It's not easy to see the true holiday shopping deals through the haze of this year's early barrage of Black Friday sales, coming days or even weeks before the actual Black Friday, November 29, the day after Thanksgiving.
But you pay big bucks -- either $60 or $120 annually -- for a Costco membership and expect deals not only on Black Friday, but throughout the year. We've highlighted dozens of good buys, especially through Costco's Kirkland Signature lineup of groceries and household items.
Note that Costco's stores are closed Thanksgiving Day, November 28, but you will still be able to score early Black Friday deals at Costco.com (opens in new tab). A word of advice: Shop the website first. Some Costco Black Friday deals are online-only.
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For the rest of Costco's early-out-of-the-box Black Friday deals, we turned to money-saving experts at DealNews (opens in new tab) and NerdWallet (opens in new tab) for guidance on the best Black Friday deals at Costco in 2019.
Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews, says it's pretty tough to find bad deals either because the Costco Black Friday ad was too vague (sometimes, the final price isn't in the ad, just how much it's discounted) or she couldn't be sure if some of the models were the same price compared to other retailers. But mostly, says Ramhold, Costco has some really good offers. Here's what she found:
Apple AirPods (second generation) headphones with wireless charging case.: "These are currently $35 cheaper than what Apple charges (for my Costco, anyway), but for Black Friday, there should be an extra $10 discount on top of that," says Ramhold.
Fitbit Charge 3 fitness tracker bundle. "Considering we expected this tracker to only drop as low as $100 for Black Friday, this is a pleasant surprise. It's also on my personal shopping list!," says Ramhold.
Nikon D3500 DSLR bundle. Camera experts we've spoken with say top camera brands rarely offer lower prices at one retailer over another, from the big-box stores to small mom-and-pop camera dealers. Where the bargains come are in the extras. That's why Ramhold likes this Costco deal. "This bundle is the same price as what other retailers will be charging for Black Friday, but it also comes with more than many of those. Most other retailers are including two lenses, but Costco is seemingly providing two lenses, memory card, extra battery and bag," says Ramhold.
Costco shoppers should tread lightly with these Black Friday deals, warns Ramhold:
Vizio 70-inch TV for $600. Says Ramhold, "This isn't a bad deal, really, but Best Buy will have a Samsung 70-inch TV for $50 cheaper for Black Friday. And that one won't require a warehouse membership.
Nest Hello video doorbell for $170. This is another deal that isn't really a "bad" one, says Ramhold. "It's true we've seen it cheaper, as low as $152 in the last month, in fact, but this Costco Black Friday deal actually comes bundled with a 6-month subscription of Nest Aware. Still, like the TV above, this one requires a membership, whereas the previous deal for $152 was at Target and open to everyone."
The experts at NerdWallet say Black Friday discounts "will extend to nearly every product category, including electronics, appliances, jewelry, apparel, food and more," including:
Freedom Foundry men’s super plush flannel shirt. It's rolling out for $11.99 -- a $3 discount -- early starting online on Thanksgiving Day. There's a limit of 10.
GoPro HERO7 camera bundle. The black action camera bundle goes on sale Thanksgiving Day, slashed by $30. You're limited to three. Costco didn't post the final price, but Best Buy is selling an unbundled GoPro HERO7 camera for $329, a $70 price drop.
Dyson Pure Hot + Cool Link 3-in-1 HEPA air purifier. This unit also has a heater and fan, but the real heat is in the deal. It's discounted $130, and goes on sale online Thanksgiving Day. You'll pay $374.99.
Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch laptop. It's uncommon to see Apple products discounted, but Costco has an inside edge. For example, it typically sells a $100 bundle of iTunes cards for about $94. But this MacBook Pro with touch bar in space gray is discounted by $250, and you'll end up paying $1,199.99. The sale starts early online on Thanksgiving Day. Not up for spending $1,200? You can snag an Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch laptop for $699.99 online only Thanksgiving Day. That's a $200 discount.
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