Costco customers don't like change, at least in certain parts of the retailers' warehouse clubs.
While ever-changing merchandise is actually a popular part of why some people shop at the retailer, there are some sacred cows that never change. Member (and company executives) have been fiercely protective of its $1.50 hot dog and soda combination sold at its food courts while the company literally bought a chicken farm to be able to continue selling its famed $4.99 rotisserie chicken.
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Those items are more or less gimmicks. No person, even a Costco loyalist, would flip out if the chain raised the price of the hot dog combo to $2 or if it started charging $5.99 for chicken. Both would remain good deals and while there would be a flood of news stories, the vast majority of members would pay the increased prices without flinching.
Costco (COST) , however, has made those two price points points of pride that it will lose money to protect, Both of those deals likely drive stories traffic and the chain probably still makes money on the hot dog combo while the chicken serves as a loss leader.
In a broad sense, the hot dog combo serves as a sort of symbolic reminder of how protective the company is of its food court. Items rarely change and when the warehouse club does take something off the menu (or adds something new) it reverberates with members.
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Costco brings a food court fan-favorite back
Costco very rarely changes its food court offerings, but it does happen. It recently dropped its churros and replaced them with chocolate chip cookies. It also has replaced its roast beef sandwich with a cheaper turkey sandwich.
During the pandemic, however, the warehouse club stopped selling a true fan favorite its combo pizza. Essentially an "everything" pizza, the once-popular pie had a variety of meat and vegetable toppings.
The removal of the Combo Pizza even led to a Change.org petition.
"Costco’s Combination Pizza is the most popular pizza variant and overall item at the Costco Food Court. It is a delectable combination of meaty goodness and vegetable crunchiness. Unlike a straight pepperoni or cheese pizza, the combo pizza ignites a party of tremendous flavor in the mouths of millions of Costco membership holders," the petition reads.
Over 18,000 people have signed the document which has a stated goal of 25,000 signatures, The petitioners seem very impassioned about the popular pizza.
"Countless Costco members and membership families have sworn to not renew their membership with Costco due to this travesty. Costco must realize that without its members, there would be no profits for them to be concerned about in the first place," the writeup continued.
Costco appears to have listened
While its a tiny fraction of Costco's membership, the people signing the petition likely represent a larger number of the chain's members who miss the Combo Pizza. The retailer appears to have heard their complaints and is bringing the popular item back, but maybe not in the way members want it.
"According to an alleged employee who took to the popular Costco subreddit, the combo pizza is slated to make its glorious return—but it won't be in the food court. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the pizza will actually be frozen this time around and sold as a take-and-bake option instead," Parade shared.
Members won't be able to eat the pizza at the Costco food court, but they will be able to take it home and bake it in their own ovens. That's a compromise that keeps the food court menu simple and cuts down on waste.
It may not, however, appease the very passionate petitioners.
"The termination of combo pizza from Costco Food Courts nationwide is not only saddening, but total madness, and just straight up WRONG. Costco corporate cites profit and cost concerns, but they could’ve dealt with the issue easily via a price increase. Fans of the combo pizza would have gladly paid the price to continue to enjoy it," the petition filers shared on Change.org.
