The Costco Seasonal Shopping Calendar 2026: The Complete Month-by-Month Guide to Buying Everything at the Right Time

There is a version of Costco membership that most members are using. And there is a version that a small, informed subset of members are using — the one that involves knowing not just where to find the best prices, but when.

The when is where most of the real money is at Costco. Patio furniture bought in March costs 40 to 50 percent more than patio furniture bought in August. Holiday decor bought in December costs 50 to 75 percent more than the same items bought in January.

Swimwear purchased in May costs more than swimwear purchased in early July. The products are the same. The pricing is dramatically different.

Costco's seasonal inventory follows a predictable annual rhythm that repeats with enough consistency to plan around. The warehouse arrivals anticipate seasons by one to two months. The clearance windows arrive as each season winds down, offering the deepest available discounts to the member willing to buy for the following year. The coupon books activate at predictable intervals, making specific product categories cheapest during specific monthly windows.

This guide is the complete month-by-month calendar — what arrives when, what goes on clearance when, and the specific buying strategy for every major category.

The Fundamental Principle: Buy for Next Year at This Year's End-of-Season Prices

Before the month-by-month breakdown, the single most commercially significant principle of Costco seasonal shopping deserves explicit statement:

The best time to buy seasonal merchandise at Costco is at the end of the season, for use next year — not at the beginning of the season when selection is best but prices are highest.

A member who buys patio furniture at peak spring pricing in March pays full warehouse price. A member who buys the same furniture at end-of-summer clearance in August pays 40 to 50 percent less — and uses it next season. A member who buys Christmas decorations in December pays full holiday price. A member who buys the same decorations in January pays 50 to 75 percent less — and stores them for next year.

The discipline required is the willingness to defer gratification and plan twelve months ahead. For members who can develop this discipline, the savings on seasonal categories can represent hundreds of dollars per year without any sacrifice in product quality, availability, or selection — because the clearance products are the same products that sold at full price earlier in the season.

January: Post-Holiday Clearance and the Best Deals of the Year

January is one of the two strongest clearance months in the entire Costco calendar — the post-holiday purge that creates the deepest discounts available on seasonal merchandise anywhere in the year.

Holiday decor (ornaments, lights, wrapping supplies, decorative items) goes to 50 percent off or more as Costco clears the warehouse for spring merchandise. Members who want holiday decorations for next year — or who simply want to add to their existing collection at a fraction of the cost — shop this window rather than December.

Winter apparel (coats, boots, cold-weather gear) receives aggressive clearance pricing in January as Costco rotates toward spring clothing inventory. The .97 and .00 markdowns on quality winter outerwear in January represent some of the best per-item clothing values in the warehouse all year.

Gift sets and boxed items left over from the holiday gift-buying season hit clearance quickly in January. Premium gift sets that sold for $50 to $80 in November and December may appear at $25 to $35 in January clearance.

Fitness equipment gets January attention as the New Year resolution inventory that did not sell through in December goes to clearance in late January and February. The January gym equipment cycle at Costco tends to produce meaningful markdowns on exercise gear that arrived in October and November in anticipation of holiday gifting demand.

New Year's food and beverage items (sparkling wines, premium snacks, celebration food) clear quickly after January 1 at prices that reward members who shop the week after New Year's.

January is also when Costco begins stocking Valentine's Day merchandise — arriving typically in the first or second week of the month for a February 14 holiday. Early January Valentine's items are at full holiday pricing; members who wait until February 15 will find them on clearance.

February: Valentine's Clearance and the First Spring Arrivals

Valentine's Day merchandise clears on February 15 with markdowns on chocolate assortments, floral arrangements, and gift items that become deeply discounted within hours of the holiday's passing.

The first spring merchandise begins arriving in late February — particularly in warmer climate markets where Costco's regional buying teams anticipate seasonal demand earlier. Members in California, Florida, and the South may begin seeing spring patio furniture, garden supplies, and outdoor merchandise arrive by late February. Members in colder markets typically see spring merchandise arrive a month later.

February is also the beginning of the appliance deal cycle. Consumer Reports and industry reporting consistently name February as one of the best months to buy major appliances alongside Memorial Day — as new models arrive in spring and retailers discount late-cycle inventory from the previous year.

March: Spring Arrival — Full Price, Best Selection

March is when the full spring merchandise assortment arrives at most Costco locations nationwide: patio furniture, garden supplies, outdoor recreational equipment, spring clothing, and the first wave of grills and outdoor cooking equipment.

