As many Americans struggle to buy groceries and other staples on a budget, many have turned to retail warehouses and wholesalers, which allow them to buy items in bulk at a typically reduced cost per item.
The basic model of a U.S. wholesaler is simple: customers who wish to shop there pay memberships, which are renewed annually. That membership lets them shop at any of the huge stores across the country, which contain a mix of generic (store-brand) and name-brand goods. Typically, memberships include other benefits programs, including free shipping, fuel discounts, prescriptions, and travel savings. The cost to belong typically runs between $45-120 annually, depending on the tier and benefits a member may select.
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One of the most popular wholesale warehouses is Costco (COST) which has nearly 600 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico respectively.
Costco has earned itself a reputation for delivering quality name- and off-brand foods, household goods, and personal care products, all for a $60 annual membership fee. Many of these products are available in bulk, meaning the individual items are actually cheaper, and you don't have to run out to the store as frequently (though if you do run out of gas from all those frequent shopping trips, Costco offers reduced-price gasoline, too).
Costco Runs Into a Big Bakery Problem
While the $1.50 Costco hot dog combo may nab most of the headlines, Costco's bakery also has plenty of devoted customers. It disappointed more than a fair few when it quietly stopped selling its All-American Chocolate Cake several years ago, which was large (and heavy) enough to feed 20 people or more. If you happen to fall into that camp, there's a change.org petition asking Costco to bring the cake back.
Costco has disappointed yet more bakery customers in recent weeks, however, after a few noticed their store-bought bagels were going bad -- fast.
"Do your bagels get moldy extremely quickly?" a Reddit user asked on the forum r/Costco in early May. "Bought bagels on Thursday. Threw one pack in the freezer. The other I transferred to a ziploc bag. It is now Tuesday and they have mold on them. Seems ridiculous. I also live in a desert so next to no humidity. Do you all experience something similar?"
The post, which received over 500 upvotes, attracted hundreds of comments from users claiming to have similar experiences.
But many users say fast-molding is actually a good thing.
"Less processed = more quick to mold," one user wrote.
"This is how you know you have good bread. Not trash bread that magically stays mold free for 6 weeks," another posted.
"Costco baked goods don’t contain any preservatives. You need to refrigerate them or they will mold in 3ish days," one wrote.
"Yup that’s how it should be. We are so used to these long-lasting processed food. Imagine all the chemicals we eat on daily basis lol," another user said.
As of 2020, the ingredients in a plain Costco bagel were flour, water, sugar, corn meal, salt, wheat gluten, yeast, cultured flour, and malted barley flour. Very few of these ingredients have abundantly long shelf lives, which means the bagels are prone to moldiness faster. On the plus side, it means they contain fewer preservatives, which many health professionals believe may increase inflammation and can shorten health span.
