Is anything sacrosanct in an era of inflation? Costco’s latest price hike on two food court staples suggests not.
According to Los Angeles Times, as of this week, Costco’s chicken bake and 20-ounce soda have received puffed-up price tags. The wholesaler’s chicken bake previously retailed for $2.99. Now the pastry dish, which is stuffed with chicken and cheese, is being sold for $3.99. The price of Costco’s 20-ounce soda has bubbled to a 10-cent increase that has nudged the drink to $0.69.
Subscribers of the membership-only big-box retail stores were quick to express their lack of enthusiasm for the changes on social media.
“The chicken bake at Costco was just raised from $2.99 to $3.99. This inflation bulls—t has reached insane levels,” one user tweeted. "This must be stopped.”
“Apparently @Costco thinks raising the price of the Chicken Bake from $2.99 to $3.99 is a good way to keep my business,” another posted. “We’ll see.”
As of this story's publication, Costco had not yet responded to TODAY's request for comment on the changes.
Per Business Insider, the price changes are part of a national update for Costco stores.
The increase comes as grocery store prices across the country have shot up in leaps and bounds while inflation in the U.S. has reached a four-decade high. In addition to the price increases in grocery aisles, inflation has rocketed the price of gas, rent and airline travel across the country.
Fortunately for Costco devotees, one food court staple price is likely here to stay: the hotdog combo. Since its introduction in the mid-1980s, Costco’s hot dog-soda deal has stuck to its $1.50 through thick and thin.
In 2020, TODAY reported that Costco’s co-founder Jim Sinegal made a death threat when it was suggested that wholesalers’ cheap and beloved hot dogs get a price makeover.
While speaking to The Seattle Times for a 2009 interview, when asked what it would mean if the price of the ho dog combo ever went up, Sinegal reportedly responded, “That I’m dead ... We’re known for that hot dog. That’s something you don’t mess with.”
