Costco Shoppers Are Abandoning These Kirkland Products: "Worst Things I’ve Ever Tasted"

1. Frozen Chicken Bakes

If you've ever stopped for lunch at the Costco food court, you know that one of the most popular items is the chicken bake—which is probably why the store decided to make a frozen Kirkland-branded version you can bake at home.

But it looks like the product missed the mark, with shoppers saying it's "not even close to the real thing."

"I really like their in-store chicken bakes. Got the frozen ones so I could have them any time I want, and they were awful," someone shared on Reddit.

In fact, Eat This, Not That! writer Zoe Strozewskidid a taste test, comparing the food court version to the frozen one. Of the latter, she said it "fell short in almost every way," so much so that she "couldn't stomach more than a couple of bites."

"For starters, the crust was breadier, thicker, and completely lacking the crispy factor I loved when sampling the fresh Chicken Bake," Strozewski wrote. "The crust had also become oddly gooey wherever it touched the filling, even though I followed the heating instructions exactly. To make matters worse, the filling was dry, had barely any bacon, and straight up lacked flavor."

2. Toilet paper

If you're reading this and are shocked that anyone could dislike Kirkland toilet paper, there's a good chance you live on the East Coast.

"The toilet paper seems very regional. On the east coast (NC) our Kirkland TP is great, but I noticed in UT recently that the Kirkland TP is total trash and might as well be one-ply sandpaper," wrote one Costco member.

Someone who works at a paper plant that produces Kirkland toilet paper agreed that it's likely a regional issue. "It’s actually produced on the same lines that produce Angel Soft, which isn’t a gold standard by any means but I’ve found them very comparable," they shared.

However, there are plenty of shoppers who despise this toilet paper.

One shopper in Minnesota wrote that their Kirkland toilet paper is "nothing like cottonelle and is so dusty it fills my entire bathroom with dust immediately," adding, "It was awesome 5 years ago."

"I loved it from 2009-2020. Then the paper dust storms began," shared someone else. "Gave them a couple years to straighten out…started seeing other toilet papers in 2022. Still haven’t found one I love, but won’t buy Kirkland until I hear it is better."

"It’s thinner and papery. Sad as I’ve used it for years too but now it’s too rough. It feels closer to single ply than anything," noted a third.

And from yet another unhappy customer: "You need a gas mask for the amount of dust that comes off that toilet paper."

RELATED: 7 Ways to Get Things for Free at Costco.

3. Batteries

"Kirkland batteries are trash and every single one leaks," shared one Redditor. "I’m referring to the gold ones with a red stripe."

This comment received 53 replies, including someone saying they had to stop using Kirkland batteries five years ago: "I can't tell you how many of my devices they blew up in and ruined."

In addition to leaking, the batteries have a "terrible shelf life," some shoppers say.

However, others argue that they're made by Duracell and, therefore, must be high-quality.

"Although Duracell makes the Kirkland branded batteries, they don’t manufacture them with Duralock, Duracell’s patented technology to prevent battery leakage," theorized one commentor.

4. Cold brew coffee cans

"The cold brew in the silver can is one of the worst things i’ve ever tasted in my life," wrote the next Redditor, referring to the Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee.

"They taste exactly like, [coffee] in a can if we were in the 1950, Like it has some weird sweet metallic flavor that you wonder if it has lead in it," agreed another commenter.

"Truly the worst coffee I’ve had in my life. A memorably bad experience," said a third.

5. Laundry detergent pods

It's a common belief that the Kirkland laundry pods are a dupe for Tide, but not all Costco shoppers are convinced.

"They only partially dissolve and turn into a gluey mess," a Redditor shared. "These were the one and only Costco purchase I’ve ever just thrown out. Went straight back to Tide pods."

"Never before have I had so much pod residue on clothes after I wash. I have to send them through again to remove the sticky plastic," another shopper agreed.

Others take issue with the smell, or lack thereof, of their laundry after using Kirkland pods.

"My laundry has never had that fresh/clean smell. Then I used actual tide pods at my in-laws (the regular ones not the specially scented ones) and my clothes smelt so much better and fresher," someone else wrote.