Costco is pushing back at Amazon’s big sale with its own aggressive Member Savings offers on tech heavy hitters, leveraging strong prices against warehouse-style benefits that Amazon just can’t deliver.
From Apple laptops to LG OLED TVs and smart home kits, the wholesale retailer has stacked some serious discount depth in its Black Friday deals preview — something for anyone upgrading ahead of the November shopping surge.
Top tech standouts you can buy at Costco right now
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) dropping to $799 is the headline-maker; it’s a solid $200 off Apple’s most portable mainstream laptop. And that price-to-performance ratio is an unusually good one, at least for a brand-new-gen part, if you’re a student or avid traveler.
Apple’s newest 11-inch iPad Air, at $599 ($70 off), is an easy choice for creators and note-takers in need of Apple Pencil support whose price ceiling stops before the Pro line.
Dell’s Inspiron, a 16-inch touchscreen notebook at $699 after a $300 discount, gives you large-screen productivity with enough power to handle school or office workloads at a budget that would usually get you just a 14-inch system elsewhere.
LG’s C5 65-inch OLED, discounted to $1,499 — a whopping $1,198 off the list price — is one of the TVs on offer as part of the doorbusters. With OLED’s perfect blacks and excellent HDR, it is a reference display for movie lovers. It’s excellent for gamers, too, as it offers HDMI 2.1, 120Hz VRR, and low input lag.
The $700-off Hisense 100-inch U6 Series 4K TV at $1,900 is the kind of price that makes stadiums full of people wish they were in someone’s living room rather than a stadium — pricing that was unimaginable just one year ago. Anticipate intense brightness, full-array local dimming, and popular HDR formats for sports and streaming.
At $120 after a $70 discount, Ring’s Whole Home Camera Kit is an easy route to multi-camera coverage. Costco packages tend to contain at least an extra battery or mount/attachment compared with what you typically get in a retail kit, making them good value for first-time buyers.
Govee’s 150-foot Permanent Outdoor Lights for $339, a full $150 off their street price, offer homeowners a long-run lighting system they can control through an app that includes scenes and scheduling and which will outshine regular seasonal string lights.
For portable power, the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus costs $190 ($40 off) for a compact, road trip-worthy station in that approximate 300Wh class that can be used at a tailgate party to recharge your phone and laptop or in an emergency situation, and it’s solar-capable for more extended trips.
Note: Prices and availability are subject to change by retailers.
Why these discounted Costco tech picks are good buys
Value per watt is the throughline. Quieter and cooler to the touch, the M4 MacBook Air is quieter, runs significantly cooler, and operates more efficiently than most thin-and-light Windows rivals in this price band (while lasting a full workday or longer in independent tests by outlets like Notebookcheck and Tom’s Guide). At less than $800, it is that rare Apple bargain that probably benefits students and regular users as much as professionals.
LG’s C-series OLEDs have a history in lab testing, and reviewers at RTINGS consistently rate both of these panels at or near the top for contrast and motion handling, attributes that are more relevant to dark-room cinema and high-frame-rate gaming (respectively). Best time to buy premium without getting burned? A warehouse warranty plus a radical markdown.
Hisense has been closing the picture-quality-per-dollar gap, and a 100-inch 4K set at this price reshapes the “projector versus TV” debate. In family rooms well lit by the sun, a big TV’s brightness and need only for power can beat a big projector’s shadows and costly setup fuss.
On smart home gear, there are indeed such things as bundle savings. Costco frequently throws in additional accessories that might be add-ons elsewhere, lowering the overall cost to own when you include batteries, mounts, or extra sensors. In the lighting arena, Govee’s app group control and automation pair pro benefits with mainstream pricing.
How Costco competes head-to-head with Amazon’s Prime Day
Forget sticker prices; Costco relies on policy perks. Members receive a two-year warranty on most TVs and major appliances, as well as generous 90-day returns on most electronics. The warehouse also often retroactively honors price adjustments online up to a month or so, which can de-risk buying early in a sales cycle.
Payment and rewards stack too. You’d typically earn 2% back on your Costco purchases with the Costco Anywhere Visa, and Executive membership would give you an additional 2% reward each year. Those rebates are, in effect, another level of discount that you don’t have to play some silly coupon game to access.
Data from industry trackers like Adobe Digital Insights and Numerator have shown that big retailers pick up share around Amazon’s events, with wholesale clubs being the standout because of their curated assortment. With fewer but heftier discounts, the shopper is left with less decision fatigue — you’re choosing from the best of the best (instead of endless filler SKUs).
Smart shopping tips for Costco members during these deals
- Check model numbers carefully. With TVs, make sure you’re getting current-year panels (I like the C5) that line up with features to connect your console or PC, syncing with things like HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz. Can I use an iPad as a laptop? For Apple devices, check storage tiers and keyboard or Pencil compatibility before buying.
- Leverage the warehouse edge. If possible, check out each TV in person so you can compare motion and reflections. Ask what accessories come along with your purchase; a Costco deal will often feature extras you’d pay for later.
- Know the codes. Price tags ending in .97 usually indicate an item has been marked down for clearance, and an asterisk in the corner signifies that the item will not be restocked. Those clues could help you decide whether to pounce this month or wait for a deeper cut.
- Membership matters. Non-members shopping online can expect to pay 5% more in fees, and some offers are only available to members. The standard membership recently increased to $65 a year, but if you buy tech products early and often, you can quickly recoup that outlay by stacking sale prices, rewards, and extended warranties.
The verdict: If fewer clicks and bigger, safer discounts on headline tech such as Apple and LG interest you, Costco’s Member Savings lineup goes toe to toe with Prime Day — and the warehouse policies often come in handy.