A Big Reason Not To Buy Costco Brand Seltzer, According To Twitter

Whether you are a member of the proud Costco league or not, you've probably seen the Kirkland Signature logo at some point. Bold, classy, and instantly recognizable, the Kirkland Signature company is a subsidiary of Costco. In other words, Costco owns all the private-label products. Aside from the products being recognizable, the appeal of the store-owned options over their big-name competitors is the quality and fair prices that the Kirkland Signature brand assures. As explained on the Costco website, owning the entire company means "control over the entire supply chain, including where the product comes from, environmental impacts, labor conditions and under what conditions [items are] produced."

The guarantee of quality is definitely important for shoppers, but it might not matter as much for some products as for others. One high-profile Costco shopper shared on Twitter why that Kirkland quality guarantee wasn't enough to keep him from switching to a different brand when shopping for sparkling water or seltzer.

In June 2022, blogger and journalist Matthew Yglesias took to Twitter to share, "Some personal news ... the Polar seltzer was cheaper than the Kirkland brand at Costco so I've switched in order to fight inflation." 

A comment on the price changes brought on by inflation during this time, this Tweet also raises the point that some now-inflated Costco products just aren't outstanding enough to deserve a customer's pretty penny. When considering what to look for when buying meat, for example, it is definitely worth investigating where the cut comes from and evaluating whether you are willing to pay more for that quality guarantee, especially when inflation threatens to burn a bigger hole in your wallet. When it comes to items with shorter production chains and relatively consistent quality across the board, staying loyal to one brand may not always be the savviest choice. 

Twitter users left comments supporting the switch and recommending certain flavors from Polar Seltzer, like ginger lime and orange vanilla. Others, however, pointed out that the Kirkland product comes with more bottles per pack and thus still might be a more cost-effective choice.The main takeaway from this matter, though, is that even a brand as dependable as Kirkland Signature is not immune from the effects of economic turmoil and shoppers might want to stay vigilant when roaming the aisles of Costco.