People flock to Costco for its cheap prices on surplus items, from household items to groceries to even electronics.
But one item that isn’t synonymous with the discount club? Designer clothing.
Until now, that is. The latest TikTok craze has shoppers showing off Costco hauls from big-name brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Puma to couture designers like Valentino and Givenchy.
In fact, the couture finds inspired one TikToker Jennifer Maldonado to start the now-viral account Costco Couture, which has garnered over 23,000 followers and millions of views on videos of Maldonado showing off her coveted designer finds at Costco stores in the Los Angeles area.
In Maldonado’s most popular video, she shows off a Tommy Hilfiger Packable ski jacket, retailing at Costco for $29.99.
“It’s crazy lightweight, insanely toasty,” she tells viewers. “There is even a bag that you can pack it into.”
“With the economy the way it is … people don’t want to spend a boatload of money on fast fashion,” Maldonado told Fox Business. “We want to get something that’s trendy, that’s great quality, but that’s not going to break the bank.”
The hashtag #CostcoCouture generates over 5.2 million views, with #CostcoFashion generating 5.7 million and #CostcoFinds showing 1.7 billion views.
Other users have jumped on Maldonado’s bandwagon, showing off high-quality clothing items they’ve scored at the retailer.
“There’s nothing better than finding a good deal … buying it, wearing it, and then getting a compliment from it,” Maldonado told NBC. “And who doesn’t want a $1.50 hotdog after a long day of shopping?”
Costco is a members-only discount warehouse club with a variety of membership levels (Executive, Business, Gold Star) for a monthly fee that includes perks and discounts on everything from wine to travel to pharmacy to even automotive services.
There are currently 838 Costco locations worldwide with an estimated 116.6 million individual cardholders.
“Costco is able to offer lower prices and better values by eliminating virtually all the frills and costs historically associated with conventional wholesalers and retailers, including salespeople, fancy buildings, delivery, billing and accounts receivable,” Costco CEO and Director Craig Jelinek said in a release. “We run a tight operation with extremely low overhead which enables us to pass dramatic savings to our members.”
Costco was up over 19% in a one-year period as of Friday afternoon.
