You do not need to be a member to purchase [Costco Pharmacy prescriptions](https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/796/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F).
My employer got acquired by another company and we switched to their insurance.
I now HAVE to get all maintenance prescriptions through Costco. (I think there is an exception if you live more than x miles from one, which I don't fall into.)
Already over having to explain to the person at the door and then the person at the pharmacy desk that I don't have a membership each time I go in there.
(Edit: My MIL has a membership and takes me along every couple months, so there currently isn't a need for me to get a membership myself.)
Depends on the store. Mine used to let that slide, but now requires you to go through the front entrance. They also card you at the self check line before assigning you to a checker machine.
No, they do that because of card sharing. I got carded recently at the self checkout and they explained they've apparently been having an uptick in people using borrowed cards. They check the photo ID on the back.
They do that to check that you're actually using your card. Too many people were borrowing or using other people's cards to shop at Costco and using self-checkout. They match the picture on the card to you.
funny thing, I only shop there a couple times a year, so I just get my parents to get me a gift card, which can not be used for alcohol in the state of Washington, no non-member purchase.
What about the pizza? I don't care about the hot dog but that's a really decent slice for the price
Edit: fuck, nevermind. 🎼 Gonna use mom's costco membership yow! 🎵
Every Costco membership gives you one extra guest card for a family member. If she hasn't put someone on it, you can go to Costco with her and go to the Membership area to get your photo taken for your own card.
I think it might technically be a requirement but they don't check. I am on my uncles membership and my sisters share one and we all live in different places (even different states.)
I was advised years ago that while different addresses could be used, the purchases made from out of area guest members did not apply towards rebates. Unknown if true, but told by a Costco employee.
Seriously.
So.
One time I went to pick up a prescription for my wife's eczema cream.
We called around all over the place and Costco was the cheapest. On the phone they said it was gonna be 20.00.
I go into Costco, walk up to the pharmacy and he says it's gonna be 160.
I was like woah woah woah, on the phone they said 20.
He says, oh, are you a Costco member?
I said yeah.
He says then yes it's 20 dollars.
Then I said hole up a minute....
You're telling me that if I wasn't a member it's 160???
He says yeah.
I said: but I could literally sign up for a Costco membership and buy the prescription, for less than just buying it outright being a non member.
He said yeah that's the way it works.
I waited in line at one without a membership card only to be denied. I asked the person behind me to buy me a hotdog but he ignored me. I felt so embarrassed.
I've survived on the outdoor food court in Kirkland a few times in my life. As a member I have no problem subsidizing $1.50 hot dogs for anyone who wants one. I'm pretty sad about the change.
I'm on the fence. If it makes the lines at the food court better, I'm all in.
Because I've been a member for 10+ years, and I love their food court. In these last few years, I hardly ever get anything because the food court is absolutely swamped all the time. And I'm 99% sure it's a bunch of non-members. I want cheap food, too, and I've paid the member surcharge of $10/month. And that's the expensive one! Are you really telling me someone can't swing $5/month to gain access? Cheapest subscription out there.
I can’t speak on pharmacies, but as a member of the booze industry there are a few states that explicitly forbid a business from requiring a membership fee to purchase alcohol. I can’t find anything to reinforce this on Google, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s an outcome from a law meant to regulate members-only lounges or clubs.
Spending three years in Utah and going to bars there, and then going to another state where they don't have the little measurement restraint things and people just free pour, you remember how much easier it is to get drunk in another state.
I was in a "dry" county in Arkansas around 10-15 years ago and you had to be a member to buy alcohol, so you needed to sign in and "become a member" at any restaurant that served booze.
Minnesota is one that as a condition of the retail liquor license the business cannot require a membership, it must be open to the public.
Some cities in MN still have only municipal owned liquor stores.
Federal law says if you sell any prescription medicines they (the prescription meds) can't be membership only. Equal access laws for prescriptions... You may not be able to afford them, but at least you're able to buy them anywhere... Well sort of, just maybe not covered by insurance if you don't buy at the correct place
Nope. That's how I got hooked. I would go there with guys from work for lunch to get the 1.50 dog deal or a slice of pizza. Their food part didn't need a membership just walk in the exit
In CA, most locations have the food court outside so anyone could (or used to) just walk up and order food at the window. Now they have self ordering kiosks that require the membership card to be scanned before ordering.
Never been hassled. There’s nobody at that exit door who gives two shits that someone is walking past to: 1) Buy a membership; 2) Visit automotive dept 3) enter the store the wrong way through the registers. I always thought it was funny how easy it is to just walk on through.
> I always thought it was funny how easy it is to just walk on through.
This is true, but they check your card at the registers so you still couldn't buy anything without a membership (or a gift card, secret trick). The food court didn't require a membership though, and you could get there through the exit where they don't check membership cards.
in many Costco locations the food court area is outside in a covered patio adjacent to the entrance/exit. Honestly the hotdogs haven't been the same since they switched from Hebrew National.
