Costco Kirkland Signature Breakfast Items That Were Major Failures

With grocery prices going through the roof, having a Costco membership is practically a survival strategy. The retail giant has made itself almost indispensable to budget-conscious consumers, using strategies like loss-leading, word-of-mouth marketing, and bulk pricing to drive down costs on everything from household essentials to gasoline.

But while you're unlikely to finish your mini-marathon through the Costco aisles without snagging a bargain, seasoned shoppers know that the best deals often come from skipping name brands in favor of Costco's Kirkland Signature line. After all, where else can you get 36 bottles of water for just $3.99 or a 48-pack of AA batteries for $14.99?

Still, not every Kirkland Signature item is a win. Remember the infamous Kirkland Signature Light Beer? At just 50 cents a can, it sounded too good to be true ... and it was. Customers trashed it so hard that Costco pulled it from shelves. And it's not just tailgate staples that have flopped — even some must-have breakfast items have crashed and burned. Below, we take a look at some of these failures, why they flopped so badly, and why you might want to steer clear of these Kirkland Signature breakfast items on your next Costco run.

Everybody loves a hearty homemade breakfast, but let's be honest — dragging yourself to your kitchen at the crack of dawn to scramble eggs and fry bacon is not the dream. Luckily, Costco has a frozen meal option for just about any occasion, and breakfast is no exception. Take the Kirkland Signature Breakfast Sandwich — a croissant bun stacked with smoked bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese. On paper, it sounds like the perfect solution for those of us who want a balanced breakfast without the hassle of cooking. But according to a 2024 Reddit discussion, this frozen breakfast option is a total letdown in terms of flavor. And Reddit isn't the only place it's failed the taste test.

Mashed's Brianna Corley compared it to Starbucks' version and found it lacking on practically all fronts. The bacon? Chewy and limp. The cheese? "Plastic-like and kind of dull." The croissant bun? High quality — but could be mistaken for brioche. And if that's not concerning enough, the sandwich also contains sodium nitrite— an additive linked to an increased risk of prostate and breast cancer.

You don't expect much when biting into a store-bought, pre-packaged everything bagel. But Kirkland Signature Everything Bagels might make you realize that your standards were already too high — and that you should probably lower them even further.

There's a reason this particular item ranked dead last in Tasting Table's review of Costco breads. Not only does it lack the signature tang that any good — or even passable — bagel should have, but the seasoning is, in a word, stingy. Instead of that bold, garlicky, and seedy crunch you'd expect, Costco inexplicably opted for a dusting so weak it barely registers. And the crust? Forget the glossy, chewy bite of a proper bagel — these bagels are dry, dull, and about as exciting as a dinner roll.

But the disappointment doesn't stop at flavor. These bagels have an alarmingly short shelf life. According to a 2024 discussion on Reddit, Costco bagels start growing mold in just 48 hours. Sure, you could toss them in the freezer, but why go through the hassle when you could just avoid them altogether?

Buying baked goods from Costco is always a gamble. Some items, like the Rustic Italian Loaf, hold up to expectations, while others — looking at you, Everything Bagels — are a complete letdown. For years, Kirkland Signature Butter Croissants have landed somewhere in the middle. They weren't exactly Parisian café-level, but they were buttery, flaky, and even struck that delicate balance between crisp and goo. But something appears to have changed — and not for the better.

One user on social media attributed the change in flavor to the switch from French butter, and they may have been on to something. French butter is known for its high butterfat content and complex flavor, which makes for a crispy, flaky, flavorful croissant. Switching to a lower quality butter might explain why something was so noticeably off. The good news? The classic French Butter Croissants are still on offer at Costco. But if you stumble upon the Crescent Butter version, you might want to keep walking.

Gone are the days when consumers blindly purchased animal products without considering the conditions in which the animals were raised. Today, shoppers demand more accountability, with many refusing to buy from companies linked to questionable animal welfare practices. Costco was forced to confront this reality head-on in 2015 when its sale of eggs from caged hens sparked widespread backlash.

The chain store tried to push back on the pressure, claiming in a statement that some industry experts recommend caging as the safest way to rear hens, per USA Today. However, the retailer seems to have finally bowed to pressure as it has since discontinued liquid eggs from caged hens and is steadily phasing out caged shell eggs, which accounted for just 3% of its shell egg supply in 2023. And that's not even the end of Costco's egg problems. According to a customer thread on Reddit, eggs are one of the many Kirkland Signature breakfast items where the quality has taken a serious nosedive in recent years.

