulk retailer is that fruits and vegetables aren't meant to be bought in huge quantities by suppliers. If people don't buy them up fast enough, it can lead to mold — and this is a big complaint many customers have. It's not the only issue, though. Other folks have reported underripe or tasteless produce.

We wanted to get to the bottom of the produce items you shouldn't buy at Costco, so we scoured Reddit for customer opinions — more about that below. These are real shoppers who have had bad experiences at the chain, sharing their opinions. Of course, quality can vary between stores and regions, but we noticed some trends across the board that seem unlikely to be coincidences.

Many of these customers are die-hard Costco shoppers. They still go for the cheap prices on other products, but they know which produce items they should leave on the shelf, and we're here to share that information. Here are 12 produce items you should avoid buying at Costco. The store has many great products, so we're not saying you should give up your membership. But maybe hit up a farmers market, as well.

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It's much maligned by kids, but broccoli is a go-to for many. And when it's good, it's good. It's a hugely versatile vegetable that you can use in all kinds of recipes, from soups and salads to casseroles. Even just drizzling it with olive oil and roasting can give you an amazingly tasty dish. But what you shouldn't do is buy your broccoli at Costco.

One customer complained about it lasting just a couple of days before it went off. A head of broccoli should last around five days in the fridge. Anecdotally, I've had broccoli last more than a week, so just two days isn't good enough. Costco should really step up its game there.

Others have noticed a marked reduction in the quality and longevity of Costco broccoli over the last few years, particularly the florets. While packaged florets do have a shorter shelf life, you shouldn't expect it to get shorter over time. It suggests a lack of care about the produce. So, if you're looking to have broccoli for dinner, it's best to pick it up elsewhere than Costco, especially if you aren't intending to use it on the same day.

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For lots of folks, bananas are a staple. They're fruit, so you can feel good about the nutrients you're getting, and they're more calorie-dense and filling than most other fruits, so they keep you going for longer. They're great in everything from smoothies to desserts, so we can see why you'd want to pick up a bunch at Costco. However, this is another item of produce that the warehouse giant can't seem to get right.

It appears there's a strange phenomenon with Costco bananas. Lots of shoppers seem to buy them when they're green, expecting that they'll ripen as normal. But rather than turning into regular ripe, yellow bananas, they go straight from green to brown, cutting out the edible phase and going directly to overripe.

There are some unexpected ways you can use overripe bananas — such as in pancakes and to make frozen desserts — however, it seems the Costco bananas aren't even good for this once they go brown. They turn mushy and are basically unusable. One Redditor reported peeling open a banana that was basically liquid inside, which sounds awful. Others say the bananas they pick up are horribly bruised. This is your sign to skip them on your next Costco trip and buy them elsewhere instead.

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Let's not forget to sing the praises of the humble spud. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, french fries — it's basically a wonder food. You'd think that nobody can mess up potatoes too badly. They don't bruise like soft fruit does, and it takes a long time for them to go off. But, somehow, Costco's potatoes aren't even up to scratch, which doesn't bode well for the rest of its produce.

For some shoppers, it's a matter of them spoiling quickly, whether that means they start growing shoots or they go squidgy and get that awful smell that only rotten potatoes can produce. If you know, you know. It's safe to eat sprouted potatoes, but it's still annoying if your spuds start to sprout within a few days of picking them up.

Costco potatoes can also generally be of low quality. Rather than being flavorful and an asset to your cooking, they're just fine. You can get some decent-tasting russets, for instance, but it's just not something you can count on. So, if you're tired of bland potatoes, you shouldn't be picking them up at Costco. It's frustrating if you have to make a second stop elsewhere, but it's worth it.

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There's nothing quite like fresh, in-season asparagus. The delicate shoots are delicious even just lightly blanched, but also shine in all sorts of recipes from soups and puff pastry tarts to creamy asparagus risotto. This spring vegetable should be a real treat when you get a good bunch, but if you buy it at Costco, it'll probably be a disappointment.