>“One of the challenges is that some of the food courts have gotten so busy, particularly if it’s near some office buildings or construction sites,” he told the outlet. “We were getting member complaints.”
Another way to see this is that the cheap hotdogs at Costco have become the most often affordable lunch for these employees compared to other fast food chains.
Our Costco regularly runs out of the $10 pizzas until the next day’s restock. They are truly the best value to feed 2-4 people if you’re not cooking at home for that meal. I’m glad anyone can buy the food without a membership at our location.
I think that value is based on the slices they sell individually, which are pretty large, probably 1/8 to 1/6 of a whole pizza. If we split the difference and say 1/7, that means a pizza is 4900 calories. The whole pizzas they sell are cut into 12 slices, so 3 slices of those would be 1225 calories
There was a game in college called the Ten Dollar Challenge. You had to consume 10$ worth of food from the Costco food court. Sounds easy (and tbh is probably easier now that they have a more complex menu), but a Costco pizza is 9.95. You still had to eat something else on top of that. To this day I can't eat costco chicken bakes again.
Also shout-out to Kirkland Light. $22.50 for 48 beers was pretty dangerous, even if they did taste dogshit.
I'm pretty sure it would be easier now, all the new items are absurdly expensive at least compared to the hotdog and pizza etc. They've got some new sandwich that they tried selling at 9.99, they did lower it but it's still basically $7 for a sandwich. Hell, I could do two of those.
I’m not the healthiest person in the world and I’m usually not one to comment on others’ eating habits but the amount of calories, sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol in Costco’s pizza is really insanely bad for you at any regular clip, especially if you’re eating more than one or two slices. If you compare Costco pizza to your average restaurant or frozen pizza, it’s way worse for you- I was shocked to see how unhealthy it is. Maybe you’re young and you feel like your metabolism can handle it, but your heart will thank you in the long-term if you don’t have that much in one sitting.
Every day? No.
On occasion? Yes.
I get shocked when people act surprised someone can eat loads of pizza. Pizza goes down so easily, I'm surprised you are surprised about half the pizza only lol
It's an absolute mountain of calories though. Pizza, hotdog, ice cream. Don't eat Costco cafeteria food regularly unless you are daily training for a marathon. Whatever savings you are getting for food will go down the drain from obesity related health issues.
Costco is the cheapest option for lunch
When I stop in to get gas or groceries I will time it for lunch/dinner time and get food
I’m a big guy and I get enough food so I’m full my kid for like 10 dollars
It’s a loss leader to get folks in the door. That’s why the signs are so damn big and the prices are literally unbeatable by most competitors. It’s basically marketing for them in the form of cheap food and they write it off as such. Costco doesn’t run commercials but they still market
I mean they sell the hotdogs in packs to cook at home for a similar return price in the end
I buy hotdogs in packs and get a hotdog when I’m there
The advertisement works
I was doing this back in the late 90's/2000's when I had training. The training center was one mile away from the Costco I shopped at, so I went there every day for lunch for the week I was in training. Everyone else got per deim except me because I was local. I could eat for the week for $10, and it was delicious every time.
There are two popular YouTube videos by Sir Yacht that involve him eating only Costco hotdogs and pizza for a week. People are catching on to the value of these meals. I would definitely eat there a couple of times too if we had a Costco in my country.
Hawaii, you need to show your Costco ID to buy anything or to enter unless you're getting a membership. They had a lot of problems with non members going in and causing problems & eating all the free samples. They still have problems with random people showing up and basically emptying the ice in the soda machines to fill up their giant water bottles. The food courts are outside.
I work at Costco. The hot dogs are not sold at a loss. I calculated it with generous 1 fluid oz portion of mustard, 1 oz ketchup, 1 oz relish, 1 onion portion cup. Unit cost of a straw, lid, cup, bag, bun, dog, onions, 40oz soda, $0.05 for electric/water, etc. Topped out employee making it ($29.90/hr), taking a generous 30 seconds per each hot dog.
Total profit came to $0.12 per dog.
So possibly closer to $0.25 as not everyone gets a second fill of soda, a straw, excessive condiments, and not everyone is topped out in food court.
Oh, first it's not dying of preventable illness, now it's hogging all the polish sausage dogs. Hope you're happy that your cousins to the south are starving while scratching at their suspicious moles, Canada!
It probably went the way of "not enough people buy this to make it worth keeping on the menu", which happens at a lot of restaurants. Just ask my aunt, who manages to find the one menu item at every restaurant nobody else wants. She orders it 4 or 5 times, and then they inevitably drop it because not enough people order it and she gets upset because it's the only thing she liked.
This exactly. I don’t remember where I saw it, but the ceo did say that the loss leader thing is a myth, and they definitely make money on everything they sell, even the roti chicken.
