Why Reddit Has A Problem With Costco Bananas

Some bananas taste different than others, and not just because of their ripeness — anything from the location where they were grown to the temperature of the truck they was transported in can affect bananas' flavor. One particular spot where customers aren't always so keen on buying bananas is Costco.

Most shoppers at this warehouse chain seem to agree that bananas are not one of the fruits you should be buying from Costco. Some customers flocked to Reddit to complain about the quality of the chain's fruit, and several users pointed out just how quickly it goes bad. One said, "It's weird — their bananas are ripe when they're still green and then once they turn yellow they turn brown the next day." Another customer echoed this observation, saying, "I've literally never seen those bananas turn yellow. They go from green to rotting green." One user called the bananas tasteless, while another customer who tried to make the best of the situation said they always freeze their Costco bananas and use them for smoothies instead of eating them outright.

Costco bananas appear perfectly normal at first glance, but based on customers' complaints, they're clearly not up to par with the banana varieties sold elsewhere. In the Reddit thread, one user wondered if cold damage was the reason for the altered taste: "I've wondered if they're cold damaged, and when they get out of the controlled environment, they just go downhill fast." The symptoms of cold damage in bananas vary widely, but it's a theory many Reddit users agreed could be the problem. Another user stated that it's not uncommon for major grocery chains to artificially ripen their fruit, a practice that they surmised Costco might be employing.

At the end of the day, all of Reddit's theories were merely speculation. The only thing that's certain is that many Costco customers aren't happy with the chain's bananas. If you're making a trip to Costco anytime soon, however, this doesn't mean you have to skip the produce section. There are many ways to handle bananas such as these, and the hacks are easy to try at home.

One advantage of buying Costco's bananas is that, like many of the chain's items, they're often much cheaper than bananas sold elsewhere. Fortunately, you can take advantage of this with some solutions that will make these bananas snack-ready.

Many folks complained that their Costco bananas went straight from green to brown. One solution for this is to stick the bananas in a brown paper bag with other ripened fruit, like apples. This method helps trap in ethylene gas the fruit produces, which is the factor responsible for ripening. Trapping this gas leads to a much more ripe banana. For those experiencing the opposite issue — i.e., your fruit is browning way too quickly — try separating the bananas so they're no longer in a bunch. This way, the ethylene gas won't be as overwhelming, and the bananas will ripen slower.

Not everyone agrees that Costco bananas are finicky fruits, so you might get lucky and not have to use any of these hacks. Still, bananas' taste and peel-ability can change for many reasons, so these tricks are always useful to keep in your back pocket.