This Secret Costco Hack Will Change The Way You Shop At The Meat Counter

If you're a bargain shopper, you're bound to love shopping hacks and secrets. One of the best places to get the most bang for your buck is arguably Costco, the second largest retailer in the world behind Walmart, via Statista. Any bargain hunter knows that the warehouse sells high-quality goods in bulk. Plus, their meat selection is nothing to sneeze at. The cost of Costco's ground beef with 12% fat, for instance, varies from location to location, but is typically around $3.49 per pound.

While this is already an excellent price, one Reddit user revealed a secret way to get lean ground beef at an even lower cost. The next time you are at the meat counter, ask for a 10-pound "chub." According to the user, a chub is the ground beef before it gets mixed with fat trimmings. "The way we make it is we take our fat trimmings from cutting steaks and mix it with the chubs to bring up the fat content and increase our profits," the user explained. "The 10lb chubs are probably sitting around 5% – 8% fat and only cost $2.99 a pound! You'll have to ask for these specifically as we don't normally put them out for sale."

Should Costco shoppers trust the word of one Redditor? Many people who commented under the original Reddit post were skeptical. However, those that tried out the tip promised that it worked. "[I] popped in yesterday to my local [Costco] and... this one worked!" one Reddit user wrote. "The butcher was a little surprised that I wanted a whole chub but he weighed it, labeled it and passed it out the window to me. The cashier ringing it up said he had never seen it before."

If you want to put this Costco hack to the test, remember that the pricing may vary depending on where you live. Costco Wholesale states that this may be caused by local competition with other stores, the cost of shipping items, and other factors. Indeed, one user confirmed that price points may change for the ground beef chubs. "I put this tip to use yesterday," the Redditor wrote under the original post. "Worked like a charm, although my pricing was $3.19/lb. Still less expensive than the regular ground beef! Thanks for the tip!" If these Costco buyers are willing to try it, it may be worth the ask. Put this hack to the test the next time you're strolling through the meat section.