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If there’s one thing you don’t want to run short of around the house, it’s batteries. From wall clocks and television remote controls to smoke alarms and battery-powered “candles” from Pottery Barn, our homes are packed with a seemingly endless assortment of gadgets that require a supply of these compact energy cells.

While you they can save you money and reduce hazardous waste, some devices shouldn’t be used with rechargeable batteries. This means most households will need to keep a stock of regular alkaline batteries in a drawer or closet, especially in AA and AAA sizes. Buying batteries in bulk in these and other commonly used sizes ensures you have some on hand when your remote dies or the power goes out, and Costco is one of the most popular big-box retailers in the United States.

 Fox News reported that Costco ended the fiscal year 2025 with 81 million total paid members, and the retailer has 640 locations in the U.S. alone. Costco sells everything from toilet paper to tires, many of which come in quantities that will last months in most households. Costco partners with some of the world’s top manufacturers to sell their products under Costco’s Kirkland label, including Hormel bacon, Bumble Bee tuna, and Starbucks coffee. 

Kirkland Signature batteries are another premium product riding stealthily behind Costco’s house-branded packaging. Kirkland batteries sold at Costco stores and online are made by Duracell, which rivals Energizer for the top spot on our ranking of major battery brands. While Duracell has manufacturing facilities around the globe, all of its U.S.-market batteries are made in Georgia and Tennessee. This presumably includes Kirkland batteries sold in U.S-based Costco stores, although there are more than 100 additional Costco locations across Europe, Asia, and New Zealand.

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Costco CEO Craig Jelinek confirmed the copper-top connection in a 2016 interview with WSB-TV In Atlanta, saying that his company merely repackages batteries it buys from Duracell. “Now, this brand here [Kirkland batteries] is no advertising, there’s no overhead, there’s just packaging,” he said.” Duracell makes all its U.S.-market AA, AAA, C, and D-size batteries at facilities in LaGrange, GA and Cleveland, TN. LaGrange is just southwest of Atlanta and Cleveland is about 32 miles east of Chattanooga. Duracell is owned by Berkshire Hathaway and sells branded AGM car batteries made in Pennsylvania,  and the company also has factories in Belgium and China that make alkaline batteries for sale outside the United States. 

The partnership with Duracell allows Costco to sell Kirkland brand batteries made by Duracell alongside those branded and packaged by the manufacturer, usually at lower prices.  As of this writing, Costco’s website lists a 48-pack of Kirkland Signature AA batteries for $16.99 while a 40-count pack of Duracell AA copper tops costs $20.99. That’s $.052 for the Duracell-branded batteries vs. $0.35 for the Kirklands, with the only difference being a cosmetic one. Either option is still a better buy than Amazon, which lists the 48-pack of Duracell AAs at $42.49. That’s $.89 per battery, which is more than 2.5 times the per-unit cost of the Kirkland batteries and almost 60% more than the Duracell-branded ones from Costco.