Tracking Costco Prices: The .97 Code, Online Markdowns, and How to Catch Them
Costco’s Cent-Ending Code
Costco uses cent-endings on its price tags the same way Home Depot and Target do — and decoding them is one of the highest-leverage things a Costco shopper can do.
The widely-confirmed pattern at in-store warehouses:
- $X.99 — regular price
- $X.97 — manager’s markdown, store-specific
- $X.49 / $X.79 / $X.89 — manufacturer markdown, applies across stores
- Asterisk in upper-right of price tag — item is being discontinued; will not be restocked
The .97 tag is the one to know. It signals that the store is trying to clear the item, and the price will typically drop further. .97 items frequently end up significantly cheaper, but the inventory on them is finite — when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Online (Costco.com) doesn’t use the cent-code system exactly the same way, but it does have its own signals — most importantly the “After $X OFF” promotional language that appears next to the price. These are the online equivalent of clearance, and they cycle in and out on a roughly monthly schedule.
Why Tracking Costco Online Is Worth It
Most Costco shoppers ignore Costco.com because they associate Costco with the warehouse. That’s a mistake. Costco.com runs:
- Member-only online promotional pricing that’s often deeper than the warehouse
- Free shipping on most items above a certain price floor
- “After $X OFF” instant rebates that stack with manufacturer pricing
- Online-exclusive bundles and bulk-sizes
The “After $X OFF” pricing in particular cycles unpredictably — an item might be $399 regular, $329 with the promo, then back to $399, then $279 with a deeper promo. Tracking the catalog catches each transition.
What an Automated Costco Tracker Watches
A useful Costco price tracker reads:
- Current price (which already reflects “After $X OFF” if active)
- Whether a promo banner is present on the listing
- Whether the price changed since the last scan and by how much
That last one is the alert trigger. Endless monitors Costco.com daily across 600+ category pages — appliances, furniture, flooring, electronics, outdoor, grocery, and seasonal — and writes every price change to a history table. A drop above your threshold sends a daily-digest email; the deepest drops trigger SMS on Premium.
Categories Worth Tracking at Costco
Costco’s catalog is heterogeneous. Some categories barely move in price; others cycle aggressively. Where to focus alerts:
Appliances
The single most valuable category to track. Major appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, ranges, dishwashers) frequently see $300-$1000 “After $X OFF” promotions. Pricing windows are unpredictable but the savings are large enough to wait for.
Furniture
Costco’s furniture pricing is opaque — there’s no MSRP comparison and the “After $X OFF” treatment is the main signal of a real discount. Patio furniture in particular has a strong seasonal pricing cycle (deepest discounts in August-September).
Flooring
Mohawk laminate, vinyl plank, and engineered hardwood at Costco are often the cheapest legitimate options in their categories. Promo pricing on flooring shows up roughly quarterly.
Electronics
TVs cycle around Super Bowl, Q4, and Memorial Day. Audio gear (Bose, Sony, JBL) cycles around the same windows. Computers are less predictable.
Outdoor and Grills
The August-September markdown window is the deepest of the year for outdoor categories. Set alerts to fire in late summer.
Seasonal Holiday
Costco’s holiday items cycle hard right after the holiday. Christmas decor at 50%+ off in early January is routine.
Categories Not Worth Tracking
- Grocery and household basics — prices are already so tight that even a “discount” rarely beats Costco’s regular pricing meaningfully
- Costco Kirkland Signature items — pricing is unusually stable
- Books, media, and small gifts — markdowns happen but rarely meaningful enough to act on
In-Store vs Online Strategy
A practical workflow that combines automated tracking with in-store value:
- Use the online tracker for discovery. Most catalog-wide signals happen online first.
- Use the in-store .97 tag for confirmation. When the online tracker flags a drop, the in-store version is often even cheaper if the warehouse is clearing inventory.
- Verify before driving. Costco’s online stock and warehouse stock often differ. Call the local warehouse if you’re driving for a specific item.
Reading a Costco Drop Alert
When a drop fires, before you buy:
- Is there a promotional banner? If yes, the price is currently discounted and could go back up. Buy or wait, but understand the risk.
- Is the item available in-warehouse near you? If yes, the local price might be even better — and you avoid shipping.
- Does it ship free? Below the free-shipping floor, the shipping cost can erase a small discount.
- Is this a discontinue signal? If the item is being phased out, the price will keep falling but stock will run out. Decide whether you’d rather lock it in now or gamble for a deeper drop and risk it selling out.
The Bottom Line
Costco rewards patient, automated tracking more than almost any other retailer because its pricing windows are deep but irregular. You aren’t going to catch them by checking manually.
Start tracking Costco prices on Endless — free signup, no card. See also our multi-retailer price tracking guide and seasonal clearance calendar for category-by-category timing.