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When they’re not buying gold bars or dining at their members-only food courts, many Costco shoppers can often be found in the not-so-deep recesses of the internet, heaping praise on their newest Costco fixations.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Reddit are abundant with accounts dedicated to discovering, discussing and reviewing the latest Costco items, with some users going as far as to say they’re “obsessed” with the store’s offerings.

In recent days, Costco members on Twitter have said as much about protein waffles, mushroom crisps and pickle-flavored Doritos, among other items.

“If you want a good treat for your cat, Costco has these and Keykers is obsessed!” one user wrote of a liquified salmon product she feeds to her pet.

But which Costco items are among the most buzzed-about on social media? It may actually depend on where you live.

CouponBirds, a consumer resource site specializing in coupon codes, has recently attempted to determine each state’s “favorite” Costco item based on social-media chatter over a single week in March 2024. To do so, the analysts first determined the most-mentioned products (on social media) in the entirety of the country, before seeking out state-by-state preferences using Google Trends.

The findings, according to CouponBirds, indicated that Kirkland Premium Paper Towels were the most talked-about Costco item in the U.S. that week, followed by the aforementioned gold bars and rotisserie chicken.

State by state, however, the rankings looked a bit different. Take a look at some of the results below — keeping in mind that CouponBirds’ analysts did not provide a “favorite” item for seven U.S. states, possibly due to a lack of social-media users with available location data from those areas. (A representative for CouponBirds was not available to comment.)

The most talked-about product — in terms of the number of states where it was deemed the “favorite” Costco item — was:

  • Goodles Cheddy Mac White Cheddar Shells, an item that was especially popular in four states – Georgia, Mississippi, New York and Ohio

Not far behind were four products that tied for second place, each being deemed the “favorite” in three states:

  • Kirkland Prosecco – Arizona, California and Illinois
  • Trident Fish Sticks – Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington
  • Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers – Kentucky, Montana and Nebraska
  • Morning Summit Cereal – Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas

On the whole, CouponBirds’ findings indicated that Costco shoppers were particularly loyal to the retailer’s own brands, with 19 of the country’s 30 most popular products belonging to the Kirkland line.

It’s worth noting that not all of these social media mentions observed in March were positive. Though “rare,” CouponBirds’ analysts said Costco members were not averse to pointing out flaws with Costco items, especially the rotisserie chicken, which some believed to have dipped in quality.

“Consumers clearly value affordable pricing, but product quality needs to align with that for a satisfied customer,” the analysts wrote.

More information, including the full rankings of each state’s most-talked-about items, can be found at CouponBirds’ official site.

Costco, meanwhile, is less forthcoming with comprehensive data on specific product sales in terms of state-by-state popularity. But sites including The Motley Fool and GoBankingRates have identified toilet paper, bacon, hot dogs, rotisserie chicken and gas as some of the top-selling purchases, based on sales estimates and surveys.

Costco
A Costco location in Indianapolis is pictured in a photograph taken in January 2020. (Getty Images)

In terms of overall sales, Costco had reported a 5.8% increase at its most recent earnings report in early March, but still fell short of revenue estimates partly thanks to waning interest in certain big-ticket items, Reuters reported.

Costco CFO Richard Galanti blamed some of the issues on “supply chain challenges” that prevented Costco from offering the same markdowns on those items, but he downplayed any ongoing problems.

“I don’t view any of that as being terribly meaningful in terms of, ‘Is that a big change that is coming?’” Galanti said at the March 7 earnings call. “There’s always something that’s up a little bit and then there’s another thing that’s down a little bit.”

He also pointed to online sales — and precious metals — as a few significant items that continue to drive revenue.

“[E-commerce] showed strength in several areas, led by sales of gold, and, very recently, silver,” Galanti said.