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The Costco Shelf Signal That Indicates Product Exit or Decline

Every CPG leader and brand manager should know this: Costco’s shelf tags don’t just show price, they tell a story.

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Feb 03, 2026
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Description Description

Pricing at Costco looks simple until you realize how much information is hiding in plain sight. In categories like protein shakes, the shelf can show the same pack size, the same brand, and dramatically different prices, and that gap is rarely accidental.

This example shows how Costco signals assortment decisions directly on the price tag. Small details, like a price ending in .97 or an asterisk in the corner, tell a much bigger story about what’s being cleared out, what’s being discontinued, and what flavors are expected to stay in rotation. For shoppers, it’s a way to quickly understand value. For brands, it’s a window into performance.

From a Costco packaging design standpoint, this matters. When a product is fighting for survival in a tight assortment, packaging clarity, flavor communication, and shelf appeal all influence velocity. Costco packaging doesn’t rely on excessive decoration or luxury packaging design, but it does demand precision. If shoppers don’t immediately understand what they’re buying, they won’t buy it again.

The shelf always tells the truth. You just have to know where to look.

 

 

transcript Video Transcript
transcript-icon
  • 00:00:00 That's a little indicator or symbology
  • 00:00:02 that you should be looking for when
  • 00:00:03 you're trying to figure out what is
  • 00:00:04 going on.
  • 00:00:08 Hey guys, it's Shopping with Christy.
  • 00:00:09 I'm at Costco today and I want to give
  • 00:00:11 you a little trick that I learned about
  • 00:00:15 Costco pricing and sort of how to look
  • 00:00:18 at the competition or categories and see
  • 00:00:21 what's really going on here. And so
  • 00:00:23 today we're going to be looking at
  • 00:00:24 protein shakes. Check it out. I'm
  • 00:00:26 actually shopping this set right now and
  • 00:00:29 I'm trying to decide which flavor I want
  • 00:00:31 to buy. My inclination would be to get
  • 00:00:35 chocolate. Who doesn't like chocolate?
  • 00:00:38 >> I love chocolate.
  • 00:00:41 >> And I'm looking at, let's see, there's
  • 00:00:42 so much on this, but it's 18 count for
  • 00:00:45 $31.99. And then I'm looking at some
  • 00:00:47 other flavors. Here's caramel. And I'm
  • 00:00:49 like, wait, $23 versus 32? But they're
  • 00:00:53 both 18 count. What's going on here?
  • 00:00:55 Cafe Latte is also 32 that flavor. But
  • 00:00:58 you go over here and it's a cookie dough
  • 00:01:01 is also 23. It's like $8 less for the
  • 00:01:05 same amount of product. What's going on?
  • 00:01:07 And I'll tell you two things I noticed
  • 00:01:09 that's telling that's going to let you
  • 00:01:11 know. And so you really got to look at
  • 00:01:13 this tag. So there's two things I'll
  • 00:01:15 point out here. This is significantly
  • 00:01:16 less expensive. It's 12 cents per ounce.
  • 00:01:20 The normal price is 16 cents per ounce.
  • 00:01:22 That's quite a deal. But there's two
  • 00:01:24 things you need to know. The first of
  • 00:01:25 all is that 97 cents. Anytime at Costco
  • 00:01:29 there's a product that ends in a 97 or
  • 00:01:32 you know a seven. What that's telling
  • 00:01:34 you is it's on clearance. That's an
  • 00:01:36 incredibly hot price versus let's say
  • 00:01:39 it's ending in a nine. 9 is the normal
  • 00:01:41 number you see 49 99. This ends in a
  • 00:01:44 seven. That's telling you right there
  • 00:01:46 that's at clearance price. The other
  • 00:01:47 thing I'll point out to you is do you
  • 00:01:50 see that asterisk on the top right
  • 00:01:51 corner? That asterisk means that this
  • 00:01:54 item is dis being discontinued. This
  • 00:01:56 item is not. It's not being
  • 00:01:58 discontinued. This one is and it's
  • 00:01:59 clearance price and that's why it's so
  • 00:02:02 much cheaper. But they're keeping cafe
  • 00:02:04 latte flavor that's still $31.99 not
  • 00:02:06 being discontinued. You know, sometimes
  • 00:02:08 you'll see something being discontinued
  • 00:02:10 but not on clearance. Sometimes you'll
  • 00:02:12 see, you know, but usually if
  • 00:02:14 something's on clearance, it is being
  • 00:02:15 discodeed. And you know it, that
  • 00:02:17 asterisk right there. So, for all you
  • 00:02:19 Costco shoppers or Costco CPG people
  • 00:02:23 like me, that's a little indicator or
  • 00:02:25 symbology that you should be looking for
  • 00:02:27 when you're trying to figure out what is
  • 00:02:28 going on. So, clearly Costco's keeping
  • 00:02:30 chocolate and cafe latte and vanilla
  • 00:02:33 over there, but they're discontinuing
  • 00:02:35 the caramel and the cookie dough.
  • 00:02:36 Probably those items didn't move as well
  • 00:02:38 and so they're discoing them. All right,
  • 00:02:40 bye.
Christy Lebor, Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, brings two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience (Kraft, PepsiCo, Unilever). Leverage her expertise in launching Axe Body Wash and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help your FMCG brand scale from disruptor to market leader.
Christy Lebor Partner & Head of Brand Development, SmashBrand
45 Articles

Christy Lebor is a Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, a premier brand development agency championing the FMCG space. With two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience, Christy harnesses her background from industry titans to infuse brands with a growth trajectory that transitions them from category disruptors to legacy brands.

Her portfolio includes:

  • Brand management roles at global giants: Kraft, PepsiCo, and Unilever.
  • Launching pivotal products: Axe Body Wash in the US and the original Dove Campaign for Real Beauty at Unilever.
  • Steering innovative product lines at PepsiCo: Gatorade chews, protein bars, Mio Fit, and Amino Energy.
  • Pioneering breakfast innovations at KraftHeinz: Just Crack an Egg
  • Leading the branded business segment and global innovation at JBS, the world's largest meat company in the world.

Prior to her tenure at SmashBrand, Christy's track record spans various senior management and development roles. Each role has honed her expertise in the intricacies of FMCG, enabling her to cultivate category advantages for brands. From SKU rationalization to directing pivotal innovation stage gates, Christy's acute expertise in FMCG has consistently placed her at the forefront of the industry. Her ability to make incisive, strategically sound decisions has been key in propelling brands to market leadership.

Her philosophy pivots on the principle that timely, relevant data, integrated with brand strategy, is the linchpin for brands aspiring to scale and establish market dominance. At SmashBrand, Christy intricately weaves this philosophy, ensuring brands are not just strategically poised but holistically developed.

Educationally, Christy is equipped with a BBA from The University of Michigan Business School, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and additional prowess in Private Equity and Venture Capital from Harvard Business School.

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