A Lucky Costco Shopper Snagged 2 Pounds Of Scallops For 2 Cents
Maybe the biggest appeal of a Costco membership is scoring great deals on otherwise expensive items, but one shopper recently lucked into a bargain beyond anything you'd ever imagine. On August 19, 2023, a Reddit user posted in the Costco subreddit revealing that they had purchased 2 pounds of frozen scallops for just two cents. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? That's because it is. The incredible bargain was a complete mistake, resulting from an error in labeling.
The Reddit post includes an image of the frozen scallops, and there's something clearly amiss. The label reads, "BEEF TRIMMINGS: INVENTORY PURPOSES ONLY!" The fine print on the label reveals that Costco uses beef trimmings as part of its ground beef, and since the trimmings are priced at just one cent per pound, the 2-pound bag of scallops got a significant markdown.
It's unclear how such an error was made, and the original poster didn't reveal the Costco location they shopped at in their post. One commenter speculated that whoever labeled that particular bag of scallops entered the wrong PLU (price look-up) code, but others suggested that the move might have been intentional. Since the two-cent scallops were the only bag in the whole freezer to feature such a low price, some commenters wondered if someone had purposefully marked down a bag, intending a friend or family member to pick it up that day. It's a pretty wild accusation, but people have done more outlandish things for a good deal.
Costco's error resulted in a near-100% discount
If you've ever tried cooking with scallops before, you know they don't come cheap. The actual price for a two-pound bag of frozen scallops at Costco varies by location, but it tends to run around $40, give or take. If that's the standard price, then the two-cent bag posted on Reddit came at an astounding 99.95% discount. Not even the bargain-minded folks at Costco would be so generous on purpose.
Curiously, scallops are one item for which Costco, renowned for its low prices, doesn't actually offer an outrageous bargain. $20 per pound is pretty average. CBS News reported in 2022 that scallops typically cost around $25 per pound, which is actually a higher-than-usual rate due to a decline in catch quantities. In previous years that featured bigger harvests, scallops ran at $20 per pound, just as the frozen ones at Costco are supposed to.
Costco's labeling mistakes have triggered other accidental bargains
Comments on the original Reddit post reveal that a number of other Costco customers have stumbled their way into incredible bargains, though none quite as ridiculous as the one-cent-per-pound scallops. One commenter reported finding flank steaks that were mispriced as a cheaper cut (they promptly bought the store's whole supply to stock their freezer). Another found filet mignon mislabeled as stew beef. One former Costco employee commented that their store sold individual boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates for $30, but due to a bizarre error in their system, customers who bought three boxes would be charged a grand total of three dollars.
If you happen to come across any erroneous deals such as these, we regret to inform you that you should temper your expectations. The cashiers and receipt checkers might not let the mistake slide. One commenter on the post said they had lucked into some mispriced ribeye steaks, but the cashier discovered the error and made them return the product.