A flurry of buying from Costco is happening amid signs elsewhere that cash-strapped Americans are cashing in on gold's rally. New York's pawn shops and jewelers have seen a flood of sellers.

Costco appears to have found a revenue mine with sales of gold bars, as a survey found that some warehouses are unable to keep them on shelves. Bloomberg found that 77% of the 101 stores it surveyed in the first week of October had sold out of the bars,

In a striking display of shifting consumer behavior, Costco Wholesale gold bars are disappearing from shelves faster than they can be restocked. During the first week of October,

Move over, gas and hot dogs. Costco shoppers are snatching up the store’s 1-ounce gold bars despite the market’s lofty price for the precious metal.