Expert Reveals One Type of Bread You Shouldn't Buy From Costco And There's a Good Reason For It
In that moment when your belly growls for carbs and your wallet shrugs with its pitiful lack of money, sandwich bread is something that helps. You slather those slices with spices, douse them with milky cheese, drizzle them with veggies, and glaze them with dollops of butter. The bread readily renounces its tenderness in your toaster, siphoning all its sugars and amino acids and charring it into a hardened golden-ish model that would now serve the taste sensors of your tongue, as History of Simple Things explains. As you dip it into red sauce and let your mouth gobble it up, bite by bite, the scrumptious sandwich satiates your hunger. Hailed for such glory, sandwich bread is often put on a pedestal. But one woman says you shouldn’t buy sandwich bread if it comes from Costco.
Writing for Reader’s Digest, Costco shopper Kelly Bryant shared the reason why she discontinued purchasing sandwich bread from the popular retailer. Bryant confessed that even though her local Costco store is stocked with assorted varieties of breads like Alfaro’s, Pepperidge Farm, Canyon Bakehouse, Dave’s Killer Bread, Oroweat, and more, there’s a good reason why she stopped bringing them home. “With so many options at your fingertips, it might sound ridiculous to suggest avoiding sandwich bread at Costco, especially when you have a houseful of hungry kids who need lunches, but there’s actually a good reason for it,” she wrote.
The first reason is price. Comparing the prices for Costco’s plain white bread with another retailer, Bryant described, “It costs $6.21 for two 24-ounce loaves. This breaks down to $3.10 per loaf, and drilling down even more, $0.12 per ounce. However, if I head to my local Kroger, I can buy their private label white sandwich bread in a 20-ounce loaf for $1.99. Per ounce, that’s just $0.09.” In an article for Eating Well, food expert Su-Jit Lin also agreed that Costco’s sandwich bread calls for overpaying.
“It can feel like a no-brainer to grab a double-pack of soft sandwich bread at Costco. When you're paying $5 to $7 for two loaves, it looks like you're only paying a dollar or so more than buying a single loaf at the grocery store. But depending on the type or the brand you choose, you might be overpaying.” The second reason, Bryant said, is the expiration date. Elaborating on it, she explained that soft packaged bread is expected to last in the pantry for five to seven days. But if someone purchases two 24-ounce loaves of Costco bread, finishing them off in just a week is a challenge, except only if they have a large family or they are making sandwiches for a crowd, for picnics or potlucks.
However, this doesn’t mean Bryant doesn’t buy any bread from Costco anymore. She shared that she loves Kirkland Signature Rosemary Parmesan Cheese Bread from Costco’s bakery section. She also vouched for Costco’s baguettes, even though they’re pricier than those from other local retailers. “In my experience, the Costco baguettes are excellent quality and totally worth it,” she noted.