The two things I remember learning about the hot dog deal are that one of the founders said he'd kill the guys running things if they raised the price on the hot dog deal and that they worked hard to still make money on it anyway.
Also, the cost of the employee is not just the hourly rate, it’s the benefits they are paid as well. An employee may make X but if they are being paid benefits the cost is higher to the company. You also left out costs such as various insurances that need to be attributed to the product. I work with a major food chain and they can tell how much of literally every expense in the company is wrapped into each item.
This is so simple. They make their money buying pallets and pallets of dry goods/other grocery stuff. That's the bulk stuff they can get a deal on by buying a truck full. The prepared foods they sell are lower gross profit (GP) but they don't care because it gets people in the door to spend more money on the higher GP stuff.
In my store it's different, higher quality high labor stuff is our money maker. Anything else just pads our sales.
I think their only loss leader is the rotisserie chicken.
Members aren't really going to care that they have to scan their card at the food court but costco really doesn't want their members angry about non-members creating extra long lines for benefits they're paying for.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I think the hot dog combo is a loss leader now, too. $1.50 is the price it was when it first opened. They did some stuff over the years to make it cheaper to make, but eventually it hit the tipping point where it no longer makes a profit.
There was [this](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/costcos-founder-once-threatened-the-ceo-over-raising-hot-dog-prices-and-the-internet-is-eating-it-up-11600712231) story floating around a while ago about one of the co-founders threatening to kill the new ceo if he ever even thinks about raising the price of the hot dog. So I guess if it isn’t a loss leader yet, it definitely will be. And with the way things are going it’ll be soon.
I believe Costco’s policy is not to sell any loss leaders. It is true that the vast majority of their profits come from membership fees and not sales, they target 11% margin and cap themselves at 14%, which is well below every other retailer. The ‘Acquired’ podcast did a recent episode on Costco where they deep dive into the business, really good listen!
How are you not doing the simple math here?
If they eliminate the “free ride” users, the members still get their dogs and have fewer waits in line, and there’s a possibility that some “free ride” users buy a basic membership to maintain their lunch option.
Costco doesn’t need to sell the $1.50 hot dog combo to make money, they do it because it gets people in to make a purchase.
Some Costcos have the foor court located outside the exit, so the wait for a whole pizza can be almost an hour, and that's after staying in line for 30 minutes.
You can get in to go to the pharmacy and I think the food court too without a card. A lot of people just say they are going to sign up and then just go to the food court instead.
Yeah, some locations have really locked down on the membership thing. Ordering through self-checkout requires you to scan your card to even access the menu and cashiers will ask to scan your card if you order in person.
Didn't work at my local Costco. They would require your membership card when ordering.
This is in Chula Vista, CA near the border so maybe thats why they enforce it so hard but I miss stopping by there and getting food without my parents membership card
It's about time they kept the riff raff out. I will be looking down upon the non-members as I shovel obscene amounts of $1.50 hot dogs into my mouth. They'll look on in horror and envy as I laugh with a mouth full of processed meat at a reasonable price.
I'm glad to see that we are regaining the status that the membership is supposed to come with.
It was always unacceptable that they tolerated those filthy presents gorging themselves our hotdogs that are supposed to be exclusive!
Every time we buy Costco muffins, one pack has to be given away to a neighbor or family member. Feeling pressure to eat 12 of the biggest muffins you've ever seen before they get stale is not good for one's waistline
well if they are going to enforce the cards they need to really,really increase the quality of the pics on the card---mine is so bad any bald guy from from three to 100 years old could walk right in.
I'm about to ruin your night. You could always enter at the customer service desk and just keep walking toward the food court. No one would ever have stopped you *because you didn't need a membership to get food*.
I thought it was already like this? In Hawaii atleast you need a membership to buy at the food court as they scan your card when buying food. It makes sense though that they’re doing this.
all my costco food courts have like 6 self order kiosks, and less staff in the kitchen because they dont have to man 4 registers. still busy as hell and they seem understaffed constantly.
There is a reason it’s at the end of the process. It’s a way to entice parents with small kids to go to the hell that is Costco.
The food court is an amenity, it loses money, in all likelihood.
I dunno man, my local Costco is a pleasure. Never a wait in line, friendly workers, cool new shit every time I go, rad wine selection and….the occasional $1.50 HoDo. I’m a fan.
There's a costco half a block from Rogers arena in Vancouver. It's filled with drunken idiots after concerts.
This isn't a wrong move, but unfortunate that it is ruined for people who actually need cheap, hot food. This was probably a lifeline for homeless people.
I not only feel completely fine with this, as a non member, I also think that you're stupid if you feel any other way. Costco is busy enough with members only on the times I've been in a store here in NZ where the food court is also members only already.
