Customers Now Angry At New Costco Change in Minnesota

'Minnesota nice' may still be a thing but a new change at Costco has customers more than just a little upset.

When you think of Costco, you probably think of buying huge packages of toilet paper or paper towels, giant tubs of guacamole, queso, or other delicious dips, and massive packages of coffee and other food items, right?

Well, sure, Costco has all of those items and more. In fact, a new article by Real Simple found that the most popular items Minnesotans like to buy when they head to Costco are:

1. Kirkland Signature Organic No-Salt Seasoning
2. Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend
3. Kirkland Signature Italian-Style Beef Meatballs.

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But another hugely popular item at Costco, both here in the Bold North, at at its stores across the country, is its brand of Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken. The Independent says that Costco sold 137 million of those rotisserie chickens last year alone, up 20 million from 2022. Still, it's a change Costco just made to that familiar product that has Minnesota customers seeing red.

Red plastic, that is-- as in the red stripe on the plastic bag in which those rotisserie chickens are now packaged. For years, Costco had been selling its roasted rotisserie chickens in a two-piece plastic clamshell. But back in March, the company announced it was switching to the new plastic bag, and that change has now been implemented at the majority of its stores, including most here in Minnesota. Costco told Fox Business more:

You may have noticed a classic Costco item in a different container: Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken now comes in a bag. Based on projected rotisserie chicken sales in 2024 in the U.S., the new packaging will save an estimated 17 million pounds of plastic every year, Costco said.

But Costco shoppers across the country and here in the North Star State aren't having it, and are saying the bags are inferior and a big step back from the previous plastic clamshell containers. Complaints about the new plastic bags, Fox Business said, range from customers saying they're more prone to leaks, are not feasible for storing leftovers, and are not recyclable.

ALSO INTERESTING: Which Alcohol Do Minnesotans Buy Most at Costco?

Fox Business also says other customers are complaining that the new plastic bags make it tougher to see each individual chicken and tougher to pick out the bird customers want to buy.

Costco isn't alone in making this switch to plastic bags, however. The Independent says other grocery chains including Whole Foods, Wegmans, Safeway and Walmart have also switched to packaging their rotisserie chickens in similar plastic bags.

Seeing as I'm guessing the switch to plastic bags is also a way for Costco to save money, I'll bet they don't plan on bringing those plastic clamshell containers back anytime soon, no matter how much customers cry 'fowl'. (Sorry about that one!)

There's no doubt that Costco is one of the top brands around today, right? But will it ALWAYS be that way? Maybe not, seeing as some brands that were once very popular and well-known now no longer exist. Keep scrolling to see how many YOU remember.

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