5 Discontinued Costco Snacks We Desperately Miss

There are so many perks to owning a Costco membership. You get to buy bulk groceries for fewer trips to the store, score long-term savings, and take a trip to the food court for some yummy choices. But the one thing that puts a damper on this chain is when an item you adore suddenly goes missing. It's a tragedy, really, when a snack you crave and purchase on every Costco trip gets discontinued, leaving you empty-handed and your belly a little less happy, too.

Unfortunately, items are discontinued from Costco with some frequency. To lessen the blow and prepare yourself, a key indicator that an item may be on its way out is an asterisk in the upper right-hand corner of the large white price tag placard. Often referred to by employees and savvy shoppers as the "death star," this asterisk signifies that the item will not be restocked once the current supply runs out. While there are no steadfast rules as to when exactly a product will disappear, this symbol is the most reliable way to know if it's an item you need to stock up on.

Of course, this inevitability doesn't mean you can't reminisce about some of the classics that Costco lovers desperately miss. Take a delicious trip down memory lane (and a moment of silence) for these five discontinued items that members everywhere still dream about.

Who can argue with chocolate chips in bulk? Shockingly, these Kirkland Signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, which were perfect for snacking, tossing into a skillet chocolate chip cookie, or melting for your homemade superseed peanut butter cup recipe, were discontinued, leaving plenty of avid bakers empty-handed on their next warehouse trip.

There are a few reasons why Costco discontinued its Polish food court hot dog, but there are still plenty of customers who adored this style of link, which contained a spiced mix of pork and beef. It was later replaced with all-beef hot dogs that just don't hit the same, leaving a hole in customers' hearts since 2018.

If you ever had the pleasure of enjoying Costco's All-American Chocolate Cake, it's safe to say that heaven once graced your taste buds. In 2020, this incredibly decadent, fudgy masterpiece left the bakery shelves, prompting a wave of fan-made copycat recipes, even as some members have been lucky enough to spot the cake back in a six-pack of minis.

A creamy, cooling, berry-flavored smoothie, packed with frozen yogurt, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, was another fan favorite Costco discontinued in 2017 in favor of a new Fruit Smoothie. Then, Costco food courts introduced a new drink in 2023, which some say doesn't measure up to the frozen allure the original offered.

With their rich, chocolaty flavor and sweet banana notes, the Kirkland Signature Organic Chocolate Almond Banana Protein Beverages were a beloved vegan option. Unfortunately, these popular drinks had a complicated, on-again, off-again history at Costco. The latest and most definitive sign of their permanent departure came in 2024, when a Reddit post from a Costco employee confirmed the item's "Pending Delete" status.