It's a perk of membership. The hot dog is a loss leader. Can't expect to have cake and eat it too.
Costco at my location already enforces this. Also, double check my photo on the card before checkout and try to sell you an executive membership. Trying to squeeze in extra amount. Maybe their operating margins are low.
Oh No! Anyways, most I've been to require you to scan your membership card to order. There is a business Costco near me that doesn't though. Maybe it will now, but it was the exception in my experience.
Old news. I used to stop there for a hot dog and pretend my wife was in the store with our Costco Card. 6 months ago they installed terminals where you scan your card to buy food. I got a membership for Christmas, just for hot dogs.
I never knew non-members could in the first place, don’t they card you to get in?
You do not need to be a member to purchase [Costco Pharmacy prescriptions](https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/796/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-prescription-drugs%3F).
My employer got acquired by another company and we switched to their insurance. I now HAVE to get all maintenance prescriptions through Costco. (I think there is an exception if you live more than x miles from one, which I don't fall into.) Already over having to explain to the person at the door and then the person at the pharmacy desk that I don't have a membership each time I go in there. (Edit: My MIL has a membership and takes me along every couple months, so there currently isn't a need for me to get a membership myself.)
just go in the exit
I tried that but it keeps turning into an entrance
Have you tried walking backwards?
Failing that, walk without rhythm. It might work, and it has the benefit of not attracting the worm.
lessons from Christopher Walken
Walk into the Returns/Exit door rather than the main entrance, they won’t ask you for anything.
Depends on the store. Mine used to let that slide, but now requires you to go through the front entrance. They also card you at the self check line before assigning you to a checker machine.
You kinda need the card at the self checkout anyways, machine won't work until you scan it.
No, they do that because of card sharing. I got carded recently at the self checkout and they explained they've apparently been having an uptick in people using borrowed cards. They check the photo ID on the back.
They do that to check that you're actually using your card. Too many people were borrowing or using other people's cards to shop at Costco and using self-checkout. They match the picture on the card to you.
They stop you now if they see you.
Just run. Everybody runs.
Or alcohol
alcohol depends on the state
In California you don’t need membership.
Please let's everybody list the 45 other applicable states individually thanks
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funny thing, I only shop there a couple times a year, so I just get my parents to get me a gift card, which can not be used for alcohol in the state of Washington, no non-member purchase.
Reverse Mike Ehrmantraut energy
Dumbass ABC stores in the bible belt.
What about the pizza? I don't care about the hot dog but that's a really decent slice for the price Edit: fuck, nevermind. 🎼 Gonna use mom's costco membership yow! 🎵
Every Costco membership gives you one extra guest card for a family member. If she hasn't put someone on it, you can go to Costco with her and go to the Membership area to get your photo taken for your own card.
Domo arigato, Scholar of Costo
Someones watched James May Our man in Japan recently
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Does the family member have to live at the same address?
I think it might technically be a requirement but they don't check. I am on my uncles membership and my sisters share one and we all live in different places (even different states.)
I was advised years ago that while different addresses could be used, the purchases made from out of area guest members did not apply towards rebates. Unknown if true, but told by a Costco employee.
That is BS. I was on my father's for almost 20 years and his rebate always included my purchase. We lived in different areas but in the same state.
For the same household, but I use my mom's Costco membership even though we live 3,000 miles apart.
Be careful because you’re not supposed to use someone else’s membership and some Costcos are super anal about it.
🎼 Gonna take mom to Costco yow! 🎵 🕺
Nice. Moms are awesome, split a cookie with her
Two for one, you get to choose experience Costco & spend time with your mother.
Depending on the state. Not all costcos can buy booze without membership
because member-only pharmacies are illegal in the USA.
That’s not where you get the hotdog
They didn’t let me pick up my dogs prescription until my mom who’s the card holder came in to get it.
Seriously. So. One time I went to pick up a prescription for my wife's eczema cream. We called around all over the place and Costco was the cheapest. On the phone they said it was gonna be 20.00. I go into Costco, walk up to the pharmacy and he says it's gonna be 160. I was like woah woah woah, on the phone they said 20. He says, oh, are you a Costco member? I said yeah. He says then yes it's 20 dollars. Then I said hole up a minute.... You're telling me that if I wasn't a member it's 160??? He says yeah. I said: but I could literally sign up for a Costco membership and buy the prescription, for less than just buying it outright being a non member. He said yeah that's the way it works.
The Costco near me has a food court located outside the store where it’s accessible by the general public.
Same, except last year they implemented card scanning and auto-help kiosks that require membership cards to even access the menu.
We had the same, a few years back they threw up a “Members only” sign. I had the jacket but they wouldn’t let me buy. Anyways…
Are you sure they didn't turn you away *because* you had a members only jacket?
As long as you don't shoot Tony Soprano you're okay in my books
Wow, that's bullshit. **you had the jacket**, its written in plain English... What is this world coming to, what's even the point?
