The Costco Seasonal Calendar 2026: Exactly When to Buy Everything for Maximum Savings

Timing is the most underestimated savings variable at Costco. Every experienced member knows about the price codes, the Executive membership math, and the pharmacy savings.

Far fewer understand the predictable, repeating seasonal patterns that determine when specific product categories are at their best pricing, their freshest inventory, and their most complete selection — and when they are at clearance pricing that will not be repeated until the same season next year.

Costco's sales follow predictable patterns. The biggest seasonal clearance windows are January (post-holiday) and late summer (August through September). Seasonal transitions bring the deepest discounts — sometimes 40 to 75 percent off original prices. Warehousequote

Costco clears space aggressively when seasons change. This is when the deepest discounts appear. When floor space needs to change, prices drop fast. Items that were full price weeks earlier can suddenly hit clearance with no warning. Azzule

This guide is the complete Costco seasonal calendar — a month-by-month, category-specific guide to exactly when every major purchase category reaches its best pricing, its best selection, or its deepest clearance at Costco. Bookmark it. Return to it before every major purchase. Use it to plan the purchases that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars a year.

January: Post-Holiday Clearance and New Year Resolution Products

January is one of the two best clearance months of the entire Costco year — the month when the holiday inventory that did not sell through December is marked down to make floor space available for the spring reset that begins in February.

The deepest discounts typically roll out beginning December 26 and into the new year — there's a chance to save up to 90% on decor, gifts and toys for the year ahead. MOJO

Best to buy in January:

Holiday decor for next year: Christmas decorations: Buy in January at 50 to 75 percent off. The counterintuitive wisdom of buying Christmas decorations in January rather than November is one of the most consistent savings strategies available at Costco — the same decorations that sold for $49.99 in November are marked down to $12.97 in January.

Members with storage space who are willing to plan a year ahead capture savings that add up meaningfully over time. Warehousequote

Winter apparel at clearance pricing: Winter apparel — coats, boots, cold-weather gear — gets marked down hard in January. Costco's January clothing clearance is the deepest apparel discount window of the year for cold-weather items. Sizes thin out quickly, but members who shop early in January find genuine bargains on high-quality winter outerwear at a fraction of the full-season price. Azzule

Health and fitness products at peak selection: January is the month when Costco's health and fitness product selection reaches its annual peak — coinciding with the New Year resolution surge that drives member demand for exercise equipment, fitness supplements, and wellness products. Selection is strongest in early January before popular items sell through.

Gift sets and holiday baskets at clearance: The leftover holiday gift baskets, specialty food sets, and boxed gift products that did not sell through December move to clearance in the first two weeks of January — often at 50 percent or more off their holiday pricing.

February: Valentines's Day Finds and Appliance Season Begins

February marks the beginning of Costco's major appliance sales season — this is one of the best times to buy appliances all year. The specific commercial logic: Costco's spring merchandising brings new appliance models and configurations as part of the pre-spring home improvement surge, and the buying team begins running promotions on appliances to clear existing inventory in advance of new model arrivals. Warehousequote

Best to buy in February:

Major appliances: Refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers are frequently featured in February promotions as Costco transitions to spring home goods focus. The combination of end-of-season pricing on existing models and strong competition for member appliance spending makes February one of the commercially strongest months for appliance purchases.

Valentine's Day specialty food: Costco's Valentine's Day food assortment — premium chocolate, specialty candy, and gift food — appears in early February and frequently goes on clearance the week after Valentine's Day, often within the 30-day window of any purchases made during the holiday period.

Winter sporting goods at clearance: Ski and snowboard equipment, winter fitness gear, and cold-weather outdoor products begin moving toward clearance as February signals the end of their primary commercial season.

March and April: The Spring Reset — The Most Exciting Merchandise Transition of the Year

For food and beverage brands, the spring reset represents one of the most favorable discovery environments in the entire Costco year — members are actively looking for the seasonal finds that will define their spring and summer experiences, and the treasure hunt psychology is operating at maximum intensity. SQFI

The spring reset is when Costco undergoes its most dramatic annual merchandise transformation — winter products moving to final clearance while spring merchandise arrives in full abundance. For members, this two-to-three-week window in March and April is the most commercially rich period of the year for two simultaneous reasons: winter clearance is at its deepest pricing while spring merchandise is at its freshest selection.

