The Kirkland Brand Staple That Beats All Name-Brand Options, According To Costco Shoppers

Purchasing a bargain-brand product at the grocery store is a great way to save money. The downside is the lower cost can sometimes mean cheaper ingredients or materials, leaving you with a product that simply doesn't hold up to its name-brand counterpart. But this isn't the case with a fair share of Costco's beloved Kirkland-brand items, including the Kirkland Signature freezer storage bags, which customers say rival any name-brand competitor due to their strong seal and quality material.

Freezer bags are perfect for storing items like soups and sauces, and they also work well to prevent frozen vegetables from quickly developing freezer burn. That is, as long as they're durable. A good-quality freezer bag has an airtight seal, no leakage, and can withstand the cold temperatures without letting any oxygen slip through to the food — a clear sign of freezer burn. Kirkland Signature's Freezer Quart Plus bags reportedly pass these tests, with more than 100 reviews giving them an average of 4.6 stars on Costco's website.

When compared to higher-cost name brands, Costco shoppers think Kirkland's freezer bags hold up. "The pleated bottom allows more space and the zippers seal securely," one person said of the bags on Reddit. Another user echoed the strong seal; "Tougher than [Ziploc] and easier to close," they wrote. One con that someone mentioned is the bags are a slightly different shape than other standard quart-sized freezer bags, so if you have a bag holder that you load them into, they might not fit properly.

A 264-pack of the quart freezer bags retails at Costco for $15, though prices might vary by location. The wholesale club also carries Ziploc freezer bags, which do have a similar star rating online but don't quite get you the same bang for your buck. The name-brand option is $15 for only 200 bags, meaning the Kirkland brand is certainly the better deal. 

However, one Reddit user did note that they asked the Costco customer service desk about the store-brand freezer bags only to learn they weren't available in their region. If you can't find them at your local store, it's worth asking if they're available. And if you can't buy the Kirkland brand, people say that Trader Joe's freezer bags are better than name brands like Ziploc, too.