The March arrival timing is important to understand: March is when the selection is at its absolute best. It is also when the pricing is at its highest. Members who need specific styles, specific configurations, or specific sizes shop March to ensure availability. Members who are flexible and can defer to clearance shop August.

Garden supplies — soil, planters, seed kits, outdoor plants — arrive in March and May and are some of the fastest-moving seasonal items. Unlike patio furniture, garden supplies do not have a meaningful end-of-season clearance cycle because they sell through reliably during the spring planting window. Members who want garden supplies buy them in season rather than waiting for clearance that may not materialize.

New coupon books launching in March and April typically include outdoor entertainment and spring-preparation product categories — lawn care, garden tools, and outdoor cooking items. Checking the March coupon book before a spring warehouse visit frequently surfaces meaningful discounts on the specific outdoor products on the shopping list.

April and May: Peak Spring and Memorial Day

April through May represents peak spring shopping at Costco — the highest traffic period for outdoor merchandise, grills, furniture, and spring clothing. The selection is excellent. The pricing is full.

Memorial Day — typically the last Monday of May — generates Costco's most significant spring sales event. The Memorial Day sale features discounts across major appliances, outdoor furniture, grills, and electronics. Up to $700 off major appliances is a consistent Memorial Day feature. Grill markdowns of $50 to $150 frequently appear. Electronics receive meaningful Memorial Day discounts.

Memorial Day is the right time to buy appliances for members who need them immediately. For members who can defer, end-of-year clearance may offer comparable or better pricing — but Memorial Day is the spring pricing floor for the appliance category.

Swimwear and summer apparel arrives in April and May at full seasonal pricing. Members who need swimwear for an imminent trip buy in this window for selection. Members who can wait until early July frequently find significant clearance.

June: Summer Peak and the Seasonal Food Calendar

June is Costco's summer content peak — the warehouse at its most festive, most abundant, and most stocked for the seasonal consumption patterns that summer generates.

The June 2026 new arrivals illustrate the seasonal pattern: Poppi Shirley Temple prebiotic sodas (18-pack, $26.49), Frosty Peach and Mango fruit-shaped ice cream bars ($13.61), SunVilla patio umbrellas ($149.99), Kirkland Signature Smoked Pork Back Ribs ($10.20/lb ready to eat), Kinder's Variety Seasoning Pack ($49.99), and summer-oriented snacks, beverages, and outdoor entertaining supplies.

The summer seasonal food cycle is important for budget-conscious members: summer BBQ items (ribs, brisket, specialty meats, marinades, premium condiments) are most abundant in June and July. Members who want the summer food selection buy in June. Members who want to capture post-summer clearance on non-perishable summer items — seasonings, non-food outdoor entertaining supplies — check August.

Father's Day (mid-June) generates specific Costco product arrivals and promotions — golf equipment, premium spirits, grilling accessories, and tech gadgets positioned as Father's Day gifts. The week of Father's Day sees these items at peak availability. Costco is open on Father's Day (it falls on Sunday) with standard Sunday hours.

July: Summer Clearance Begins and the July 4th Window

Early July is the beginning of the summer clearance window for soft seasonal merchandise — swimwear, beach gear, and summer apparel that arrived in May begins receiving clearance markdowns in early July as Costco anticipates the fall merchandise rotation.

The July 4th week generates specific Costco arrivals: Kirkland Signature Red, White, and Blue Cookies (available in 600+ warehouses), patriotic-themed food and beverage items, and the seasonal food and entertaining supply stocking that precedes major holiday weekends.

By mid-July, members who want to capture summer clearance on swimwear and beach apparel should shop — because Costco moves inventory quickly when seasonal rotation begins, and items that go to .97 clearance in mid-July may sell out before August.

The July new arrivals for 2026 include Chobani Pistachio coffee creamer (selling out quickly at some locations), Kirkland Signature Waffle Cone Bar Cake (strong member reviews), Kirkland Signature Marshmallow Crispy Cookies (returning fan favorite), and King's Hawaiian Savory Butter Slider Buns — communicating the shift toward summer entertaining favorites.

August and September: The Best Clearance Window of the Year

August through September is, alongside January, the strongest clearance window in the entire Costco annual calendar. This is when the most significant price reductions on the most significant product categories occur simultaneously:

Patio furniture receives clearance markdowns of 40 to 60 percent as Costco makes room for fall and holiday merchandise. A seven-piece patio dining set that sold for $999 in April appears at $599 or less in August. This is the single most impactful seasonal timing decision available to Costco members — the difference between March pricing and August pricing on outdoor furniture is not marginal.