Best to buy in March and April:

Patio furniture — early season selection advantage: The spring patio furniture assortment arrives in March and April with the year's most complete selection across styles, colors, and configurations. Members who purchase early in the spring season capture the best selection — the specific pieces they want rather than whatever remains after weeks of member traffic.

The trade-off: early-season pricing is full price. Members who prioritize selection buy in March. Members who prioritize pricing wait until late summer clearance (see August below).

Garden and outdoor supplies: Seeds, potting soil, garden tools, and outdoor equipment reach their best selection and most competitive pricing in the spring window when Costco's buying team has allocated full commercial attention to the category.

Spring clothing new arrivals: Costco's spring apparel arrives in March and April — the freshest selection of the year for warm-weather clothing before the in-demand sizes and styles sell through.

Easter and spring seasonal food: Specialty food and seasonal products tied to Easter and spring entertaining are featured in March and April, often with limited quantities that sell through before the holiday.

May and June: Peak Discovery Season — Barbecue, Outdoor, and Summer Food

June through August is Costco's peak summer commercial period — the highest annual traffic window for most warehouse locations, driven by the convergence of school vacation schedules, outdoor entertaining season, barbecue and patio living. SQFI

Best to buy in May and June:

Barbecue grills and outdoor cooking equipment: The fullest selection of the year for outdoor cooking equipment arrives in May and June — before the summer barbecue season reaches peak intensity and popular models sell through. Members who plan a grill purchase should target May for the best combination of selection and competitive pricing before the summer demand premium applies.

Summer entertaining food and beverage: The Costco food assortment in May and June reflects the outdoor entertaining season — party-sized snack selections, premium prepared foods for outdoor gatherings, and the seasonal food discoveries (like the Häagen-Dazs Dubai chocolate bars) that become the year's most viral Costco food finds.

Outdoor sporting goods at peak selection: Kayaks, paddleboards, bikes, and outdoor fitness equipment reach their best selection in May and June — before summer demand depletes popular models. Popular outdoor equipment sells through quickly and may not be restocked, making the May-June window the critical purchasing period for members planning summer outdoor activities.

July and August: Summer Clearance Begins — The Second Best Clearance Window of the Year

Patio furniture can drop 40 to 60 percent as warehouses make room for holiday items. Grills and outdoor cooking gear see aggressive markdowns in August through September.

Summer sporting goods — pool supplies, kayaks, beach gear — all become clearance targets. Azzule

Strategy: Buy patio furniture in late summer for the deepest discounts of the year — purchase for next year. Warehousequote

This is the clearance insight that experienced Costco members use every year to purchase premium patio furniture at prices that represent the best value available in any channel — buying end-of-season patio furniture in August or September for use the following spring, at 40 to 60 percent below what the same furniture cost in March.

Best to buy in July and August:

Patio furniture — deepest pricing of the year: A seven-piece patio dining set that cost $1,099 in April is frequently marked down to $599 or less in August as warehouses make floor space for fall and holiday merchandise. Members with storage space who can defer their patio furniture purchase from spring to late summer save hundreds on the same items.

Outdoor grills and cooking equipment at clearance: The grills and outdoor cooking equipment that were at full pricing in May are frequently on clearance by August — the second large outdoor cooking purchase opportunity of the year for members who missed the spring selection window.

Pool and water recreation equipment: Pool supplies, inflatable water toys, beach chairs, and water recreation equipment hit their deepest annual discounts in August as the summer season ends. End-of-season pool supplies purchased in August and stored for the following

year generate straightforward savings.

September and October: Fall Merchandise and the Beginning of Holiday Season

The Early Season Event runs October 31 through November 16 — one of the major annual savings events at Costco. DNV

Best to buy in September and October:

Back-to-school and college essentials: September's back-to-school merchandise surge generates competitive pricing on everything from office supplies and storage to small appliances and electronics essential for college students. The September back-to-school window is the best annual pricing on many of these categories.

Fall seasonal food discoveries: September and October bring the pumpkin spice, apple cider, and fall harvest food products that generate significant social media excitement among Costco's member community — including the seasonal limited-availability items that sell through quickly and do not return until the following fall.

Halloween decor and candy at peak selection: October brings the year's best selection of Halloween candy in bulk formats — particularly relevant for members hosting Halloween gatherings or distributing candy to large trick-or-treat traffic neighborhoods.

