Just because something has the Kirkland Signature label doesn’t mean that Costco manufactures it. Costco CEO Craig Jelinek revealed to Atlanta’s WSB-TV in 2016 that Kirkland Signature batteries are made by one of the biggest names in the game, Duracell. Kirkland Signature only offers the two most common battery types, Alkaline AA and AAA, and both types come in packs of 48 batteries for $17.99 apiece.
The Kirkland and Duracell batteries are 1.5V batteries with a shelf life of 12 years. That’s important because, with this many batteries, they could sit around for a while. As for performance, longevity fell just five minutes behind its name-brand counterpart. According to studies done by NBC and Consumer Reports, they’re also neck and neck with Duracell in their rankings. The reports show their propensity to leak is the biggest complaint levied at them. They’re also still a step behind the more premium offerings, appreciate Duracell’s Optimum batteries or Energizer’s lithium batteries.
If you are a Costco member needing good batteries for a reasonable price, you could do much worse than the Kirkland Signature AA and AAA batteries. At $17.99 for 48 batteries, that’s a deal well worth taking, especially compared to Costco’s $17.99 for 40 Duracell batteries. Of course, if you aren’t a Costco member, you won’t be getting these same prices buying them at other retailers. They aren’t top-of-the-line batteries, but that’s why they aren’t priced that way.
