If You're Buying Costco Bagels, Don't Hold Up The Line For This Silly Mistake

Shopping at Costco comes with a whole host of rules that one must follow to reap its rewards. That you generally have to be a member is pretty solidly established at this point. But did you know that there are secrets about Costco's famous free samples that you may want to brush up on? Then there are the bagels, which happen to be one of the breads worth buying at the bulk retailer. Most of us are probably pretty confident that we know how to buy a bag of bagels. But Costco is different. And making an easy mistake can hold you and everyone else up at the register.

Many of Costco's bagels are sold in groups of 12 for about $9. But they aren't sold in one big, bulk pack. Instead, they're portioned into two individual plastic bags accommodating six bagels each — just like many others that you can find in virtually any other grocery store. Unless a person specifically required more than six bagels, they would most likely just grab one pack and carry on to the checkout, unaware of their faux pas. But at Costco, this error will send you marching right back to the bakery section, as the packs are only sold in multiples of two, and what's destined to be joined must never part. It's kind of poetic, in a way. Unless you're the person holding up the line with the missing half of your bagged bagel duo.

It is highly unlikely that you, now in possession of this quirky bit of Costco bagel knowledge, will ever make the mistake of grabbing one six-pack instead of the full pair. But for anyone thinking they can game the system, know that the store allegedly cannot sell lone bags to you at a lower price, nor can they sell individual six-packs at the full price, according to shoppers online. The only solution is to scurry off and fetch a second pack, forcing everyone to wait and potentially causing delays. Once you know about the practice, though, it's all fair enough. This isn't some old-timey general store where cashiers can punch in any numbers they want into the registers; Costco's point-of-sale system might not even have a way to adjust for shoppers' bagel blunders. So, 12 bagels you shall receive.

Bagels, like a lot of baked goods, are best when fresh, but they'll stay in that acceptable range for a few days in the bag on your kitchen counter. Unless you have a large or particularly bagel-loving household, this probably won't be long enough to finish the dozen. So, they'll last for several months when stored in the freezer. Hopefully, that isn't so long that you forget about this convoluted carb conundrum the next time you're in line at Costco to replenish.