The Kirkland Signature Brand Lunch Meat Costco Customers Regret Buying

Costco's in-house brand, Kirkland Signature, usually delivers products that customers love, like the best pesto you've ever tasted or extra virgin olive oil for an unbelievable price — but that's not always the case. Sometimes the brand releases products that flop with customers, like Kirkland's failed version of boxed mac and cheese or that time Costco launched a beer that customers hated. Shoppers won't find those two products on Costco shelves at all, but there is something lingering in the deli section you might want to avoid: a type of lunch meat that has been generating a bit of online chatter.

Customers say you should avoid buying Kirkland Signature's oven-roasted, pre-sliced turkey breast lunch meat from the deli at Costco, and there's more than one reason. Redditors say it's slimy straight out of the package, with a strange film on the meat that they find unpleasant. Customers also say the pre-sliced turkey deli meat is difficult to pull out of the package. It tears instead of flaking off the stack in one uniform slice, turning your lunchtime sandwich into a bit of a mess. 

Some have also pointed out the deli meat has a weird texture that's too uniform and smoother than what they expect from sliced turkey — especially because some people say this is one Costco Kirkland Signature food that doesn't taste like it used to. Folks that have purchased this product before said it used to "taste and feel like turkey actually cut off your Thanksgiving turkey" rather than "basic deli meat" (via Reddit).

Some Redditors suggested the slime on Kirkland Signature's oven-roasted, pre-sliced turkey breast isn't a bad thing – it's just extra fat that has solidified on the surface of the meat in the fridge. Just fry it up in a pan, some suggest, and you'll find the pre-sliced deli turkey to be delicious. Others warn against potential food poisoning, especially if the meat has an off smell. 

Quite a few customers suggest ditching Kirkland's pre-sliced turkey altogether and looking behind the deli counter for the good stuff. Redditors said turkey from the deli is way better if you have the people working the counter slice it fresh. Another suggested buying the whole chunk of unsliced meat so it stays fresher longer.

Kirkland Signature has a whole variety of lunch meats available at the Costco deli that can take the place of that pre-sliced turkey. Black Forest ham is one of the Costco meats you should buy instead, according to Redditors, and there are many other options at the warehouse grocery store if you want to completely avoid the whole slimy turkey situation and still enjoy the convenience and protein boost you get from processed deli meats.