Quick answer: A Costco price ending in .97 is a markdown — the item is being cleared out. Endings of .00 or .88 usually mean a manager's special on distressed or last-unit stock, and those are frequently treated as final sale. An asterisk in the corner of the tag means Costco is not reordering the item. A price ending in .99 is just the regular price.
One important caveat up front: Costco does not publish any of this. There is no official price-code chart, and despite how often it gets repeated online, there is no official tag-colour system either. What follows is the pattern shoppers and former warehouse employees report consistently across US and Canadian warehouses. Treat it as a reliable signal, not a policy guarantee.
Key takeaways
- .97 is the most consistent markdown signal on a Costco tag.
- .00 and .88 usually mean manager's special — often non-adjustable, so assume the price you pay is final.
- An asterisk means no restock. Combined with .97, that is the price floor.
- Markdowns are set per warehouse, so the same item can be cleared in one location and full price in another.
- A markdown you spot today can be worth money on something you already bought — Costco's price adjustment window is 30 days.
What do the numbers at the end of a Costco price tag mean?
The cents are the code. Here is the pattern:
| Price ending | What it signals | Can you still get a price adjustment? |
|---|
| .99 | Regular, full price | Yes — standard 30-day window |
| .97 | Markdown, item being cleared | Usually yes, if the item is still in stock |
| .00 or .88 | Manager's special — floor model, return, or last units | Often no — commonly treated as final sale |
| Asterisk (\*) | Not being restocked; gone when the shelf empties | Depends on the price ending, not the asterisk |
What does .97 mean at Costco?
It means the item has been marked down to clear.
A .97 price is not a storewide sale and not a coupon-book promotion. It is a decision to move that specific stock, and it is why the same item can sit at full price in a warehouse one state over. Because it is a clearance price rather than a promotional one, it is usually as low as that item is going to go before it disappears.
If you are standing in front of a .97 tag on something you actually want, the calculation is simple: it will probably not get cheaper, and it will probably not be there next week.
What does the asterisk mean on a Costco price tag?
Look at the upper-right corner of the sign. A small asterisk means Costco does not plan to reorder that item once the current stock is gone.
The asterisk says nothing about the price on its own. An item can carry an asterisk at full .99 price and simply be quietly discontinued. What makes it useful is the combination: an asterisk next to a .97 price is a terminal price. The stock is being liquidated and there is no later markdown coming, because there is no later.
What does .00 mean at Costco — and why does it matter more than .97?
This is the ending most shoppers misread, and it is the one that costs money.
A flat dollar amount — $50.00, $19.88 — generally indicates a manager's special: a floor model, a customer return, or the last few units, marked down locally to clear the space. It often looks like the best deal on the shelf, and frequently it is.
The catch is what happens afterward. Because these prices are set at the warehouse and sit well below normal cost, they are commonly handled as final-sale transactions. If you buy at a .00 price and it drops further next week, a price adjustment request can be refused on the grounds that the original purchase was already a liquidation.
The practical rule: when you buy at .00 or .88, assume the price you paid is final and there is no safety net behind it. That is not a reason to avoid those deals. It is a reason to be sure before you load it into the cart, in a way you do not need to be at .99.
Do Costco price tag colours mean anything?
No — or at least, nothing reliable.
The colour-coded clearance system that circulates on social media is not something Costco publishes, and it does not hold up consistently between warehouses. Signage styles vary by location and change over time. The price ending is the signal that actually travels; the colour of the sign is not.
If you are trying to read a tag quickly, read the cents and check the corner for an asterisk. Ignore the colour.
Why is the same item a different price at two warehouses?
Because markdowns are decided locally, not nationally.
A department buyer or warehouse manager decides when stock needs to move based on that building's inventory — not on a company-wide clearance calendar. That is why a patio set can be cleared in Phoenix in August while the identical set sits at full price in Seattle. Neither warehouse is wrong; they are managing different shelves.
Two consequences worth knowing:
- Clearance hunting works better in person. Costco.com pricing does not reflect in-aisle markdowns at all.
- A price you saw online or in a video is not a price your warehouse has to honour. Costco generally cannot adjust to a price for an item it does not have in stock.
How do I find markdowns without walking every aisle?
Markdown stock clusters in predictable places:
- Check end caps first. Managers move markdown items to end-of-aisle displays to clear them faster.
- Watch seasonal categories right after their peak. Patio furniture, holiday goods, and back-to-school items get cut hardest.
- Look at the top and bottom shelves. Regular stock sits at eye level; markdown overflow gets pushed out of the sightline.
- Ask an employee. Staff can usually tell you whether an item is being discontinued, even before the tag carries an asterisk.
- Revisit weekly. Markdowns often step down in stages — a .97 that has not sold can drop again.
Can I get a refund if I already paid full price?
Often, yes — and this is the part most people miss.
Costco's price adjustment window is 30 days. If you bought an item and the price has since dropped, you can request the difference back without returning and rebuying it. The markdown tag you are looking at right now is the evidence.
It is not automatic. You have to notice the drop yourself and ask, which is exactly why most eligible adjustments go unclaimed — nobody walks the same aisle twice within 30 days holding a month-old receipt in their head.
A worked example. You bought a stand mixer for $279.99 on the 3rd. On the 20th you walk past the small-appliance aisle and see it tagged at $199.97. That is an $80.02 refund available to you right now, inside the window, with your receipt as proof.
What to do the moment you spot a tag:
- Photograph the whole tag, including the item number and the price.
- Check the date — confirm you are still inside the 30 days.
- Pull up the receipt or purchase history for that item number.
- Work out the difference.
- Request the adjustment before the window closes.
That last problem — noticing at all — is what CostRefund exists to solve. Scan a receipt once and it tracks those items for the full 30 days, so a drop reaches you instead of depending on you happening to walk past the right shelf.
Does this work the same way at Costco Canada?
The .97 pattern is reported the same way in Canadian warehouses, from Vancouver to Halifax. Where things diverge is the refund process — currency, receipt formatting, and how adjustment requests get handled differ enough to catch people out who assume US rules apply. We covered those differences in Costco Canada vs. US: How Price Adjustments Differ.
Frequently asked questions
Is a clearance tag the same as a price adjustment?
No. A clearance tag is a new lower price on the shelf. A price adjustment is a refund of the difference on something you already bought. They connect in one useful way: a clearance tag is often the proof you need to claim an adjustment.
Does Costco refund price drops automatically?
No. You have to notice the lower price and request it inside the 30-day window.
Can I price match Costco at another store?
Generally no. Most major retailers exclude warehouse clubs from price matching, on the logic that the Costco price depends on paying an annual membership fee.
Do I need the paper receipt?
Not usually — Costco can look up purchases against your membership. Having the receipt to hand simply makes it a thirty-second conversation instead of a research task for the person at the desk.
What if the item is sold out?
Costco generally cannot adjust to a price for stock it no longer has. This is the main reason clearance-based adjustment claims fail, and the main argument for catching drops early rather than at the end of the window.
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