5 Kirkland Signature Products That Flopped With Costco Customers

Kirkland Signature is the only store brand at Costco and accounts for over 20% of the wholesaler's profits. To say the brand is successful would almost be an understatement, since it has grown to outsell big brands like Coca-Cola. But every brand that has reached the highest milestones has seen some flops throughout its history, Kirkland included. Among them were the short-lived food court Mango Smoothie, the infamous Light Beer, and even the boxed Mac and Cheese. While certain failed products were ultimately pulled off the shelves after disappointing the wider customer base, others have curiously remained in Costco's product lineup.

Costco fans are known for voicing their disapproval when things aren't living up to the standard they're used to from Kirkland Signature. The five items listed below have full threads dedicated to them on social media, where disappointed shoppers come together to reminisce about how awful the now-discontinued products were — or warn other potential customers against buying the ones still in stock. Fortune may favor the bold, but however boldly Costco rolled out these products, they were ultimately not favored by the store's loyal customers.

Kirkland Signature Light Beer is, without a doubt, one of the biggest flops Costco has ever seen. The passion with which this beer is hated among customers who have spent money on it is truly a sight to behold, with many using particularly colorful adjectives and comparisons to describe just how bad it was. One person on Reddit dubbed it "the beer that tasted warm when cold," which paints a pretty clear picture. Several people admitted to throwing most of the pack straight in the trash after sampling the beer, and to this day, Costco customers deem it the worst beer in the world.

Light Beer was sold in 48-packs and went for $22.99, coming out at less than $0.50 per single can. It also had a fairly low alcohol content at 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV). These factors appealed to many customers, so a lot of people purchased the beer initially — but after the countless scathing reviews, our sister site The Takeout exclusively reported in 2018 that the unfortunate beer had been pulled off the shelves nationwide. So long, farewell.

In 2019, Costco shelves became richer for cocktail freeze pops, presumably after the wholesaler saw this type of product sell like crazy under a name brand. Kirkland Signature launched Vodka Cocktails in states where Costco can legally sell liquor and wine-based Frozen Cocktails in the two states where it can't. They were sold in either a jar or a bag, containing 18 100-milliliter freeze pops, and went for about $15. Each pack contained a mix of three flavors: Lime Drop, Strawberry Freeze, and Watermelon Hibiscus. One of the main selling points of this product was the lack of artificial sweeteners, which was disclosed on the front of the package in big, capitalized letters.

The Frozen Cocktails ultimately overpromised and underdelivered. Customers were quick to spot the irony of the "no artificial sweetener" brag, considering the list of ingredients mostly consisted of artificial flavoring as well as artificial food coloring. The cocktails also didn't freeze well for many people, and when they did, they came out with very sharp edges. The flavor was a disappointment, too, with most customers calling it too sweet and reporting that they had to mix the pops with other beverages to tone down the sweetness. The Frozen Cocktails were still around in 2022, but mysteriously disappeared from the shelves in 2023 and reportedly haven't been back since. Luckily, it's pretty easy to spike your own freeze pops.

If you frequented Costco's food court in the summer of 2023, you likely encountered the Kirkland Signature Mango Smoothie. Otherwise, you didn't — the regrettable smoothie had seen both its rise and its fall in the span of just three months. Alexa, play "Cruel Summer." To be fair, the smoothie started off on a bad foot because it replaced the fan-favorite Fruit Smoothie, so the expectations for it were pretty high. The Mango Smoothie contained four servings of fruit, came without added sugar, and was sold for just $3. 

According to the customers, however, it completely failed on the taste test. Many stated on Reddit that the smoothie had an off flavor, comparing it to baby food or fruit leather. One of the most common questions surrounding the smoothie was whether it was even made from fresh mangoes. When drinking it, several customers felt that it tasted more like dried, aged mangoes. With so many negative reactions, it's no wonder the smoothie didn't last very long — launched in June 2023, it was taken off the menu by August, and the beloved Fruit Smoothie made its return (until the Strawberry Banana Smoothie ultimately replaced it in February 2025).

Many of the Kirkland Signature products can easily rival their name brand counterparts, but unfortunately, the boxed Macaroni and Cheese wasn't one of them. Mind you, this was a different product than the pre-made mac and cheese from the deli section at Costco — although we also found the deli one to be unworthy of your purchase in our exploration of 12 best Costco prepared foods to buy and 11 to avoid. For whatever reason, Costco just can't seem to nail this classic comfort food. The Kirkland boxed Mac and Cheese is now a thing of the past, so you'll no longer find it on the shelves. 

It was supposed to be a slightly cheaper Kirkland Signature alternative to big instant mac and cheese brands like Kraft, but instead it ended up being a frequently returned item that didn't live up to the standards set by classic name brands. To Costco's credit, the store recognized its oversight and took the mac off the shelves, fully replacing it with three popular brands: Kraft, Annie's, and (in some locations) Goodles. That said, if you're craving a homemade version of the nostalgic meal, look no further than our simple mac and cheese (with crunchy topping) recipe.

Out of all the items on this list, Kirkland Signature Protein Bars are the only ones still on the Costco shelves — for now. Low in sugar, gluten-free, and containing about 20 grams of protein per bar, they certainly deliver on the macros, making some customers reach for them for the nutritional aspect alone. Yet, even they openly admit that the bars are tolerable at best, and very much a flop when it comes to flavor and texture. The Protein Bars are sold in four popular flavors, including Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Brownie, but most people still find them inedible, reporting that they couldn't even finish the box they bought. 

The texture is a huge miss, with the bars allegedly being so hard that reviewers on Reddit compared the experience to eating rocks. Some have tried to soften the blow by microwaving the bars, but it seems like they're just not worth the extra effort. When we ranked five snack bars at Costco, the classic Protein Bars came out last. However, Kirkland Signature may yet have an ace up its sleeve — the Chewy Protein Bars. According to our ranking, they taste better than the other variety and also come with a much lower price tag. You'll pay $17 for 42 Chewy Bars and around $25 for 20 regular Kirkland Protein Bars. Chewy Bars are gluten-free, but they do only come with 10 grams of protein. Alternatively, you can peruse our selection of the 16 best protein bars if you have a sweet tooth.