KUOW73%
Food prices are soaring in Seattle. Could Costco offer a solution? 27%
By Clare McGrane0% Teo Popescu0% Phyllis Fletcher0%
6/8/2026, 9:26:56 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Framing Effect, Appeal to Authority, and Negativity Bias, with Hasty Generalization as the most egregious example at 18.4% saturation with 109 hits. Analysis detected 949 faulty-reasoning hits from 592 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 38.3% and a BS Rank of 27% (16,062 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 73.40% of the article peer group.
Grocery prices climbed significantly in the last five years, and there's no sign food inflation is slowing down.
Between February 2021 and February 2026, food prices in the U.S. increased by 27%.
The unusually high surge was driven by a series of global events: supply chain disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine, and bird flu.
Since February, prices have spiked further in response to rising gas prices during the U.S. war in Iran.
Could shopping at Costco be a solution?
The wholesale giant positions itself as a cost-saver, where those who pay an annual membership – $65 for a Gold Star account, $130 for an Executive account – get access to great deals.
KUOW put Costco’s saving claims to the test by comparing the cost of five goods at Seattle-area warehouses to the average prices at grocery stores in the region.
KUOW collected price data from eight Seattle-area Costco stores in Issaquah, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Redmond, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, and Woodinville.
Then, the price of five goods – bananas, ground beef, milk, eggs, and Kleenex brand tissues – was averaged across all eight stores.
The result was compared to the average cost of those items at other Seattle-area grocery stores, collected by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
Per unit, Costco’s prices were significantly lower than the average for every grocery item in the comparison.
Milk presented the biggest opportunity for savings: Measured by the half-gallon, Costco milk costs an average of $2.80.
A half-gallon of milk at another store costs an average of $5.22.
Susan and David Schwartz are regular Costco shoppers, and wrote a book about the company in collaboration with Costco executives.
David Schwartz explained that Costco’s membership model is what allows them to keep prices so low.
”They don't charge more than 14% above their cost, and that's because, effectively, they make their money on their membership fees,” he said.
“So they don't feel they have to jack up the price on gasoline… or on eggs, or on milk.”
Of course, the downside of these savings is the amount of milk – or eggs, or toilet paper – sold at a time.
Costco only sells milk in two-gallon lots, ranging in total price from $6.59 (2% milk) to $16.49 (whole, organic milk).
That may mean a better deal per cup, but if a household doesn’t go through milk fast enough, it may be a waste in the end.
Jordan Page suggests being strategic when writing a Costco shopping list.
The Utah-based mom of eight is a content creator and budgeting expert, who often shops at Costco and wholesale retailer competitor Sam’s Club.
”What items do you keep on hand that you need to make meals with regularly?...
You can save money when you buy larger quantities of those items,” Page said.
“So it's about restocking your fridge, freezer, pantry.”
She also encourages shoppers to compare the per-unit cost at wholesalers to other grocery stores.
At her regular stores, beans tend to cost more per can at a wholesaler than at a typical grocery store.
Many wholesale retailers also offer savings on non-food items, including costly health-care goods: hearing aids, prescription medications, optometry services, and glasses.
Costco pharmacies are open to the public, regardless of membership status.
Susan Schwartz bought her hearing aids at the Costco near her apartment in Manhattan.
“ My hearing aids were $1,500.
They would be $7,500 to $10,000 anywhere else,” she said.
“That’s mind boggling.”
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