Health
Costco’s Rotisserie Chicken Sparks Controversy: What Do You Think?
Clear Facts
- Costco, the highly-regarded retailer recognized for its rotisserie chickens, sold 137 million of these items in 2023.
- In March, Costco transitioned from hard clamshell containers to plastic bags for rotisserie chicken packaging, aiming for a 75% reduction in plastic use and promoting environmental benefits.
- The new packaging has triggered mixed reactions from consumers, many of whom have cited issues with leaks and spills leading to a less satisfactory shopping experience.
Costco, a well-respected bulk retailer, commands a strong following for its rotisserie chickens, celebrated for their outstanding taste, reasonable pricing, and versatility. However, a recent packaging change for these beloved items has stirred some controversy among customers.
In March, Costco switched from the traditional hard clamshell containers to plastic bags for its rotisserie chickens. Information regarding this change was shared on Reddit, stating that it was part of the company’s environmental campaign, with a goal of reducing plastic use by 75%.
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The new packages elicited a divided response among customers, some expressing disappointment while others lauded Costco’s efforts towards reducing plastic usage. However, the recent trend shows customer reactions skewing towards the negative.
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The main grievance regarding the new packaging is its lack of robustness. One customer shared their dissatisfaction on Reddit, reporting that the bags leaked and caused a spill of chicken juice in their vehicle. This post sparked a string of similar complaints, as over 500 comments poured in from other Costco customers and employees recounting their own unfavorable experiences with the new packaging.
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Several customers pointed out that the bags often felt greasy or slick, making for a messier shopping experience.
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One customer noted that handling the greasy bags left no option for cleaning up afterward. They wrote, “My main concern is that the bags are always incredibly greasy and no wipes, towels, or paper towels are available in the area to clean one’s hands. This not only affects those who buy the chicken, but the cart handles have also become noticeably dirtier since the switch to bags.”
Some Costco employees have also expressed dissatisfaction with the new packaging. A deli worker reported, “As a deli worker, I dislike the bags. It takes more time to place the chickens inside the bags compared to the containers, and it’s messier.”
Despite the concerns, certain shoppers have found ways to manage the packaging inconvenience, such as using double bags or carrying a separate container in their vehicles for transporting the chickens. However, some customers have chosen to bypass the product entirely due to the packaging issues. One shopper shared, “The bags are terrible. I have started buying my rotisserie chicken elsewhere where they still use containers.”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
JR
June 10, 2024 at 6:45 am
Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken. Customer satisfaction FIRST. Change it back or you will lose business.
Javicho
June 10, 2024 at 6:48 am
Crisis?
Get even, double bag. I carry a small cooler in the car.
Living creatures in the oceans are eating plastic waste.
Nick Romagnoli
June 10, 2024 at 1:41 pm
I nickrom
Clam shell packaging,please.
Robert Kobliska
June 16, 2024 at 7:41 pm
Go back to the clamshell package if you want my business. I can get groceries elsewhere.
Robert Cymraeg
June 10, 2024 at 6:49 am
Why are you not cooking your chicken at home? Best environmental result and no greaase etc. Probably lower cost also. I seem to recall warnings regarding potential safety issues with Costco and other rotisserie chickens not that long ago.
Sally Bergmoser
June 10, 2024 at 7:36 am
Use the bags like Publix does .theirs work
susan rich
June 10, 2024 at 8:25 am
Thank you for saving the planet. I will buy extra the help.
Sharon L Alexander
June 10, 2024 at 9:33 am
These bags are awful. I always bought multiple chickens in one trip to feed my cats. I have, thankfully, kept a former form that I transfer my chicken to. They need to go back to the previous container; it is so much better.
Jack Bridge
June 10, 2024 at 10:21 am
I agree, plastic bags are terrible, messy – return to original clamshell container – My wife hates plastic bags, and doesn’t want me to bring them home anymore!! I am a long time shopper at Costco – understand plastic issue, but may loose me as a chicken customer if Costco keeps using plastic bags.
