You can expect to see the same things on the shelves of a normal grocery store week after week.
Costco is not like other stores.
A regular grocery store could easily keep 30,000 or more SKUs (stock keeping units) on hand at any given time. However, Costco offices only keep about 4,000 SKUs on hand at any given time. And that’s on purpose.
Costco likes to keep its stock small so that it can better control the quality of the goods it sells. It also does this to make sure it can build strong ties with suppliers and get members great deals.
Costco also needs to keep a close eye on its stock so that it can get rid of bad things as quickly as possible. Because members can return most items at any time and get their money back, the company needs to know what’s selling well and how members are feeling about the things they’ve bought.
Costco’s product can change a lot, and often without any notice, because of this one-of-a-kind method.
Costco inventory changes are a mixed bag
In one way, the fact that Costco changes its stock all the time is a good thing.
People really do call going to Costco a treasure hunt. Every time you go shopping, you might find a lot of new things you didn’t know existed.
Also, let’s be honest. For people who like snacks, it can be very exciting when new things come out at Costco.
But the fact that Costco often changes what it sells can also be a problem. It is possible for a favorite item of yours to disappear from Costco’s stores without any notice.
Soy milk fans at Costco were very upset earlier this year when their favorite Kirkland Signature brand was taken off the shelves. Costco took that item out of stock because sales were slow, but it still left a lot of members without it.
Costco’s latest product change is interesting, to say the least
Costco won’t always get rid of an item; sometimes they’ll just change how it looks.
Let’s look at the well-known cakes. They used to come in huge sizes and packs of six that you could mix and match. These muffins now come in “normal” sizes and are sold in groups of eight.
Costco’s bakery area got another change not long ago. Members aren’t sure what to think about it.
Most likely, if you’re a Costco member, you know about the store’s famous sheet cakes. These days, Costco sells a cupcake-sized version that is much smaller.
The cupcakes come in both chocolate and vanilla, and are sold in packs of 12 for $8.99. They are the same size as the huge cookies.
Fans talked about Costco’s newest baking item on Reddit. A lot of people liked it, though.
One person wrote, “These are better than homemade.” Someone else said, “These are the right sizes.”
But someone else said the cupcakes were “overpriced” because of how big they were.
Others agreed that the new cupcakes were a good choice for people who didn’t want to buy a whole sheet cake, but they didn’t think they were a great deal.
One Reddit user said, “For that price, there should be a 36-pack.”
For the most part, if you like Costco’s huge sheet cakes, you’ll probably also like these new cupcakes. Whether you can explain the purchase is a different matter.
All in all, though, it looks like Costco is slowly taking steps to make its baked goods less big. That is up to you to decide if it is good or bad.
