Latest news with #KirklandSignaturePeppermintBark
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Costco has come up with a sneaky way to charge more for its cookies
Costco has been accused of shrinkflation after customers noticed a new cookie variety has fewer cookies in the pack than usual. An Instagram video posted by fan account @costcobuys revealed that the new brown butter sugar cookies sold by the retailer are priced at $7.99 for 21 cookies. But regular Costco shoppers have been quick to point out that in the past, cookies have been sold in packs of 24. 'Where did the other three go?' one user wrote on a Reddit thread dedicated to the sweet treat. '21 count? Man first they came for the muffins and then they came for the two dozen,' another person wrote. The membership-only retailer is the latest to be accused of shrinkflation - which is when products shrink in size or quantity while the price remains the same or even increases. As Americans begin to feel the pinch of rising prices, many are beginning to question whether they are being shortchanged. A 2024 report by LendingTree revealed that of almost 100 everyday products bought by Americans, a third had shrunk in the last five years. 'People are already frustrated that things cost more,' said Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief credit analyst. 'Shrinkflation just adds insult to injury. It all adds up to a lot of Americans feeling squeezed every month to afford the basic things they can't do without.' Schultz added that businesses prefer shrinking products over raising prices, as they know that customers do not like it when this happens. 'Shrinkflation is a sneaky little way around that,' he said. 'Rather than bumping up the price of something, businesses make the product smaller while keeping the price the same. 'If done smartly, customers may not even notice. However, the problem is that when they do, it leaves the customer with a bad taste in their mouth because it feels so deceptive.' The new cookies are not the first time Costco has been accused of shortchanging customers. In December 2024, a furious Costco shopper claimed their holiday staple - the Kirkland Signature Peppermint Bark - only had 'half the thickness' that previous iterations of the sweet treat had. Regular Costco shoppers have been quick to point out that in the past, cookies have been sold in packs of 24 A frustrated TikTok user known as @ claimed Costco's Kirkland Signature Peppermint Bark was not thick this year The shopper known as @ on TikTok shared her frustration about the Peppermint Bark in a video on December 16. 'This is not my first rodeo buying Peppermint Bark... This is not like their other Peppermint Bark but this s*** was still $15,' the TikToker claimed. 'I love yall and i like these are thin but these shouldn't be the same price as the other peppermint bark yall have had,' she wrote in the video description. The TikTok user also made clear in her video that shrinkflation has been 'p***ing her off.' But Costco fans are happy with the retailer for another recent change. The warehouse retailer is known for delivering value to its members with its much-loved own-brand products. Now the $13.99 Kirkland 12-pack of Helles-Style Lager is the latest item fans are raving about. Made by the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon the German-style lager was released exclusively in Costco in November.
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trader Joe's shoppers race to buy limited edition treat
Shoppers are rushing to purchase a beloved Trader Joe's treat in stores nationwide. Social media chaos erupted on Reddit after customers spotted the limited edition desert in stores last week. The treat, Carrot Mini Sheet Cake, became an instant fan-favorite after making its store debut last year. Now that they are back, customers are hoping to snag them before they're sold out everywhere. 'WOW! I just tried this for the first time. The cream cheese frosting is UNREAL. This may be the best out of all the mini sheet cakes,' a Reddit user wrote. 'I don't quite understand how it's meant to be more than one serving? I'm pretty sure it's meant to be consumed all at once,' a shopper joked on an additional post. Stores nationwide have been selling the sheet cake for $5.49 to $5.99 per package. The sheet cake began flying off the shelves just months after fans went wild over the chain's Kirkland Signature Peppermint Bark. The sheet cake debuted in Trader Joe's stores last year and quickly became a fan favorite desert Trader Joe's created the popular sheet cake by taking notes from the 'Medieval masses and grandmas of yore,' according to the product's description. The desert is a mix of shredded carrots and warm spices baked together in a 'sweet and nutty base.' Cream cheese icing tops the cake, and no baking or heating is necessary to enjoy the treat. Multiple social media users have already claimed they would purchase the cake again and freeze it so that they can eat it in the future. 'I went last night and picked one up. Just cut a good slice out, ate it and found it to be absolutely delicious,' a shopper commented. 'Not overly sweet, the cake was moist and cream cheese frosting was subtle. Now I need to buy another and freeze it for future eating.' Others were glad the cake was missing a common ingredient in baked goods - nuts. 'No nuts?! I can actually have them?! Score!!! So many of the commercial carrot cakes have walnuts in them so I can't have them. This is exciting!,' a fan responded. Social media users insisted they needed to try the sheet cake and claimed they ate a significant amount of free samples In addition to its signature foods, Trader Joe's made headlines last year for its mini tote bags, which swept the internet. The mini totes sold out quickly and purchased by customers who waited in lines wrapped around buildings. The viral mini canvas tote is one of the common $2.99 must buys that has been found on resale websites for prices up to $1,000. The chain's latest hot commodity items were Mini Pastel Canvas Tote Bags, which hit shelves before Easter. Customers were lining up like crazy to purchase the limited-edition tote also worth $2.99 in stores. 'People's obsession with these mini Trader Joe's reusable bags highlights a unique intersection between consumer behavior, branding, and social status,' psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert told FOX Business. 'These bags have transformed from simple and practical grocery carriers to coveted items that carry a certain cultural cachet.' It's unclear which stores are still selling the pastel-colored totes, but one to four bags in the set have already been listed for thousands of dollars on eBay. Trader Joe's is in the process of opening a dozen new stores across 10 states. Its latest store openings were in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Seattle, Washington, earlier this month. Trader Joe's had already opened 34 stores across the US last year, many of which received hundreds of shoppers on opening days. As of now, Trader Joe's operates more than 600 grocery stores nationwide.