Nothing gets Costco devotees more riled up than when their favorite Kirkland Signature items undergo even the slightest change. Remember the chaos when Costco discontinued its All-American Chocolate Cake? Shoppers practically staged a revolt, going as far as launching a Change.org petition to strong-arm the megastore into bringing it back. So, it should come as no surprise that customers were furious when Kirkland Signature muffins underwent a total overhaul.

For starters, Costco scrapped all the original flavors — banana nut, apple crumb, vanilla chocolate chunk, and poppyseed — replacing them with four new ones, including butter pecan and lemon raspberry. But that wasn't the only switch-up. Previously, you could score two six-packs of mix-and-match flavors for just $9.99. Now? You're stuck with a single eight-pack of one flavor for $6.99. Oh, and they've shrunk — meaning you're now paying more for less.

But what really sent customers over the edge? The new muffins weren't just pricier — they were significantly worse. "They're tiny, expensive, overly-thick, dry, and have an off-putting taste to them. The wrappers are annoying too. It hardly even tastes like real chocolate. The old big muffins were a journey and an experience. Large enough to feel satisfied. Sweet enough, and still soft and bready. I hope they bring the old ones back as this new thing isn't edible," one frustrated shopper wrote on Reddit.

A bottle of maple syrup at the breakfast table is always a hit. Whether you're slathering it on your pancakes and waffles or using it as a natural sweetener in your coffee, this breakfast staple rarely disappoints. But if you're using Kirkland Signature Maple Syrup, prepare yourself for some frustration.

It's not that the syrup itself is bad — the medium amber has decent flavor, and the price is hard to beat. But Costco shoppers have been fuming over something else entirely: the terrible packaging. For starters, the inner seal is practically impossible to peel off. You'll either spend way too much time struggling with it or resort to stabbing it open, making an instant sticky mess. And when you finally do get it undone? The inner and outer spouts are completely misaligned. So, if you're not pouring out your maple syrup with mathematical precision, it will pool under the spout's lip and drip down the sides of the bottle. In the end, you'll be left with a sticky bottle of maple syrup that's barely functional after just a few uses.

For a time, açai breakfast bowls — thick, smoothie-like blends of acai berries topped with fresh fruit and granola — were all the rage. From Juice Press in New York to Backyard Bowls in Los Angeles, the craze seemed to have almost taken over the entire country. But with prices ranging from $10 to $15 a bowl, budget-conscious consumers were effectively locked out of the trend.

Enter Kirkland Signature Açai Bowls, which for just $5, promised to satisfy that deep-seated açai envy without emptying your wallet. But these budget-friendly bowls barely delivered on the hype. "I tried the açai today. It is not good at all. I have had real açai bowls from other stores and have made it myself. I really was hoping it was good since it is so cheap compared to other açai bowls," one person said of the bowls in 2018. So awful was Costco's açai bowl that customers were actually relieved when the store discontinued them in 2020.

For a while, shoppers were scoring a bargain with Costco's Kirkland Signature Sliced Bacon, which had been retailing at around $11 to $18 for a 4-pound pack. That joy was short-lived. Customers have started airing their frustrations about Kirkland Signature bacon slices, claiming that the product's quality had taken a serious nosedive. Some complained that the slices had become paper-thin and would tear apart almost on contact, with others concerned about the increased sugar content.

While exactly how thick a slice of bacon needs to be is debatable, there's certainly an upper and lower limit. An ideal bacon slice should be thick enough not to break apart on the pan but thin enough that you won't mistake it for steak. So it's definitely a cause for concern when your bacon is so fragile that it falls apart almost on contact. That, combined with the alleged high sugar content and sporadic price fluctuations, might leave some customers thinking twice before dropping Kirkland Signature Bacon into their carts.

Everybody loves bacon for breakfast, and if you're looking to add just a bit more of it to your meal, then bacon bits might just be the way to go. You can sprinkle them over scrambled eggs for extra savoriness, add them to your pancake batter for a smoky kick, or even sprinkle them into a hash brown casserole for added crunch. And for years, Kirkland Signature Bacon Crumbles would have been a top-tier choice for these purposes.

However, this is yet another beloved Kirkland Signature breakfast item that appears to no longer be what it was. Some customers claimed that the bacon bits had become hard and chewy, while others said that they'd lost their signature crisp and acquired an off-putting, rubbery texture. "It used to be great and I used to buy it regularly. Since over a year, I have noticed what you are describing as dry, chewy, and also clumpy," one Reddit user commented.

