Costco shoppers tend to be bargain hunters, but they’re not seeing any savings with the latest items at the retail chain’s food court.
While a hot dog and drink still cost just $1.50 (and that price isn’t budging anytime soon,if ever), a new roast beef sandwich that showed up on the menu at the Lynnwood, Wash., store carried a price tag of $9.99.
For a deli, that’s not an unusual price, but at Costco, it’s more than the cost of an 18-inch pizza, and the same sum will get you two rotisserie chickens.
It’s also noticeably higher than the food court’s turkey sandwich ($3.99) and even the BBQ beef brisket sandwich ($4.99).
And, to put it in comparison to a better-known competitor, it’s 50% more expensive than an Arby’s half-pound roast beef sandwich (and more than twice as much as the regular sandwich at the fast-food chain).
News of the pricy option first surfaced on Reddit and Costco fans were quick to react.
“This is why we can’t have nice things in our food court,” said one, while another asked, “Is the beef Wagyu? It should be for $10.”
“I will never understand how in my lifetime a sandwich has gone from a poverty food to basically a luxury item,” another user wrote.
It’s not just the price that has people upset, it’s also the Lynnwood store’s proximity to Costco’s headquarters, prompting fears that this offering (which seems limited to one store for now) could be the first in line for a larger rollout.
The pricier sandwich comes as Sam’s Club has chosen the food court as a potential battleground to lure in customers. The Walmart-owned chain recently lowered the price of its hot dog combo to $1.38.
But not all Reddit users were against the sandwich pricing.
“In 10 years when it’s still $9.99 it’ll be a cult favorite,” one user wrote. “In 20+ years it’ll be our $9.99 darling that can do no wrong.”
Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Sign up here.