Walk into any Costco on a Saturday and you'll see the same scene: packed aisles, carts piled high, and a food court line snaking toward the register.
But the savviest shoppers aren't just grabbing the bulk paper towels and calling it a win.
They're reading the price tags like a secret code, and it's saving them real money every single trip.
Here's the trick that's been circulating on social media and among longtime members: the last digit on a Costco price tag actually tells you something.
If a price ends in .99, that's the regular everyday price, meaning it's not on sale and you can wait.
But if it ends in .97, that item is on markdown, usually because the store is clearing it out.
A price ending in .00 or .88 often signals a manager's special or a final clearance, which means it may not stick around long.
That little star in the upper right corner of a sign means the item isn't being reordered.
When you see one, you're looking at the last of the stock.
If it's something your family uses regularly, that's your cue to stock up before it disappears for good.
Combine that star with a .97 ending and you've basically found the store's best-kept discount.
Timing your trip can stretch those savings further.
Costco typically rolls out new markdowns at the start of each month as it makes room for incoming inventory.
Employees have said that early mornings on weekdays tend to be quieter, and managers often slash prices on seasonal items right after a holiday passes.
Think Halloween candy in early November or patio furniture in late summer.
That's when the .97 tags start popping up everywhere.
The warehouse giant also rotates its inventory on purpose.
Roughly a quarter of what's on the floor changes out regularly, which is why you spot that random air fryer or giant jar of pesto one week and never see it again.
That rotation is exactly what creates the clearance cycle.
When an item is about to leave the building for good, the price drops to move it fast.
Members who understand the pattern stop treating Costco like a normal grocery store and start treating it like a treasure hunt with a schedule.
There are a few other habits worth stealing.
Check the Costco app or website before you go, since some markdowns show up online first.
Compare the unit price, not the sticker price, especially on bulk items where a bigger package isn't always the better value.
And keep an eye on the coupon book that drops each month, because stacked with a clearance tag, those instant savings can cut a price dramatically.
None of this requires a special membership or insider access.
It's just paying attention to the signs that have been there all along.
The next time you're pushing a cart past a shelf, take two seconds to glance at the last two digits of the tag.
You might walk out with the same haul for noticeably less.
The bottom line: stores count on shoppers grabbing whatever looks convenient, and most of us do exactly that.
Learning to read a price tag flips the advantage back to your household budget.
Final Thoughts
It costs nothing to look, and over a year of regular trips, those small catches add up faster than most people expect.