If you're like the nearly 128 million cardholders in the U.S., chances are, you really look forward to a regular trip to Costco (COST) -).
For just $60 or $120 a year – depending on your membership tier – members get the pleasure of perusing Costco's large warehouses and the savings and choices that abound.
Related: Costco just brought back a beloved item (some customers are angry)
It's hard to find better prices elsewhere. Costco is beloved for its generous portions and attainable prices not just on its shelves but also at its its famous food courts. A hot dog meal combo costs just $1.50 – and has been that price since 1985.
In the aisles, Costco's in-house Kirkland brand products offer quality at typically bargain prices.
A 7.2 pound-chocolate cake at Costco's bakery costs less than $60. Other items, including multivitamins, olive oil, dog biscuits, and paper towels are almost always cheaper at Costco than they are at competing grocers and online retailers.
Costco is also popular because its stuff is fresh and typically very good quality. But sometimes this freshness comes at a cost, and customers are routinely discovering the warehouse's secrets to success.
Costco's fresh food is popular – and high volume
One of the most beloved offerings at Costco – aside from its $1.50 hot dog meal combo – is its $4.99 fresh rotisserie chicken.
It's been $4.99 for quite some time, and with the rising cost of most poultry products, including eggs and fresh or frozen chicken meat, that's a great deal.
The only issue is, some shoppers are finding that it only stays "fresh," for a short period of time. Two hours after being marked and labeled for sale, that is.
Now, some would say that's the whole definition of fresh.
Only frozen or preservative-filled food would have unnaturally long shelf lives. Still, some customers, including Costco superfans David and Susan Schwartz, who have actually written books on the place, were surprised to learn about the tight schedule.
"They time stamp the rotisserie chicken so that it's only on the shelf for two hours because it doesn't taste as good after two hours," David Schwartz said.
After the two hours has passed, it seems that employees start taking the chickens off the shelves to add it to other things, like dips or other items with longer shelf lives.
Many customers are still Costco rotisserie superfans, though.
They are really missing the market for over two hour old rotisserie chicken for which I will gladly pay $3.50," one Twitter user wrote on Monday.
They are really missing the market for over two hour old rotisserie chicken for which I will gladly pay $3.50
— PsTeq1993 (@PsTeq1993) October 1, 2023
"Supporting the economy by buying two (2) $5 rotisserie chickens at costco," another wrote.
supporting the economy by buying two (2) $5 rotisserie chickens at costco
— Elizabeth Pancotti (@ENPancotti) October 9, 2023
Others share their inventive recipes featuring the product, including Vietnamese Pho and Coq au Vin.
Made some chicken pho with Costco rotisserie pic.twitter.com/JIe4XnSM9U
— Aaron Gunderson (@AaronGundy) October 6, 2023
Can Rie Make Costco Rotisserie Chicken Fancy? pic.twitter.com/vOMOfXSDOB
— Tasty (@tasty) October 1, 2023