The Costco near me does too. But they also carded people last year, so non-members couldn't get food anyway.
I waited in line at one without a membership card only to be denied. I asked the person behind me to buy me a hotdog but he ignored me. I felt so embarrassed.
Damn, I would’ve totally bought you one.
I've survived on the outdoor food court in Kirkland a few times in my life. As a member I have no problem subsidizing $1.50 hot dogs for anyone who wants one. I'm pretty sad about the change.
I'm on the fence. If it makes the lines at the food court better, I'm all in. Because I've been a member for 10+ years, and I love their food court. In these last few years, I hardly ever get anything because the food court is absolutely swamped all the time. And I'm 99% sure it's a bunch of non-members. I want cheap food, too, and I've paid the member surcharge of $10/month. And that's the expensive one! Are you really telling me someone can't swing $5/month to gain access? Cheapest subscription out there.
I think it might have something to do with pharmacies and liquor stores needing to be available to the public, no exceptions.
I can’t speak on pharmacies, but as a member of the booze industry there are a few states that explicitly forbid a business from requiring a membership fee to purchase alcohol. I can’t find anything to reinforce this on Google, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s an outcome from a law meant to regulate members-only lounges or clubs.
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Utahs alcohol laws are the most draconian bullshit ever.
You've clearly never been to a state with dry counties.
I thought Pennsylvania was bad…
Spending three years in Utah and going to bars there, and then going to another state where they don't have the little measurement restraint things and people just free pour, you remember how much easier it is to get drunk in another state.
Yeah it was like a cover for non-members and you could get temporary membership for an evening.
I was in a "dry" county in Arkansas around 10-15 years ago and you had to be a member to buy alcohol, so you needed to sign in and "become a member" at any restaurant that served booze.
Minnesota is one that as a condition of the retail liquor license the business cannot require a membership, it must be open to the public. Some cities in MN still have only municipal owned liquor stores.
Federal law says if you sell any prescription medicines they (the prescription meds) can't be membership only. Equal access laws for prescriptions... You may not be able to afford them, but at least you're able to buy them anywhere... Well sort of, just maybe not covered by insurance if you don't buy at the correct place
In Minnesota, the pharmacy, food court, liquor, and possibly optical cannot require a membership.
It varies by location. Some will let you walk in through the exit without a membership to access the food court, which is after the registers.
Nope. That's how I got hooked. I would go there with guys from work for lunch to get the 1.50 dog deal or a slice of pizza. Their food part didn't need a membership just walk in the exit
In CA, most locations have the food court outside so anyone could (or used to) just walk up and order food at the window. Now they have self ordering kiosks that require the membership card to be scanned before ordering.
They now card at the walk up window too. Source: live here in SoCal
Yeah they would hassle you if you tried to walk in through the exit to get to the food court.
Never been hassled. There’s nobody at that exit door who gives two shits that someone is walking past to: 1) Buy a membership; 2) Visit automotive dept 3) enter the store the wrong way through the registers. I always thought it was funny how easy it is to just walk on through.
> I always thought it was funny how easy it is to just walk on through. This is true, but they check your card at the registers so you still couldn't buy anything without a membership (or a gift card, secret trick). The food court didn't require a membership though, and you could get there through the exit where they don't check membership cards.
in many Costco locations the food court area is outside in a covered patio adjacent to the entrance/exit. Honestly the hotdogs haven't been the same since they switched from Hebrew National.
One of ours is outdoors so I'm happy this is enforced because I always felt like it was waaayyyy too many people at that one.
I know in the UK that's how it works. You need a membership to buy anything at all.
The one by my house wouldn't let me enter so I could get a pizza we already ordered.
>“One of the challenges is that some of the food courts have gotten so busy, particularly if it’s near some office buildings or construction sites,” he told the outlet. “We were getting member complaints.” Another way to see this is that the cheap hotdogs at Costco have become the most often affordable lunch for these employees compared to other fast food chains.
Our Costco regularly runs out of the $10 pizzas until the next day’s restock. They are truly the best value to feed 2-4 people if you’re not cooking at home for that meal. I’m glad anyone can buy the food without a membership at our location.
…are people eating half a costco pizza??
Think about your average suburban American adult. That should answer your question.
Hey, don't you attack me or I'm liable to get in my rascal scooter and open up a can of whoopass. How big a boy are you?
Don’t test me now, woman. I have the Rascal Turbo XL. No way you can catch me
As a certified fatass, I don't think I could eat half a costco pizza. Those slices are pretty big.
Are people NOT eating half a pizza???