Grills and outdoor cooking equipment receive clearance markdowns in August as the outdoor cooking season winds down. Members who want a premium grill at clearance pricing buy in August for next season.

Summer sporting goods (pool supplies, kayaks, paddleboards, beach gear) receive aggressive August markdowns as warehouses transition the floor space to fall merchandise.

Back-to-school supplies see a brief clearance in late August and early September as the back-to-school rush ends and remaining inventory goes to markdown.

October and November: Halloween, Autumn Arrivals and Black Friday Preparation

Halloween merchandise arrives as early as late August at some locations — candy displays in late August is a Costco pattern that has been consistent for years. Members who want specific candy varieties shop early; varieties sell out before October 31 at many locations.

Fall and Thanksgiving food items arrive in October: premium holiday baking supplies, specialty imported cheeses, premium meats for holiday entertaining, and the seasonal prepared foods that generate the most member enthusiasm of the food calendar year.

The Holiday Savings Book — Costco's separate Black Friday promotional catalog — arrives in mailboxes during the week of October 19 (predicted for 2026). The first wave of Black Friday deals launches October 30 and runs through November 15. Members who review the Holiday Savings Book on arrival and shop Wave 1 capture the full Black Friday discount on electronics and appliances at peak inventory availability.

Christmas merchandise begins arriving in mid-to-late October — one of the most consistently early Christmas arrivals of any major retailer. Members who want specific holiday items shop October and early November. Members who want clearance pricing shop January.

December: Holiday Peak and the Year's Highest Prices

December is simultaneously the most inventory-rich and the most price-elevated month of the Costco calendar. Holiday food, gift items, premium spirits, decorations, and seasonal merchandise are fully stocked and at seasonal premium pricing.

The December buying strategy for budget-conscious members: identify items that genuinely cannot wait until January clearance and purchase those specifically. For holiday items needed for this year's celebrations — food for this week's party, gifts for this weekend's exchange — December is the necessary purchasing window. For everything else, January delivers the same products at meaningfully lower prices.

December is also when Costco is closed for Thanksgiving Day — and closed for Christmas Day. Christmas Eve hours are abbreviated (typically closing at 5 p.m.). Members who need last-minute holiday supplies on December 24 should arrive early.

The Coupon Book Calendar: Maximizing the Monthly Discount Cycle

Costco's monthly Member Savings coupon books activate on the first Wednesday of each month and typically run for three to four weeks.

The coupon book calendar for the year follows a predictable pattern of category emphasis that aligns with the seasonal purchasing priorities:

January-February: health supplements, vitamins, cleaning supplies, appliances March-April: outdoor, garden, spring apparel; May-June: outdoor entertainment, grills, summer food; July-August: back-to-school, electronics; September-October: health and wellness, household staples; November-December: electronics, appliances, Holiday Savings Book

The most financially rewarding habit: review the current coupon book before every warehouse visit. For any item in the coupon book that you were planning to buy anyway, the discount is immediate and automatic. For any large purchase (appliance, electronics, furniture) made in the days before a new coupon book launches, check whether that item appears in the new book within the 30-day price adjustment window.

The Complete Annual Buying Strategy at a Glance

Category	Buy In Season (Selection)	Buy Off-Season (Price)	Clearance Window
Patio furniture	March-April	August	Aug-Sept (40-60% off)
Grills	April-May	August	Aug-Sept
Pool/summer recreation	May-June	July-August	July-Aug
Swimwear/summer apparel	May	July	Early July
Back-to-school	July-August	Late Aug	Late Aug-Sept
Major appliances	Memorial Day, year-round	Year-round	February, November
Electronics	Year-round	Black Friday Wave 1	Oct 30
Holiday decor	Oct-Dec (selection)	January	Jan (50-75% off)
Winter apparel	October-November	January	January
Gift sets	November-December	January	January
Fitness equipment	October-November	February	Late Jan-Feb
Garden supplies	March-May	No significant clearance	—
Seasonal food items	In-season	No clearance on perishables	—

At MOJO Sales & Branding, we track every dimension of Costco's seasonal merchandising calendar — because understanding when members are most primed for discovery is commercial intelligence that every roadshow brand needs. Contact us at 732.433.7873 or Susan@MOJOSalesandBranding.com.

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