When Costco talks about prices, I listen. The warehouse giant sells so much stuff to so many people that it often sees price trends before the rest of us do.

So it caught my attention when Costco’s Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip explained where the company saw rising costs in its latest quarter. Overall inflation was low, he said, but prices were climbing in the nonfood side of the business.

And the cause? In his words, “the vast majority of it was in memory costs on consumer electronics,” along with oil-related items, as Yahoo Finance reported after the company’s Sept. 24 earnings call.

Memory chips are the parts that let your laptop, phone and tablet juggle more than one thing at a time. And they’ve been getting more expensive because of artificial intelligence.

Tech companies racing to build AI data centers are buying up huge amounts of memory. Chipmakers are favoring those big server customers, and that leaves less supply for the devices you and I buy, according to market research firm TrendForce.

TrendForce projects that contract prices for conventional DRAM, a common type of memory, will rise 10% to 15% in the final three months of 2026, and it says the supply of memory for PCs could shrink further in 2027 as more production shifts to servers.

Costco felt it, too. Millerchip said on the call that the company took a $152 million charge in the quarter tied to rising inventory costs — known as a LIFO (last in, first out) charge — up from $43 million a year earlier.

He said higher memory costs in consumer electronics, along with Middle East-driven price hikes on things like gas and motor oil, were the biggest drivers.

Translation: If you plan to buy a new computer, phone or other gadget this holiday season, you may pay more than you expected. Here’s how to fight back.

1. Don’t bank on Black Friday

Normally, I’d tell you to wait for the big holiday sales. This year, I’m not so sure.

When memory prices started climbing last fall, industry experts told Consumer Reports that shoppers hoping prices would come back down by the following summer were making a risky bet.

An analyst quoted by Consumer Reports put it bluntly: If you know you’ll need a laptop, buy it sooner rather than later.

Memory prices are still climbing nearly a year later, so that advice has held up so far.

So if you need a new device and find a fair price today, take it. Sales are still worth watching, but when the parts inside the product are getting more expensive, waiting can backfire.

2. Buy last year’s model or a refurbished one

Consumer Reports also suggested considering an older model, including refurbished options, because the improvement from one year to the next usually isn’t that big.

I agree. Unless you edit videos or play the latest games, last year’s laptop will handle email, browsing, video calls and photos just fine.

Refurbished devices can also save money, but buy them from a source that stands behind them. For example, Apple says its Certified Refurbished products come with a one-year warranty and full testing. Just know the savings there are modest: Apple says up to 15%.

3. Read the spec sheet, not just the price tag

Here’s the sneaky part. When parts get more expensive, manufacturers don’t always raise the price. Sometimes they give you less for the same money.

Analysts told Consumer Reports that cheaper laptops in particular would likely get “de-spec” treatment to hold prices steady — for example, 8GB of memory instead of 16GB, or a dimmer screen.

It’s shrinkflation for gadgets. So before you buy, compare the memory, storage and screen specs to last year’s version of the same model. A lower price doesn’t mean a better deal if you’re getting a weaker machine.

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4. Use the protection you already have

Before you pay extra for an extended warranty, look at what you’re already getting for free.

Costco members who buy a computer there get a two-year warranty, and TVs can qualify for even longer coverage, as we explain in “5 Costco Purchases That Come With Free Extended Warranties.”

Your credit card may help, too. Some cards offer purchase protection, which can reimburse you if a new item is damaged or stolen, and extended warranty coverage that adds time to the manufacturer’s warranty, CNBC Select explains. Check your card’s benefits guide before you buy.

If your card doesn’t offer these perks, it may be time for a better one. You can shop cards here and compare the benefits that come with them.

And know the return rules before you buy. If a device turns out to be a dud, you’ll want an easy way to send it back. Here are 16 stores that have the best return policies.

5. Make the old one last

The cheapest new laptop is the one you don’t buy.

If your current computer or phone still works, see whether a cheaper fix will keep it going for another year or two. A new battery, a storage cleanup or a repair can cost far less than a replacement, especially while prices are climbing.

Memory prices won’t stay high forever. But nobody can tell you when they’ll come down, and the people who track this industry for a living expect supply to stay tight into next year.

So don’t panic, and don’t overbuy. Just shop like someone who knows prices are heading up: Buy what you need, skip specs you’ll never use, and make every dollar count.