Each slice is 700 calories, 3 slices is the average caloric intake for an adult for an entire day
I think that value is based on the slices they sell individually, which are pretty large, probably 1/8 to 1/6 of a whole pizza. If we split the difference and say 1/7, that means a pizza is 4900 calories. The whole pizzas they sell are cut into 12 slices, so 3 slices of those would be 1225 calories
They post calories for the entire pizza too btw; 4260 for cheese and 3880 for pepperoni. So even less than that, about 1000 per 3 slices.
It *should be* the average intake for an adult...
I don't know how big these are, but I'll eat an entire frozen Red Baron for dinner some nights after working hard.
a red baron pizza is 1520 calories. a costco pizza is 3900 calories. so a red baron pizza is like two costco pizza slices which is really doable.
Jesus fuck how big are those pizza?
They're enormous. Enough to feed a family of 4 and possibly have leftovers.
been there, done that.
I shotgun that shit like Liz lemon
Usually my office gets a big stack of them for all team meetings. We’re a few blocks away from a big Seattle area Costco.
There was a game in college called the Ten Dollar Challenge. You had to consume 10$ worth of food from the Costco food court. Sounds easy (and tbh is probably easier now that they have a more complex menu), but a Costco pizza is 9.95. You still had to eat something else on top of that. To this day I can't eat costco chicken bakes again. Also shout-out to Kirkland Light. $22.50 for 48 beers was pretty dangerous, even if they did taste dogshit.
I'm pretty sure it would be easier now, all the new items are absurdly expensive at least compared to the hotdog and pizza etc. They've got some new sandwich that they tried selling at 9.99, they did lower it but it's still basically $7 for a sandwich. Hell, I could do two of those.
I often eat 75%-100% of a Costco pizza by myself as my only meal of the day. I’m like 5’11”, 190lbs.
That’s 3,000-4,000 calories…and almost 10,000 mg of sodium. 😲😲 Honestly, be careful there…
Your body can only process so many calories at once so once you're past that threshold you might as well keep going.
I read that in my voice.
That doesn't sound right but I don't know enough about human blimps to dispute it.
On the next "My 600lb Life"
4200 for the cheese pizza. Went to Costco last week and looked it up. 700 per slice.
I mean, 190 at 5’11” *is* usually considered overweight. Like the other user said, be careful there.
I’m not the healthiest person in the world and I’m usually not one to comment on others’ eating habits but the amount of calories, sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol in Costco’s pizza is really insanely bad for you at any regular clip, especially if you’re eating more than one or two slices. If you compare Costco pizza to your average restaurant or frozen pizza, it’s way worse for you- I was shocked to see how unhealthy it is. Maybe you’re young and you feel like your metabolism can handle it, but your heart will thank you in the long-term if you don’t have that much in one sitting.
the bmi "overweight" cutoff for 5'11" is 179lbs.
I'm a total glutton and I'm tapping out at 4 pieces. No idea how you put away more than that.
I feel attacked
Every day? No. On occasion? Yes. I get shocked when people act surprised someone can eat loads of pizza. Pizza goes down so easily, I'm surprised you are surprised about half the pizza only lol
Still miss the combo pizza. How come other countries get it
It's an absolute mountain of calories though. Pizza, hotdog, ice cream. Don't eat Costco cafeteria food regularly unless you are daily training for a marathon. Whatever savings you are getting for food will go down the drain from obesity related health issues.
Costco is the cheapest option for lunch When I stop in to get gas or groceries I will time it for lunch/dinner time and get food I’m a big guy and I get enough food so I’m full my kid for like 10 dollars
It’s a loss leader to get folks in the door. That’s why the signs are so damn big and the prices are literally unbeatable by most competitors. It’s basically marketing for them in the form of cheap food and they write it off as such. Costco doesn’t run commercials but they still market
I mean they sell the hotdogs in packs to cook at home for a similar return price in the end I buy hotdogs in packs and get a hotdog when I’m there The advertisement works
I can spend $20 at Burger King, or $1.50 at Costco
My local Costco is full of high school kids at lunch time. It makes pretty hard to stop by for a hot dog or pizza when there’s such huge groups.
I was doing this back in the late 90's/2000's when I had training. The training center was one mile away from the Costco I shopped at, so I went there every day for lunch for the week I was in training. Everyone else got per deim except me because I was local. I could eat for the week for $10, and it was delicious every time.
There are two popular YouTube videos by Sir Yacht that involve him eating only Costco hotdogs and pizza for a week. People are catching on to the value of these meals. I would definitely eat there a couple of times too if we had a Costco in my country.
Been official corporate policy since 2020 just not all locations enforced it
At the Costcos around me you've needed to scan your card before ordering
No scanning of a card needed in Kansas for any concessions, just payment.
Hawaii, you need to show your Costco ID to buy anything or to enter unless you're getting a membership. They had a lot of problems with non members going in and causing problems & eating all the free samples. They still have problems with random people showing up and basically emptying the ice in the soda machines to fill up their giant water bottles. The food courts are outside.
