It is one of the most popular items sold in Costco But changes to the famous $4.99 rotisserie chicken have the retail giant roasting its customers.
The retailer – despite selling 137 million rotisserie chickens in 2023 – has changed the packaging of the popular item. Previously, chickens were packaged in plastic “clamshell” containers, but now they come in more environmentally friendly containers. plastic bags of food.
The change was announced by Costco in March and has already been implemented in most of its stores.
Last month, the company’s magazine, Costco Connections explained that the change in packaging would save millions of kilos of plastic each year.
“You may have noticed a classic Costco item in different packaging: Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken now comes in a bag. Based on projected 2024 sales of rotisserie chicken in the U.S., the new packaging will save approximately 17 million pounds of plastic every year,” Costco said.
“The bag also takes up less space to carry; one pallet of the new bags is equivalent to five pallets of the old packaging, so Costco can take 1,000 of its truckloads off the road each year. Using fewer transportation vehicles will eliminate more than 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.”
Social media users were quick to criticize the measure with a series of complaints.
“This was a rare Costco L,” wrote business writer Trung Phan on X.
He claimed that the bags leaked, were not good for storing leftover chicken and that customers “can’t choose good chicken.”
Another user complained: “Your new roast chicken bags leak like crazy. The entire trunk was soaked when I got home. Two bags leaking.
According to The Washington PostSimilar plastic bags are already used by retailers including Whole Foods, Giant, Wegmans, Food Lion, Sprouts, Safeway and Walmart for their rotisserie chickens.
The Independent reached out to Costco for comment.
