Costco Cut Walnuts to $9.99, but Beef Is Still Pricier for New Jerseyans
Costco says it cut the price of Kirkland Signature walnuts from $13.79 to $9.99.
But the company also acknowledged that beef is still costing more.
The figures come from Costco’s earnings update, so what’s on your shelf in New Jersey could differ.
Here’s what the update says about both.
Where the Prices Come From
Costco’s fiscal fourth quarter ran 16 weeks and ended Aug. 30, 2026.
Chief financial officer (CFO) Gary Millerchip named the Kirkland cuts as examples of price cuts made that quarter.
The goal is to be first to lower prices where Costco sees a chance.
Costco’s chief executive, Ron Vachris, said the cuts covered everyday items in produce, meat and beverages, plus some home furnishings and hardware.
They came mainly in the second half of the quarter.
So the new Kirkland prices are numbers Costco reported. They’re not a shelf check at a New Jersey warehouse.
Your tag may differ.
Costco’s earnings release said it ran 939 warehouses, including 647 in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The Walnut Price Drop
The biggest dollar drop on the CFO’s list went to Kirkland Signature walnuts, from $13.79 to $9.99.
That’s $3.80 off, or about 28%. Put another way, $100 worth of walnuts at the old price would cost about $72 at the new one.
Kirkland Signature is Costco’s store brand.
Costco’s annual report says it believes those products sell at prices that are generally lower than national brands.
Food Republic priced the 3-pound Kirkland Signature bag at $13.69 when it ranked Costco’s nuts in February 2026.
That’s within a dime of the $13.79 starting point.
The new $9.99 sits $3.70 under that February price.
Go back to June 2023, and Eat This reported Costco’s online price for a 3-pound bag at $8.99.
A dollar still separates the two.
Costco Walnuts, Priced by the Pound
A 3-pound bag of Kirkland Signature walnuts at $13.79 comes to about $4.60 a pound.
At $9.99, the same bag costs about $3.33 a pound.
That’s about 29 cents an ounce before the cut and 21 cents after.
These figures assume the 3-pound bag Costco lists as Kirkland Signature Walnut Halves.
Three Smaller Kirkland Cuts
The CFO’s list had three more Kirkland Signature cuts. You may already buy one of them.
Colombian whole-bean coffee went from $21.99 to $19.99, a $2 drop of about 9%.
Dry facial towels went from $19.99 to $18.99. Coarse black pepper went from $6.99 to $5.99.
Percentages change the order.
Pepper’s $1 works out to about 14%, deeper than the coffee’s $2 at about 9%.
Buy one of each of the four items, and your basket drops from $62.76 to $54.96.
That’s $7.80 less.
What Costco Says About Beef
An analyst asked Costco’s CFO to explain the quarter’s inflation.
Beef came up.
Overall inflation during the quarter stayed in the low single digits.
Nonfood items rose mainly because of memory costs in consumer electronics, gas and petroleum-based goods.
If beef is on your list, it’s a good example of a category where Costco still sees inflation.
Resins, steel and flour showed some inflation too.
Dairy, butter and cheese went the other way. That offset part of the increases.
Eggs were on the falling list too, and federal data agrees.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average for a dozen large Grade A eggs was $2.27 in August 2026.
A year earlier it was $3.59.
That’s a drop of more than $1.30, or about 37%.
Beef is the exception.
Fewer Beef Cows Behind Your Meat Case
Costco’s beef comment comes as the supply behind your meat case is shrinking.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s July cattle report put beef cows at 28.5 million on July 1, 2026.
That’s down 1% from a year earlier.
The department’s Economic Research Service (ERS) puts federally inspected beef production about 2% lower than a year earlier.
Psst! Let’s see how much you know about Costco. Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Costco Price Tag IQ
Answer these questions on Costco memberships and warehouses. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Costco’s September 2024 membership fee increase affected around how many memberships?
What You Pay for Beef Outside Costco
Federal price data backs up what Costco says about beef.
The BLS average for 100% ground beef was $6.92 a pound nationwide in August 2026.
A year earlier it was $6.32. That's a rise of about 9.6%.
If you shop in the Northeast, the Census region that includes New Jersey, ground beef averaged $6.99 a pound in August.
In August 2025 it was $6.16.
That's 83 cents more on your pound, or about 13%. So a 2-pound pack costs about $1.66 more.
The Northeast rise is bigger.
Beef and veal prices were 5.9% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025, while grocery store food prices rose 2.2%.
Beef and veal prices did fall 0.6% from July to August.
But ERS still forecasts a 9.4% rise for beef and veal in 2026, against 2.9% for all food.
Only About a Dozen Buffets Remain
What would you pay for an all-you-can-eat buffet?
The few that remain might surprise you.
Only About a Dozen Buffets Remain on the Strip, Ranging From $80 to $175, AP Reports