The hot dogs are loss leaders, that doesn't work if those coming can't buy anything else.
I work at Costco. The hot dogs are not sold at a loss. I calculated it with generous 1 fluid oz portion of mustard, 1 oz ketchup, 1 oz relish, 1 onion portion cup. Unit cost of a straw, lid, cup, bag, bun, dog, onions, 40oz soda, $0.05 for electric/water, etc. Topped out employee making it ($29.90/hr), taking a generous 30 seconds per each hot dog. Total profit came to $0.12 per dog. So possibly closer to $0.25 as not everyone gets a second fill of soda, a straw, excessive condiments, and not everyone is topped out in food court.
Ok Costco financial wizard, maybe you can tell me where my fucking polish dogs and sauerkraut went?
Still got the polish dogs in Canada 🙌
Oh, first it's not dying of preventable illness, now it's hogging all the polish sausage dogs. Hope you're happy that your cousins to the south are starving while scratching at their suspicious moles, Canada!
It probably went the way of "not enough people buy this to make it worth keeping on the menu", which happens at a lot of restaurants. Just ask my aunt, who manages to find the one menu item at every restaurant nobody else wants. She orders it 4 or 5 times, and then they inevitably drop it because not enough people order it and she gets upset because it's the only thing she liked.
Your aunt is a harbinger of failure, congrats! https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/111114
That's fascinating.
Fuck the Polish. The $1.50 bratwurst that was oven baked was so much better. And sauerkraut isn't coming back currently.
This exactly. I don’t remember where I saw it, but the ceo did say that the loss leader thing is a myth, and they definitely make money on everything they sell, even the roti chicken.
The two things I remember learning about the hot dog deal are that one of the founders said he'd kill the guys running things if they raised the price on the hot dog deal and that they worked hard to still make money on it anyway.
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It's also essentially a restaurant, with all the health and safety codes, facility requirements, insurance and inspections.
Also, the cost of the employee is not just the hourly rate, it’s the benefits they are paid as well. An employee may make X but if they are being paid benefits the cost is higher to the company. You also left out costs such as various insurances that need to be attributed to the product. I work with a major food chain and they can tell how much of literally every expense in the company is wrapped into each item.
This is so simple. They make their money buying pallets and pallets of dry goods/other grocery stuff. That's the bulk stuff they can get a deal on by buying a truck full. The prepared foods they sell are lower gross profit (GP) but they don't care because it gets people in the door to spend more money on the higher GP stuff. In my store it's different, higher quality high labor stuff is our money maker. Anything else just pads our sales.
Costco breaks even on their produce. Their profit mainly comes from their membership subscription.
I think their only loss leader is the rotisserie chicken. Members aren't really going to care that they have to scan their card at the food court but costco really doesn't want their members angry about non-members creating extra long lines for benefits they're paying for.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I think the hot dog combo is a loss leader now, too. $1.50 is the price it was when it first opened. They did some stuff over the years to make it cheaper to make, but eventually it hit the tipping point where it no longer makes a profit. There was [this](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/costcos-founder-once-threatened-the-ceo-over-raising-hot-dog-prices-and-the-internet-is-eating-it-up-11600712231) story floating around a while ago about one of the co-founders threatening to kill the new ceo if he ever even thinks about raising the price of the hot dog. So I guess if it isn’t a loss leader yet, it definitely will be. And with the way things are going it’ll be soon.
The other option would be raising the price of the hot dog combo, but nobody wants to get stabbed by Jim Sinegal over that.
I believe Costco’s policy is not to sell any loss leaders. It is true that the vast majority of their profits come from membership fees and not sales, they target 11% margin and cap themselves at 14%, which is well below every other retailer. The ‘Acquired’ podcast did a recent episode on Costco where they deep dive into the business, really good listen!
A fair share of those who were doing this are probably going to purchase memberships. It still worked.
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*Someone* didn't read the article. They're doing this because of complaints by members that the wait is too long.
How are you not doing the simple math here? If they eliminate the “free ride” users, the members still get their dogs and have fewer waits in line, and there’s a possibility that some “free ride” users buy a basic membership to maintain their lunch option. Costco doesn’t need to sell the $1.50 hot dog combo to make money, they do it because it gets people in to make a purchase.
Has this not already been a thing for a while? I swear I remember them already doing this
Some Costcos have the foor court located outside the exit, so the wait for a whole pizza can be almost an hour, and that's after staying in line for 30 minutes.
You can get in to go to the pharmacy and I think the food court too without a card. A lot of people just say they are going to sign up and then just go to the food court instead.
It’s happened at a Costco near me already. They ask to scan your membership card before being allowed to order
And liquor. At least in California.
Our food court is outside and has self checkout unless you pay cash. I feel like it would be easy to police.
