Costco Japan Secrets

This article documents some “secrets” about shopping at Costco Japan.

Pepperoni Pizza

Costco Japan generally sells three flavors of pizza in the food court, and the selection of flavors changes occasionally. Pepperoni pizza, a staple in the US, is often off the menu. Even when it is not advertised, however, it is (usually?) possible to order whole pepperoni pizzas. Ask a cashier. Note that only whole pepperoni pizzas can be purchased when it is not on the menu; you cannot order slices.

Price Tags

Large white price tags are displayed near products, such as on the product shelf. These price tags show the name of the product, the price, and other information.

When an asterisk (*) is displayed at the top right of the price tag, there are no plans to restock the product. When the available products sell out, the product will no longer be available.

When a plus (+) is displayed at the top right of the price tag, the next shipment of the product is not yet scheduled. When the available products sell out, it may be some time before the products are available again.

When a lowercase (i) or uppercase (I) “I” character is displayed at the top right of the price tag, additional information about the product is available, usually nearby. This is common for expensive electronic products.

When the price of a product (including tax) ends with 77 or 66, it is discounted. In other words, the price is lower than usual, even though a sale is not advertised. 77 indicates a discount at all warehouses, while the 66 indicates a discount at the current warehouse.

A date in YYYYMMDD format is displayed at the left of the bar code at the bottom of the price tag. This is the date that the price tag was created. If a product is new, it can give you a hint about when it became available. For other products, it can give you a hint about when the price was last changed.

Pumpkin Pie

In the US, pumpkin pie is often eaten around Thanksgiving, near the end of November. Costco Japan markets pumpkin pies for Halloween, however. They are generally sold during the month of October and are no longer available in November. They are sometimes even sold out before the final week of October. If you wait until close to Thanksgiving, you will likely not be able to purchase a pie.

Pumpkin pies freeze well, however! Scrape off the Halloween whipped cream decorations and slice the pie before freezing it. You can individually wrap each slice or freeze the slices together. It should keep for up to six months, though quality decreases over time. To thaw, simply move the frozen slices to your refrigerator the day before you want to eat them. If you want to eat a Costco pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, purchase it in mid-October and freeze it.