The common issue with asparagus at Costco is that it's often rotten or mushy in the bag. Some customers complain of opening up a bag and having it reek, totally stinking up the kitchen. At the customer service desk, staff have even confirmed that this happens a lot, so it's not just an isolated incident or two.

Asparagus is a fairly delicate vegetable and can be tricky to keep fresh if it isn't handled and stored correctly. The fact that it's sold in bags, rather than loose bunches, might contribute to the issue, since there isn't proper airflow, which can lead to rotting. However, that doesn't mean you should accept the issue. It's Costco's job to package and store its produce correctly, and it doesn't seem like this is happening, given the complaints about stinky, rotten asparagus. It seems this is one more veggie that you should buy elsewhere.

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They get a bad reputation, but the right Brussels sprouts recipe will turn haters into lovers. Roasted or pan-fried, their sweetness comes to the forefront, making them very different from the boiled-until-soggy version your parents put on your plate and made you eat. Perfect, Brussels are back on the menu ... well, unless you get them from Costco, that is.

Some buyers say that they used to be good, but now it only takes a few days for them to start smelling funky. Others note that when they open up the bag, it smells bad enough to stink up the whole kitchen. This problem may be worse when sprouts are out of season, but whatever the time of year, it's not an acceptable state to buy produce in. If Costco can't keep its Brussels sprouts from going bad when they're out of season, it should only sell them seasonally.

You might be able to find a good bag during the cooler months when these veggies are at their best, but generally, we'd recommend avoiding Brussels sprouts from Costco. They deserve to be at their sweetest and most delicious, and that's not how you'll find them at the warehouse giant's stores.

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It might seem like it's hard to go too far wrong with oranges. Whether you're buying satsumas or easy peelers as lunchtime snacks, or you like to eat large oranges whole or use them to make juice, there should be plenty of choice for you at a place like Costco. Well, maybe so, but it doesn't mean these fruits are worth buying. The quality isn't what it should be, and you might be left disappointed.

We've seen photos of little oranges, with half of them covered in blue mold after just a couple of days. And it's not a one-off experience. Customers complain of oranges spoiling quickly or getting moldy. Even though Costco offers refunds on spoiled produce, it's still not good enough. You don't expect your bag of oranges to go bad in a handful of days. Having to secure a refund and buy more oranges is not only a waste of food, but also a waste of your time.

But it's not just that they go bad quickly. There are also complaints of oranges being dry or tasteless. So, even if you manage not to get a moldy pack, they might not be particularly worth eating.

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There's nothing quite like a good avocado, whether you like them smashed on toast, sliced into salad, or blended in smoothies. At their best, they're smooth, creamy, and flavorful. There are mistakes everyone makes with avocados, and picking out perfectly ripe ones can take a little trial and error wherever you shop. But, at Costco, it seems like practically all of them are bad.

You know the satisfaction of cutting into an avocado with perfect flesh? You're not going to get that from the Costco produce section. Some shoppers buy big batches of avocados, only to have the flesh inside each one turn out brown and bruised. They can also be stringy and fibrous inside, which ruins the texture, even if they're not technically bad yet.

You might think it's not a problem you have to deal with because you know how to pick out ripe avocados. However, at Costco, they can feel like they're not all that ripe yet, while actually being rotten inside. So, you never really know what you're getting until you cut in. And avocados are expensive, so buy a few bad bags and you've wasted a lot of money — or spent a lot of time queuing for refunds.

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We love how versatile zucchinis are. Zucchini bread, zucchini fritters, zoodles — there's so much you can do with these veggies. They're a staple in many households and you might think that there's very little that can be wrong with a zucchini, but maybe you haven't seen the ones they sell at Costco.

Customers complain that they spoil quickly, and several people mention ending up with squishy zucchinis. We didn't ever know that was possible. Imagine you take one out of the fridge to make a nice pasta dish and your finger goes right through. That's what can happen when you buy zucchini from the Costco produce section.