Halloween items: Buy in early November at major clearance pricing. The counterpart to the Halloween selection strategy is the post-Halloween clearance that begins November 1 — when decorations and seasonal items drop to clearance pricing immediately after the holiday. Members willing to plan a year ahead capture the same deep discounts on Halloween items that January provides for Christmas items. Warehousequote

November: The Holiday Savings Event — The Biggest Sales Event of the Costco Year

The biggest events are the Holiday Savings Event (November 17 through December 1), which includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, plus the Early Season Event (October 31 through November 16). Thanksgiving Day features online-only deals when warehouses are closed. DNV

Best to buy in November:

Electronics at annual low pricing: The Holiday Savings Event represents the deepest annual discount window for electronics — televisions, laptops, tablets, and smart home devices are typically at their lowest annual prices during the holiday savings period. For members planning a major electronics purchase, November timing maximizes savings.

Home goods and appliances: The holiday savings event encompasses home goods and appliances alongside electronics, making November the strongest month for large home goods investments.

Gift purchases: The full Costco gift selection — fine jewelry, premium spirits, luxury food gift sets, and merchandise across categories — is at its most complete in November, before holiday purchasing depletes inventory across categories.

Pro tip for November: Warehouses are closed Thanksgiving Day; online-only deals are available that day. Members who want to access Thanksgiving Day deals must shop through Costco.com rather than visiting the warehouse. Warehousequote

December: Gift Season and the Setup for January Clearance

December is the most commercially intense month in the Costco year for one specific reason: the merchandise that does not sell through by Christmas will be on clearance by December 26. Members who shop strategically in early December capture the best gift selection while members who return in late December find clearance pricing beginning to appear on seasonal items.

Best to buy in December:

Premium food and specialty items: The most extensive collection of premium food products — specialty cheeses, premium charcuterie boards, imported confectionery, and luxury food gift collections — is available in December. Many of these products are seasonal and will not reappear until the following holiday season.

Holiday baking supplies: The baking ingredients, specialty flours, premium chocolate, and seasonal baking supplies that stock Costco's food sections in December reach their annual peak selection during the holiday baking season.

Last-minute gifts with immediate availability: The Costco December assortment includes a broad range of gift-ready merchandise — electronics, jewelry, luxury goods, and premium branded products — that can serve last-minute gift needs without the shipping delays that online-only retailers encounter during the holiday peak.

The Clearance Timing Intelligence That Ties Everything Together

The best time to find Costco clearance is early on a weekday morning — Tuesday through Thursday — right when the warehouse opens, before crowds pick over fresh markdowns.

Clearance is warehouse-specific, so timing your local store matters more than any national schedule. Most markdowns happen overnight or before the warehouse opens. By late afternoon — especially on weekends — many of the best clearance items are already picked through. Azzule

The seasonal calendar and the clearance timing intelligence work together to create the most powerful Costco savings strategy available: knowing which categories are in clearance transition periods, visiting on Tuesday through Thursday mornings to access freshly marked-down inventory before it sells through, and using the 30-day price adjustment policy to capture any clearance price reductions on items purchased within the past month.

The strongest Costco savings do not come from grabbing whatever happens to be discounted this month. They come from matching your real shopping rhythm to Costco's timing. Azzule

At MOJO Sales & Branding, we understand the complete Costco ecosystem — from the seasonal patterns that determine when members make their most significant purchases to the roadshow brands that make the warehouse floor a discovery destination throughout the year.

Contact us at 732.433.7873 or Susan@MOJOSalesandBranding.com.

The Complete Costco Seasonal Buying Calendar at a Glance:

Month	Best Purchases
January	Holiday decor (50-75% off), winter apparel clearance, fitness products, gift sets clearance
February	Major appliances, Valentine's Day food clearance, winter sporting goods clearance
March-April	Patio furniture (best selection), garden supplies, spring clothing, Easter food
May-June	Barbecue grills (best selection), summer food, outdoor sporting goods (best selection)
July-August	Patio furniture (deepest prices), grill clearance, pool/water equipment clearance
September-October	Back-to-school, fall food, Halloween candy and decor
November	Electronics (lowest annual prices), appliances, gifts — Holiday Savings Event
December	Premium food, specialty gifts, holiday baking, last-minute gifts
Any time	Tuesday-Thursday mornings for best clearance access

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