Costco Price Tag Codes Decoded: What .97, .88, .00, .49 and the Asterisk Actually Mean

If you have ever walked past a Costco price sign ending in .97 and wondered if it was just a random number, you have been leaving money on the table. If you have ever seen a small asterisk in the corner of a Costco price tag and not known what it meant, you have walked past discontinued items without stocking up. And if you have ever spent twenty minutes in the warehouse without knowing that .88 price tags and .00 price tags are two of the best opportunities in the entire store — you have been shopping at Costco without one of the most useful pieces of insider knowledge available.

Costco does not advertise this system. They do not explain it on any sign in the warehouse. They do not mention it in their app. It lives almost entirely in the collective knowledge of the Costco member community — passed from experienced shoppers to new members on Reddit threads, TikTok videos, and whispered conversations in the warehouse aisle. The patterns are consistent nationwide. Every Costco price code is read from the last two digits: .99 means full retail price, .97 means clearance, .00 and .88 mean final liquidation, and an asterisk in the tag's top-right corner means the item won't be reordered. StockAnalysis

This guide decodes every price tag symbol and number you will encounter at Costco — completely, specifically, and with the practical guidance for what to do when you see each one.

The Complete Costco Price Code Guide

Price ending in .99 — Full Price, No Markdown

Anything that ends in .99 is full price, so you can be sure it's the priciest option available. FinanceBuzz

A .99 price ending is Costco's standard, regular, everyday pricing. It means the product is selling at its normal member price — which, given Costco's institutional 11 percent average markup, is already a genuinely good deal compared to most retail alternatives. But it is not a markdown. There is no urgency to buy before the price changes. No special deal is happening. The .99 is simply the baseline.

This does not mean you should pass it by. Plenty of .99 items are among the best values in the warehouse. It simply means the value is baked into Costco's regular pricing structure rather than representing an additional discount on top of it.

What to do when you see .99: Buy it if you need it. There is no price-related urgency — the item will likely be here next visit.

Price ending in .97 — The Best Clearance Deal in the Store

Items ending in .97 are on clearance or manager discount, which is typically the absolute lowest price you'll find for something at Costco, and a good indicator to get it now if you're trying to save money. KTLA 5 News

The .97 price ending is the one that experienced Costco members specifically scan for on every warehouse visit — because it reliably signals one of the best deal opportunities in the entire warehouse. .97 is the indicator for a corporate markdown. These are clearance or markdown items that didn't sell well, and management wants them off the shelves to make space for something fresh. Men's Journal

The .97 is a corporate-level decision — meaning Costco's buying team, not an individual warehouse manager, has determined that this item needs to be sold through and cleared from inventory. Clearance items can change as inventory moves — .97 prices are temporary and warehouse-specific. If you see a .97 item you want, don't wait. It may be gone or repriced when you return. StockAnalysis

The .97 system is also one of the most powerful in combination with the asterisk. When you see a .97 price ending on an item that also has an asterisk in the corner — that item is being discontinued AND is at clearance pricing simultaneously. It is the most urgent buy signal in the entire Costco price tag language.

Clearance items ending in .97 qualify for price adjustments within 30 days. You can even get adjustments if a clearance item drops further in price — for example from $9.97 to $4.97. MOJO

What to do when you see .97: If it is something you would normally buy or have been considering, buy it now. The .97 price will not last, the quantity is limited, and the item may not be restocked. Check for the asterisk — if it is present, this is almost certainly your last opportunity.

Price ending in .00 — The Manager's Final Markdown

Prices ending in .00 or .88 indicate that the item is really cheap right now. Typically, store managers decide these markdowns based on the items they want to clear quickly. It might mean that the item was a return, check it carefully before you buy, or that the food may expire soon. Chances are, what you see on the shelf is all that the store has left, so get it quickly. And since store managers determine these, you generally won't see the same .00 or .88 markdowns at multiple stores. aol

The .00 price ending is the deepest markdown in Costco's clearance hierarchy — the final price drop before an item disappears from the warehouse entirely. These are the lowest of the low. While these codes can vary slightly by store, they generally mean the manager wants this inventory gone today. Sometimes these are customer returns or floor models, but often they are just brand-new items that have been sitting on .97 clearance for too long and are taking up valuable floor space. aol

Important practical note: when you see a .00 price ending on a product, inspect it carefully before purchasing. It may be a customer return, a floor model, or an item with packaging damage. The product itself is often perfectly fine — the markdown reflects its clearance status rather than a quality issue. But it is worth a quick examination before committing to the purchase.

