Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
This spring, Costco made a major change to the packaging of a cult food. Now, longtime fans are noticing the change—and complaining about it.
Costco sold an estimated 137 million fried chickens in 2023, maintaining the price at $4.99 despite inflation and rising production costs. But in March, the company began changing its packaging from the typical hard-shell box to a clear bag, a move that was slowly rolled out to more items and sparked a viral hype among loyal customers.
“Dear Costco,” wrote one fan on X. “Your new fried chicken bags and the chicken inside are not what they used to be.”
Related: Costco's new CFO reveals fate of $1.50 hot dog-soda combo amid 'media speculation' and rising profits
“New recession warning just came out: Costco is offering cheaper fried chicken containers,” wrote another. “Get ready.”
On Reddit, one user posted that the new bags leaked during transport home, which opened the door to a whole series of similar stories.
Chicken juice spilled all over the trunk of our car
byu/Bozerks at Costco
“I recently grabbed two bagged chicken for the first time. I hated everything about it,” one person wrote in the thread. “The bags were wet with juice on the display (we had to wait for it, so it came from the staff preparing them) so my hands were covered in grease and there were no paper towels anywhere.”
“I spoke to an employee about it. They are piling up in people's shopping carts and on the checkout lines all day long,” claimed another. “Employees hate the new bags and there is hope that Costco will find a way to solve the problem.”
Costco has reportedly changed its packaging to reduce plastic waste. The new bags use 75% less plastic than their hard-shell containers and save an estimated 7 million pounds of resin annually, according to a sign seen by Packaging Dive.
Costco did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.
The warehouse chain last reported its earnings for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Net sales were $57.39 billion, representing a 9.1% increase in net sales over the same period last year.
CEO Ron Vachris attributed the quarterly success to the company's offering of Wagyu beef, gold bullion and a $1,200 swing set that is selling like hotcakes.
Costco EVP and CFO Gary Millerchip also stated on the conference call that thanks to the company's continued success, there are no plans at this time to change the price of the famous $1.50 hot dog combo or increase membership fees.
Related: Costco may stop selling books year-round. Here's why.
“We're really pleased with our membership renewal rates,” Millerchip said on the conference call. “We look at what's happened in the market over the last few years, and when we saw high inflation and the risk and concern of a recession … we're still evaluating those considerations to determine the right time, and when we get to the point where we feel it's the right time, we'll obviously be very open and direct and communicate that.”
Costco saw a year-over-year increase of over 67% through Monday afternoon.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
