Are you in the market for a couple of basic new menswear items for fall and winter? Like a wet-weather jacket or a flannel shirt? This post has tips for buying menswear at Costco.
Give Costco a try.
I’ve bought a number of clothing items at Costco over the years, and have been mostly happy with the results. This has included shirts of various types, sweaters, a few pants, a sport coat, socks, and underwear.
But keep in mind a few basic tips for shopping menswear at Costco.
Limited, seasonal selection
Costco isn’t a full-service clothing store. They have a limited number of items, featured seasonally. As with most other stores, the fall and winter stock comes in during the mid to late summer. Spring and summer stock appears in late winter.
Most of what Costco carries could be considered casual, with a slant toward outdoorsy items. Some of it would work for “Casual Fridays” in many business settings, with some slacks and dress shirts as well. But much of what you’ll find is along the lines of flannel shirts, casual pants, shorts, Polo type shirts, shorts, sweaters, jackets and windbreakers, etc. They carry brand names such as Levis, Orvis, Calvin Klein, etc., as well as a number of their own Kirkland brand items.
So if you’re in the market for something along those lines, you can find great deals on quality items. Costco is an especially great place for jackets and outerwear of certain types. But with the limited selection, either they have something you like or they don’t. And most items don’t return from year to year–the inventory rarely repeats. Exceptions to this would be things like their Kirkland dress shirts, Kirkland denim jeans, Levi’s jeans, socks and underwear. You can find most of these items year-around.
The main thing is to avoid buying something just because of the ridiculously low prices. If you don’t like something that much, or it doesn’t fit, you probably won’t wear it much. In that case you have wasted your money, and it is not such a good deal after all.
No dressing rooms or mirrors
When buying at Costco, it helps to know your size. You can pull on things like jackets and sweaters in the store, but there is no way to try on shirts and pants. Just buy the closest size and try them on at home. If they don’t fit, you can return them. Or, as you’ll hear me often suggest, you can take items to a tailor for alterations to get the right fit.
Generous return policy
I’ve returned a number of items to Costco, most of the time because they don’t fit. I’ve never been questioned or had a problem with a return. Most items are displayed in stacks on display tables, and aren’t packaged. So you can return things and they’ll simply fold them and put them back on display. Just leave tags on until you’re sure you’ll keep the item.
Sizes run large
Be aware that selections are better in the larger sizes, and that most sizes run large to begin with. Note the jacket I tried on in the photo. I often wear medium or large in outerwear. There were a lot more of these jackets in stock in the Large to XXL sizes. I tried Large, and it was, well, large. Even Medium was too big on me. Digging down I found a small, and discovered it fit pretty well. I’ve had this experience on other items at Costco. So try things on, and don’t assume that what you’ve thought is your size will always work. It may or it may not.
Learn Costco’s pricing structure
Costco has a coded system for their prices. You can save even more if you keep these things in mind:
Items ending in .98 or .99 are Costco’s regular price and aren’t specially marked down. Keep in mind that Costco’s prices are already ridiculously low. They cap the markup at 15% over the store’s price on their own Kirkland brand. They cap the markup at just 14% for brand names.
If an item is priced ending in .97, that means it is discounted, at manager’s discretion, often a seasonal item they want to move.
Items ending in .88 or .00 are even more deeply discounted, generally for discontinued or damaged stock. A double asterisk in the upper right corner on a sign may also indicate a similar discount.
Summary
Even if you only need the occasional item, it doesn’t hurt to check out Costco’s clothing options. Shirts and outerwear are especially good choices. They tend to carry sport/casual kinds of things, so if that reflects your look, you may find some things you like. The prices are so affordable that it pays to look. Remember, if you want to look your best, Fit is King. Choose items that either fit already, or will fit with a little alteration.
For more posts specifically on men’s style, see:
Style and Appearance: why even care
