Costco reported $23.70 billion in August net sales, up 9.9% year over year, and comparable sales increased 8.4%. Surveys show U.S. shoppers are increasingly comparing prices, buying private-label goods and purchasing in bulk amid higher household costs.
A March 2026 McKinsey survey of 4,989 grocery shoppers found 47% were buying more private-label products, 43% comparing prices more closely and 34% buying in bulk; 51% said they had limited impulse purchases to save money. Separately, 93% of 1,544 consumers in a KPMG survey said their cost of living was higher than a year earlier.
Costco's net sales for its 52-week fiscal year reached $297.3 billion, up 10.2% from $269.9 billion. August comparable sales rose 5.4% excluding fuel and foreign-exchange effects. Costco projected that Labor Day falling a week later in 2026 would trim August's total and comparable sales growth by just under 75 basis points.
