Costco introduces new (controversial) food court meal

One of the beautiful things about living in a developed country in the 21st century is our increasing access to things we didn't even know we needed.

Retail giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Costco (COST) have made sure of that.

These large corporations have the resources, time, and people power to anticipate consumer trends before they take hold. Take, for instance, Amazon's lightning quick shipping. That's not something many of us knew we needed – or would soon demand – in the early 2010s. In fact, it seemed impossible.

Now, however, most Amazon Prime members expect their packages to show up at their door step within a day – and in some cases, even in a matter of hours. This expectation has forced many of Amazon's large peers to adopt a similar model, and now the consumer expectations have been set in place.

The same goes for a myriad of other consumer touch points we've come to expect in our day to day lives. Our cola machines come with dozens of flavor combinations, we seek out coupons and discounts online for nearly everything, and we expect additional perks to come with any membership we pay for, like free music, photo storage, gas savings, meal deliveries, or streaming services.

Shoppers outside a Costco store in Bayonne, N.J. on Dec. 9, 2023.
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Costco still delights customers with surprises

While a lot of our expectations stem from our newly acquired online shopping habits, Costco continues to surprise and delight its customers from within its brick and mortar walls.

Costco members pay an annual fee of about $60 to $120, depending on tier status. But by paying that set amount, customers are afforded access to bulk items sold at discount, on things like toilet paper, shampoo, pet food, organic produce, snacks, and meat.

It's not just the staples that keep them coming in, though. Many customers patronize Costco religiously to see what sort of new inventory the store is stocking. There are entire social media accounts dedicated to uncovering some of the best deals and most creative finds in Costco, and much of the store's limited edition inventory regularly sells out.

Costco introduces new food court item

Still others treat Costco as more of a fine dining experience than a place to procure the essentials.

The Costco hot dog, for example, has something of a cult following. Always fresh, hot, and on-demand during regular operating hours, the hot dog has always been a point of pride for the wholesaler, which proudly reminds customers that the hot dog and soda combo has been $1.50 since its inception in the mid 1980s.

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Now, Costco is introducing a new food court item that it hopes will delight just as many customers.

The new item is a Chicken & Bacon Sandwich, which was first introduced in early August.

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It's slightly pricier than the hot dog – at $6.99 – and comes with the following ingredient options:

Oven roasted chicken breast
Cheddar cheese
Bacon jam
Mayo and mustard blend

The whole sandwich clocks in at about 920 calories, so it's definitely intended for more of a splurge day.

"Bring back the combo pizza (not the take & bake weak sauce)," one commenter on Instagram wrote. "Bring back the churros."

"People are going to complain because they literally complain every time Costco makes something new, but their sandwiches are delicious. I dunno about the calorie count though," another wrote.

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