August Campagna
June 10, 2024 at 12:16 pm
Will stop buying chicken after purchasing them for over 6 years. Bags are too messy and need to revert back to the old containers before I buy another chicken
Lei
June 10, 2024 at 12:45 pm
Why doesn’t Costco double bag the chickens? I don’t care that much. Groceries are always messy. And Costco’s chickens are about double the size of other stores. The chickens could be taken to the front of the store and put in the boxes there, instead of at the back of the store. Definitely provide wet wipes. Try going to Japan. They provide wet wipes after every restaurant meal – sometimes the wet wipes are cloth and even warmed up for the customer! These makes the doors and tables cleaner, ultimately. Dry paper is not going to clean your hands very well.
Steve Anderson
June 10, 2024 at 1:39 pm
I do not like the plastic bags. When I get home, taking the chicken out of the bags is a mess. When I want to put the chicken in the refrigerator I have to find a big enough container to put it in. I wish that I had saved one of their original containers. Please bring them back.
S. Hall
June 11, 2024 at 12:48 pm
I’m concerned where these chickens are coming from. Are they hatched and raised in the USA or CHINA?This would totally end my purchase of the product. Plastic bags are not safe, they give off vapors and other things into the product especially when heat is involved.
ANd since I’m asked for my opinion, I don’t like seeing “MADE IN CHINA” all over the dammed Warehouse! I’d like to see the “oh so rare” MADE IN THE USA about the store as I would probably buy more often.
Irene Mount
June 11, 2024 at 10:19 pm
When looking at saving plastic how does double bagging lead to savings on plastic.
We are only 2 people and I liked the fact that I could serve 1/2 chicken and keep other half in the container.
Also I liked to use the jellied juices in the bottom of container when I used the chicken in a soup.
STOPPED buying your chickens as do not like the bags. They are a mess.
wolf k baumbach
June 16, 2024 at 6:20 pm
these new bags are terrible , all the way around , not practical and very unsafe , having worked in the hospitality industry for over 35 years we find these new bags unsafe ,unpractical and hard to work with .The so called savings do not make up for the inconvenience and problems ( as quoted here many times )
and most recently I had to wait for 10 minutes in front of the window for the staff member to pack up the whole batch of about 30 of the just finished chickens , when he could have given us the one item we were wanting to purchase .rather arrogant and selfish .
Also the new bags are not always sealed properly and have a tendency to leak and one has to search for a box to place that chicken bag in it .
We will further point out that tests have shown that the thinner the plastic for food packaging is , the more is the seepage of carcagenous particles into the food.Pls. give us back the old hardshell .
Stan hanson
June 16, 2024 at 7:19 pm
Put the muffins in a plastic bag leave the chicken in the clamshell
Diaz
June 23, 2024 at 2:55 pm
75% is a respectable goal. Settle for 70%, and avoid a mess for your customers. Maybe hire Dylan Mulvaney to bag the chickens. Takes two hands to hold the bag open, while the chicken is inserted. Pretty messy.
Ginny
August 17, 2024 at 1:46 am
The plastic bags are terrible. I’ve been buying those wonderful chickens in those clam shells for many years but after my first experience with the chicken-in-a-bag I couldn’t believe how the whole Costco Chicken Experience could be undermined so quickly. I wondered if the powers that be at Costco tried to wrestle with a hot greasy chicken to get it out of the bag and into some kind of container for the fridge. What they missed entirely was that having that chicken sit so snugly in its little clam shell, as I used parts for meals, sandwiches, salads and saved the bones for soup and the grease for chicken broth. And every time I opened that little clam shell I thought of how thankful I was for my positive Costco Chicken experience which reminded me to buy another on my next visit. Now, I sadly walk by the chicken counter at my Costco, disappointed in the knowledge that if I buy one I’ll have a mess on my hands at home, finally deciding that it’s not worth the trouble. Was it really necessary to make this change?? You also made a change in the containers with many of the nut products — from container to bag, with the same results.