You'll most likely find most of the .00 discounts in the apparel section, with .88's shuffled off to the perimeter or end cap displays at the start of each aisle. AOL

What to do when you see .00: This is the final stage of Costco's markdown journey. If it is something you want, this is almost certainly the last time you will see it at any price in any Costco. Inspect it, confirm it meets your needs, and purchase decisively.

Price ending in .88 — The Store-Level Manager's Special

.88 is also used for pricing on certain Asian goods usually around Lunar New Year since the number eight is considered a lucky number in certain cultures. .88 tend to be rarer finds and deeper discounts. You may see a price tag with an asterisk that has NOT been marked down. They're not mutually exclusive. Patch

The .88 ending is the sibling of the .00 markdown — both represent store-manager-level final price decisions rather than corporate markdown decisions. Like .00, the .88 signals that the warehouse manager wants the item gone and has priced it accordingly. A price ending in .00 or .88 signals a major markdown — these items often sell out quickly, especially if they're popular. WhatNow

The specific difference between .00 and .88 is somewhat warehouse-dependent — in some locations, .00 is the deeper of the two markdowns, while in others the two are used nearly interchangeably for store-level final clearance. The consistent rule is that both signal urgency: limited inventory, final pricing, and a product that may not survive until your next warehouse visit.

What to do when you see .88: Same urgency as .00. This is final-stage clearance at the store manager level. Inspect, evaluate, purchase if you want it.

Price ending in .49, .79, or .89 — Manufacturer Promotion

Items that end in .49 or .79 are on sale, but only for a limited time. This means that there's a promotional price determined by the item's manufacturer, and eventually, it'll go back to the .99 price. These quirky numbers mean the manufacturer — not Costco — is cutting you an exclusive deal. Groupon

When you see these unusual price endings at Costco — the ones that feel slightly random compared to the clean .99, .97, .00 pattern — you are looking at a manufacturer's promotional deal. The specific manufacturer's representative has worked with Costco's buying team to offer a temporary price reduction, and the non-round price ending signals that the discount is being funded by the brand rather than by Costco.

Items that end in .X9, like .49 or .79 for example, indicate a promotion by the manufacturer. This usually indicates that the product is having a trial run in your Costco. TheStreet

This manufacturer promotion detail is commercially interesting — a product in a .49 or .79 promotional trial is often a new item testing its reception among Costco's membership. If you see this on a product you like, buy it and enjoy the promotional price. If the product performs well during the trial, it may become a regular .99 item. If it does not, the asterisk may appear in a few months.

What to do when you see .49 or .79: Enjoy the promotional price if you want the product. The discount is temporary — either the price returns to .99 when the promotion ends, or the item does not survive the trial.

The Asterisk (*) — "The Death Star"

The asterisk on Costco price tags is also known as the "Death Star" and for good reason. You can guarantee that if you see an asterisk in the upper right corner of the price tag, once the warehouse runs out of that item, it's going to disappear from shelves. AOL

The asterisk is the most emotionally charged symbol in Costco's price tag language — and the one that generates the strongest and most immediate purchasing response among experienced Costco members. An asterisk on a price tag, regardless of the number, means the item number is pending delete in the system, according to a Costco employee's Reddit post. This happens for a few reasons — either an item is being discontinued, they're changing the packaging (the most common cause), or it's only available seasonally. TheStreet

The asterisk has two distinct meanings depending on the product:

For seasonal products: The asterisk signals that the current seasonal run is ending — the item will sell through and disappear until the next season brings it back. If you have been counting on pumpkin spice something or a specific holiday item, the asterisk on its price tag is your signal to stock up before the season ends.