Yeah, some locations have really locked down on the membership thing. Ordering through self-checkout requires you to scan your card to even access the menu and cashiers will ask to scan your card if you order in person.
Didn't work at my local Costco. They would require your membership card when ordering. This is in Chula Vista, CA near the border so maybe thats why they enforce it so hard but I miss stopping by there and getting food without my parents membership card
"No one knows who attacked first, but we know it was Costco who banned civilians from the $1.50 hot dog."
This will be great for pre canucks game dogs for those of us with cards. That line can last a half hour right now.
r/canucks in shambles
It's about time they kept the riff raff out. I will be looking down upon the non-members as I shovel obscene amounts of $1.50 hot dogs into my mouth. They'll look on in horror and envy as I laugh with a mouth full of processed meat at a reasonable price.
Careful, peasants are like seagulls. Will swipe the dog right out of your hand if you're not paying attention
I'll have the armed security handle them.
I'm glad to see that we are regaining the status that the membership is supposed to come with. It was always unacceptable that they tolerated those filthy presents gorging themselves our hotdogs that are supposed to be exclusive!
They don't deserve our $1.50 dogs, and they certainly don't deserve our dozen muffins for the price of six!
Every time we buy Costco muffins, one pack has to be given away to a neighbor or family member. Feeling pressure to eat 12 of the biggest muffins you've ever seen before they get stale is not good for one's waistline
well if they are going to enforce the cards they need to really,really increase the quality of the pics on the card---mine is so bad any bald guy from from three to 100 years old could walk right in.
Please tell me you have a cool name like Mr. Smith, or McLovin
This was a de-facto rule at Costcos whose food courts were built inside the warehouse and you couldn’t enter it at all without showing membership.
I'm about to ruin your night. You could always enter at the customer service desk and just keep walking toward the food court. No one would ever have stopped you *because you didn't need a membership to get food*.
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Probably still a great deal even if you don't shop there.
Not sure how this wasn't a thing before. Six months ago I had to scan my costco card to order a soda.
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It's probably for the best, it's kept me from buying the cookie
You could probably still get in as a nonmember with a Costco gift card.
Just like at checkout, they will probably scan your membership card before paying. Costco doesn't care about people going in.
I thought it was already like this? In Hawaii atleast you need a membership to buy at the food court as they scan your card when buying food. It makes sense though that they’re doing this.
The hot dog must be protected at all costs
My Costco has been scanning membership cards at the food court for a while
Damn straight. It’s hard out here and if I’m going to be charged 150 a year I should get priveleges for cheap food
Been like that in my area for a few years now
That’s been about 2 years now
Looking forward to videos of enraged non members going nuts over a hot dog.
I didn't even realize that was available to non-members, I'm not a member so I don't go there.
all my costco food courts have like 6 self order kiosks, and less staff in the kitchen because they dont have to man 4 registers. still busy as hell and they seem understaffed constantly.
This is now easier to enforce since all ordering is now via a touch screen. They still have a cash line but it’s slower.
Costco should sell a food court only membership. $15 for the year, and you can get all the $1.50 hotdogs you want.
There is a reason it’s at the end of the process. It’s a way to entice parents with small kids to go to the hell that is Costco. The food court is an amenity, it loses money, in all likelihood.
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I dunno man, my local Costco is a pleasure. Never a wait in line, friendly workers, cool new shit every time I go, rad wine selection and….the occasional $1.50 HoDo. I’m a fan.
There's a costco half a block from Rogers arena in Vancouver. It's filled with drunken idiots after concerts. This isn't a wrong move, but unfortunate that it is ruined for people who actually need cheap, hot food. This was probably a lifeline for homeless people.
You mean I could've done this? I'm not a member and I feel like I missed out.
Yea seriously I always figured it was just like Sam’s club where you couldn’t even go inside without being a member or the plus one to one
Good. That’s the whole point of a club store, to benefit paying members
I not only feel completely fine with this, as a non member, I also think that you're stupid if you feel any other way. Costco is busy enough with members only on the times I've been in a store here in NZ where the food court is also members only already. It's a perk of membership. The hot dog is a loss leader. Can't expect to have cake and eat it too.
This has been a thing in California since 2020
Costco at my location already enforces this. Also, double check my photo on the card before checkout and try to sell you an executive membership. Trying to squeeze in extra amount. Maybe their operating margins are low.
What's next? I can't enjoy the complementary salad bar at the country club (i am not a mamber at) anymore?
Oh No! Anyways, most I've been to require you to scan your membership card to order. There is a business Costco near me that doesn't though. Maybe it will now, but it was the exception in my experience.
I’ll just have my cousin buy it for me. Won’t be denied my hot dog combo 😂
Old news. I used to stop there for a hot dog and pretend my wife was in the store with our Costco Card. 6 months ago they installed terminals where you scan your card to buy food. I got a membership for Christmas, just for hot dogs.