If you go through butter quickly, Kirkland Signature Butter is a no-brainer. With a box of four 1-pound packages going for as low as $17.40, it's a wise purchase if you're looking to get name-brand quality butter without breaking the bank. But it might not seem so wise when you try using it in a recipe and get subpar results.

That's exactly what happened to one Costco shopper who took to Reddit in October 2023 to air their frustrations. ”We use [Kirkland Signature] butter for our pie crust recipe and that crust would not hold up! Two batches just crumbly and could not get it to roll," they wrote. ”Went to store got different butter ... and what do you know ... same recipe, worked again. Something changed with their butter. Did anyone else have issues over the holidays with the butter? I'm hesitant to bake with it for any recipe now."

Other customers quickly chimed in, claiming that they had experienced issues similar issues with the butter. The viral post sparked a huge debate on whether Costco had reformulated its butter, and with no official statement from the company, some shoppers were left feeling hesitant to repurchase.

For shoppers who love the taste of fresh-squeezed orange juice but balk at the sky-high price, Kirkland Signature Organic Orange Juice seems like the perfect middle ground. Costco loyalists raved about its just-squeezed flavor, and with a two-pack of 59 fluid ounce bottles retailing for anywhere between $9.99 and $12.99, it's quite the bargain. However, buying this breakfast staple from the Kirkland Signature line may no longer be the safe bet it once was.

Some customers attributed the decline in quality to supply chain issues, and they may just be right. The orange juice industry has been in a serious squeeze in recent years. Extreme weather, such as floods and hurricanes, and citrus greening disease have decimated crop yields in citrus powerhouses like Brazil, sending orange prices soaring. With less fruit available, manufacturers may have resorted to tweaking their formulas — relying more on reconstituted orange juice or simply using lower-quality oranges in their blends.

American cheese has become a highly divisive topic in recent years. Many have been dragging it for being plasticky, overly processed, and barely qualifying as cheese. This shift in attitude is understandable — American cheese has a lot of strikes against it, from not meeting the legal qualifications to be called real cheese to having a suspiciously long shelf life, and, let's face it ... being really bland. In its defense, American cheese was never meant to be a gourmet cheese with a sophisticated flavor. In fact, it was originally invented to reduce waste in cheese-making, meaning it's essentially a mishmash of different cheeses like colby, Swiss, and cheddar.

That said, for some people, breakfast just isn't complete without a perfectly square slice of melty, gooey American cheese draped over scrambled eggs. And for a time, Kirkland Signature Deluxe American Cheese Slices were the go-to for budget-conscious consumers who weren't ready to join the anti-American cheese movement. That all changed in 2019 when Costco abruptly pulled the product from its shelves — without explanation. While the retail giant stayed quiet, social media had theories — and one in particular seemed right on the money. "Sales were dropping on the KS stuff. Down several million dollars a year. Made more sense to increase our purchase volume from Kraft and, in turn, get a better price," they wrote.

With two 28-ounce jars retailing at about $14, Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter is a steal for anyone looking to stock up on organic peanut butter. It's not half bad either — some Costco loyalists swear by it, refusing to eat anything else. However, that wasn't always the case. When Costco first introduced its organic peanut butter, customers were repulsed — so much so that the megastore had to pull it from shelves and reformulate. And now, it seems like history might be repeating itself.

Some shoppers have voiced concerns over their peanut butter turning rock-hard, making it nearly impossible to spread. At the same time, there are those complaining that their peanut butter has suddenly turned way too runny. "I opened one the other day and it's the same. Mine wasn't even hard to stir. It's running off my PB&J and I want Laura Scudder back. I'm returning this stuff," one user commented in a Reddit thread discussing the issue.

Mornings can go by in a hazy blur, and between the morning grogginess and rush to get out the door, breakfast can become an afterthought. That's where protein bars come in — a quick, no-fuss snack that, while nowhere near as satisfying as bacon and scrambled eggs, should at least give you enough fuel to survive until lunch. However, if you choose to go the protein bar way for breakfast, you might want to steer clear of the Kirkland Signature line. Sure, a box of 20 costs around $20 to $25, and that might seem like a great deal. But a bargain isn't much of a bargain if the product is barely edible.

According to a Reddit discussion from July 2024, customers have just about had it with this breakfast option. "The protein bars were indescribably awful. Tried giving them away several times and each time the box wound up being returned to me after the person tried them," one user commented. The protein bars got similarly tepid reviews elsewhere on Reddit. "I wanted to like them. Texture? No. Flavor? No. Too bad," one user said of them in a discussion from November 2022.