For non-seasonal products: If it's not a seasonal item, the Death Star means the death of the product because it's being discontinued. So, once again, it's your signal to buy up extras if it was something you really liked. AOL

It's not uncommon to see an asterisk together with a .97 price tag. In such a case, not only is it leaving the store, but it's also being discounted on its way out. aol

The asterisk-plus-.97 combination is the single most urgent buy signal in the entire Costco price tag vocabulary. The item is being discontinued, it is being sold at clearance pricing, and the quantity remaining is the quantity on the shelf in front of you. There is no reorder coming.

What to do when you see an asterisk: If you love the product or have been buying it regularly, stock up now. This is your warning notice. How much to stock up depends on whether it is seasonal (will likely return) or not (probably gone forever). If you are unsure — buy extra.

The Green Price Tag — Organic Products

In the "secret code" of Costco price tags, the color green denotes organic products. slickdeals

This is a simpler code than the number-based system — Costco uses green-colored price tags to identify organic products across its produce and food sections. If you are specifically seeking organic items in the warehouse, the green tag saves you the label-reading step. If you are comparing two similar products and one has a green tag, that is the organic option.

The Date on the Price Tag — When the Price Was Last Changed

The date on the price tag tells you when Costco last updated the price for the item. If it's something that's been marked down to sell, like a .97 price tag, looking at the date can tell you how long it's been at that price, which could be important if you're looking for deals. If it's been reduced for a couple of weeks rather than a couple of days and there's still a lot of products left, the store may be willing to reduce the price even more to get it out of the store. AOL

The date stamp on Costco's price tags is a piece of insider intelligence that most members overlook entirely. On a clearance item that has been at the .97 price for several weeks with substantial remaining inventory, there is a reasonable possibility that the price will drop further — potentially to .00 or .88 — if the item is not selling through at its current markdown. Monitoring the date and watching for further price reductions is a strategy that experienced Costco shoppers use for higher-ticket clearance items.

The Complete Costco Price Tag Cheat Sheet

Here is every code summarized in one place — save this, screenshot it, share it with every Costco member you know:

Price Ending	What It Means	What To Do
.99	Regular full price	Buy if you need it — no urgency
.97	Corporate clearance markdown	Buy now — limited quantity, won't last
.00	Manager's final markdown	Inspect it, buy decisively if you want it
.88	Manager's final markdown (store-level)	Same urgency as .00
.49 / .79 / .89	Manufacturer promotional price	Enjoy the deal — temporary discount
Asterisk (*)	Item being discontinued or seasonal ending	Stock up NOW if you love this product
Green tag	Organic product	Confirms organic certification
Date stamp	When price was last changed	Watch for further drops on slow-moving clearance

The Shopping Strategy That Puts It All Together

Knowing the code is only half the strategy. The other half is how you move through the warehouse to make use of it.

Experienced Costco members train themselves to glance at the bottom right of every price tag as they move through the warehouse — not to read the full price, but to register whether the ending is .97, .00, .88, or another clearance signal. This peripheral price-code awareness, practiced over multiple warehouse visits, eventually becomes automatic — a constant low-level scan that catches clearance opportunities without disrupting the rhythm of the shopping trip.

When the clearance signal registers — when you spot the .97 or see the asterisk — stop. Look at the product. Is it something you use, would use, or could use? If yes, act immediately. The most consistently repeated piece of advice from every experienced Costco shopper on every Costco forum, subreddit, and social media community is the same: clearance at Costco moves fast. The item you walked past at .97 on Thursday morning may be gone by Thursday afternoon. The item with the asterisk that you planned to buy on your next visit may not exist on your next visit.

The Costco price tag code system rewards the member who understands it with genuine, meaningful savings opportunities that the uninformed member walks past without recognizing. At MOJO Sales & Branding, we study every dimension of the Costco member experience — from the price tag codes that reward savvy shoppers to the roadshow brands that create the discovery moments members come back to the warehouse for. Contact us at 732.433.7873 or Susan@MOJOSalesandBranding.com.

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