It would seem like you can tell if a zucchini is about to go bad. But they can quickly go from just fine to rotten when you buy them from Costco, so it's never quite clear what you're getting. Rather than take the risk, you're better off buying them elsewhere.

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Berries are popular in many households. Whether you like sweet strawberries, slightly tart raspberries, or fragrant blueberries, there's something for everyone. They're delicious snacks and perfect in baked goods and smoothies, too. But buy them at Costco and you might end up ruining your favorite strawberry shortcake or blueberry muffin recipe.

Mold is a common issue with berries from Costco, and some of them are already moldy in the store. At least you know to avoid those if you look carefully. Meanwhile, others spoil in just a couple of days. That might be fine if you're planning to eat them as soon as you get home, but many of us want a bit of time to make our way through our grocery haul. It's just not realistic to eat everything the same day.

Even if you don't end up with moldy or rotten berries, they may simply not taste great. We've heard complaints of tasteless strawberries in particular. That can be a risk with strawberries — the good ones are incredible, while the mediocre ones lack sweetness and flavor. You get way more of the latter at Costco, so you'll probably come away disappointed, wishing you'd bought your berries elsewhere.

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Anyone who loves to cook will almost always have lemons on hand. You can use them to add some brightness to everything from creamy pasta sauces to lentil soups. Not to mention their place in desserts like lemon drizzle cake or lemon meringue pie. If you think what you see is what you get with lemons, you've probably never bought them at Costco.

Sometimes they look perfectly good from the outside, but you slice them and find the ratio of pith to fruit is all wrong. The thick skin means you get way less lemon than you bargained for. Some people have also found that there's less juice inside Costco lemons compared to those purchased at other stores. This could be because they're older and drier.

There's also the fact that some lemons go bad after just a day or two. And once they go moldy, they're no good for anything beyond throwing in the trash. You'd expect lemons to last more than a week, especially if stored in the fridge once you get them home, so just a couple of days of freshness isn't acceptable from a big chain. This is yet another piece of produce that you shouldn't pick up at Costco.

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Sure, it's great to make salads from scratch when you can, but all of us have reached for the ready-made stuff at one point or another. Sometimes it comes down to that or no salad, so it's really nothing to feel bad about. Bagged salad can encompass anything from packs of arugula or shredded lettuce to full-blown salad kits. But whatever you've got your sights on, Costco isn't the best place to buy it.

Browned lettuce and squishy tomatoes are among the complaints from people buying the warehouse store's bagged salad. Others have found salad leaves so rotten they're completely black. Probably not what you pictured when you thought of having a fresh, healthy salad as a side dish. Some folks have even reported stomach upsets after eating bagged salad from Costco.

Between these issues, it just doesn't seem a worthwhile purchase. We'd recommend either buying individual salad ingredients and making it from scratch yourself or going elsewhere to buy a ready-made salad. By this point, you probably aren't surprised, but Costco should step up its game.

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When ripe and juicy, peaches are arguably among the most delicious of fruits. They're wonderful to eat straight up, but you can also incorporate them into pies, cobblers, crumb cake, and other delicious desserts. It's no wonder that people make a big deal about them. But, if you buy your peaches from Costco, you might end up disappointed.

Certain Costco branches sell them in sizable crates, and customers sometimes have issues with the whole batch. If they're not already overripe and spoiled within a couple of days, they go from hard to brown and bruised without ever stopping at perfectly ripe. This can be an issue with peaches from various regions, including California and Niagara, so it's not just a case of one bad batch.

Going bad or moldy is an issue with Costco peaches. But if they miraculously ripen without issue, they can also end up tasting bland. The last thing you want is the disappointment of tasteless peaches. So, on balance, it seems wiser to buy them elsewhere. You just can't trust that peaches from Costco will taste good or end up ripe without spoiling.

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We wanted to base this article on the opinions of real Costco customers, so we headed to Reddit to get consumer opinions. We scoured dozens of threads about poor produce from the warehouse chain and compared them. Where we found overlap with several customers complaining about the same item of produce, the item made it onto our list.