The Simple Request That Can Get You A Cart Full Of Costco Bakery Items On The Cheap

Yep, you read that right — a cart full of Costco bakery items on the cheap. This is one of the greatest hidden secrets of the Costco bakery, and the simple request is to ask the bakery department if you can purchase items by the case. Certain items in the Costco bakery are made fresh in-house while others are delivered frozen and require baking or finishing before they are ready to sell. Frozen, unbaked items as well as items that arrive frozen but need some sort of finishing touch before being added to store shelves are typically the types of products that will be available to purchase by the case at a cheaper per-item price.

The selection of items available by the case can vary depending on the location. In Canada, Costco explicitly offers several bakery products for sale by the case, including an eight-pack of its Tuxedo cake as well as a six-pack of its plain cheesecake, each for roughly $100. Canadian Costcos also sell 200 croissants for $73, 80 bagels for $40, and 160 ciabatta buns for $30. Meanwhile, frozen cases of Costco's bakery cookie dough are offered at American Costco Business Centers for a discounted price. Before you start whipping up big dinner plans, it's best to check with your local Costco to see what's available by the case. 

Wherever you're shopping, the pricing of these bakery cases is hard to beat. It's especially worthwhile if you regularly purchase these items for yourself, sell them at a food establishment, or you simply need a large quantity for an event, like a wedding or work gathering. Where else can you get a high-quality 12-inch cheesecake for $16 (unless you make your own three-ingredient, no-bake cheesecake)? That's what each cheesecake works out to when a six-pack is purchased for $100. Typically one plain cheesecake from a Costco in Canada is $27, making that a savings of $62 dollars total or $11 each.

The savings you get with the cheesecake is comparable to the other bakery-by-the-case items, which is where buying in bulk can really pay off. And since these items come frozen, that makes it easy to preserve the amount purchased and simply thaw what you need when you need it. For shoppers who regularly go through these products, a case purchase could turn a routine Costco bakery run into much more significant grocery savings over time.