A savvy shopper can purchase anything from a massive bulk pack of toilet paper they can barely fit into the trunk of their car to solid gold bars.

I've long written about the importance of putting some of your savings into precious metals, and for ages, it seems to have been a secret kept close to the vest in prepping circles and for the extremely wealthy. But now, even Costco has caught the gold bug, and shoppers are responding fast, leaving the bars sold out within hours of being listed.

In a quarterly earnings call last week, Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti told investors that the bars have been flying off the shelves, reported CNBC, saying, "I've gotten a couple of calls that people have seen online that we've been selling 1 ounce gold bars. Yes, but when we load them on the site, they're typically gone within a few hours, and we limit two per member."