5 Costco Changes Customers Loved And 4 They Hated

Costco consistently provides bulk deals, beloved food court favorites, and affordable Kirkland products, but the company isn't afraid to make changes when necessary. Part of the reason it has remained such a successful business for so long is that it has changed and evolved. Over the years, Costco has instated new policies, swapped out packaging, updated its technology, and swapped out fan-favorite food court menu items and warehouse products.

While some of these changes might seem small, they can have a surprisingly big impact on members. Things like improved packaging on a popular product or a shift in membership perks can spark heated debate online and across social media. Costco shoppers are famously passionate about their favorite items, and when something changes, they're quick to share their opinions. Some updates have improved the Costco shopping experience, giving members more convenience and reinforcing the brand's reputation for value. Others, however, have left shoppers frustrated and nostalgic for the way things used to be. Here are some of the biggest Costco changes that customers loved and hated.

In 2024, Costco made a packaging change to its timeless fan-favorite rotisserie chicken that had customers up in arms. The popular Kirkland Signature product used to come in a plastic clamshell box, which was a convenient way to keep the bird hot and transport it from the warehouse to the kitchen. However, Costco started packaging the rotisserie chickens in bags instead of boxes to reduce plastic waste. While the bags use 75% less plastic than the previous packaging, customers were not happy with the makeover for several reasons. Some even claim the change has influenced them to buy the product less frequently.

The bags are more impractical because they don't sit upright, causing them to easily leak, resulting in unwanted chicken juice spillage on the car ride home. Even if there is no leakage, customers find the outside of the bag is often greasy and oily, forcing them to use bags from the meat department to double-wrap. Some Costco patrons even feel that the new bags add an unpleasant taste to the chicken, finding the new packaging to be not only impractical, but just plain gross.

One of the most common customer complaints about Costco is that its mobile app is out of date. However, the store made an improvement to the app that thrilled customers. You can now order custom cakes and deli trays straight from the app, saving yourself a trip to the warehouse. Previously, the ordering process was pretty analog, and required you to go to the store, fill out a physical order form at the cake ordering kiosk in the bakery section, and then return to pick up the cake on your selected date.

The new ordering process is convenient, allowing members to customize their order and select a pick-up date all from their phone. Customers appreciate the convenience, which helps them save money in a roundabout way. One Costco shopper on Reddit states in response to the announcement, "This is awesome news, [it] will save me from an extra $200 shopping trip when I go to drop off the order form for my kid's birthday cake."

Customers used to praise the Kirkland Signature toilet paper for being affordable and functional, even comparing it to the Charmin name brand, but in recent years, members have noticed an obvious decline in quality. Even Consumer Reports ranks the product among some of the lowest quality TP. It is often described as linty, crumbly, and thin in customer reviews. One frustrated shopper on Reddit states, "Yea, I'm really sick of looking like I sat on a snow globe. What's with all the debris?" Some customers also claim that shrinkflation has hit the product, noticing the rolls are significantly smaller than they used to be.

Not to mention, there are concerns about the TP causing clogging issues because it does not disintegrate easily. The issue has gotten so bad that even plumbers are aware. One Redditor explains, "Was using it until we got our septic tank cleaned and the guy comes up to me and says 'you use Costco TP, right?' Then points to quite a lot of football-sized clumps down in the tank." Members assume that Costco likely switched to a cheaper manufacturer, which cut costs but sacrificed the quality of the product.

Costco made a small but impactful change to its chicken breast packages that members received with gratitude. The boneless, skinless chicken breasts come as multiple vacuum-sealed pouches, each of which holds two to three chicken breasts. Because the chicken comes in bulk, many customers would use scissors or a knife to separate the pouches and store some in the freezer. Customers often had issues separating the pouches without ripping the plastic, and this would result in nasty chicken juice spillage.

Costco added a perforated edge in between the individual pouches that makes it easy to rip apart. Although it's a small change, it's one that customers truly appreciate. An Instagram commenter responding to a video demonstrating the packaging improvement writes, "This actually just made my day! The line between cutting it perfectly and cutting into the chicken bag and chicken juice everywhere was so fine! This is amazing."

As of June 30, 2025, Costco made a slight change to its store hours that caused quite the stir among its members. The new policy allows for Costco Executive members to shop in participating warehouses an hour before official opening, when the stores are less crowded. The V.I.P. hours are meant to be an added perk for Executive members who pay $130 annually. However, regular GoldStar members, who pay $65 annually, felt the policy excluded them. A comment on Costco's Instagram post announcing the change reads, "Discriminating against regular membership is totally wrong. Pure greed."

Even some executive members who can use the perk find it has some drawbacks due to the fact that not as many Costco employees are working those early hours. Some customers don't appreciate the extended shopping hours, claiming there's no point in shopping early if it means waiting in longer lines. Not to mention, those free samples that so many shoppers look forward to are not available before regular store hours, so if you get your shopping done early, you miss out on that tasty perk. While the move may have been a smart business decision to help encourage GoldStar members to upgrade their memberships, it certainly built some resentment among shoppers.

Coca-Cola fans everywhere rejoiced when Costco announced it would be switching back to serving Coca-Cola products in the food court. The store previously served Coca-Cola until 2013, but it switched to an exclusive deal with Pepsi in order to maintain the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo deal, which has remained the same price since 1985. Now, however, Coca-Cola is making its triumphant return to the great excitement of Coke fans everywhere.

While there are, of course, some Costco shoppers who prefer Pepsi over Coke, Coca-Cola has all but put an end to the ongoing Pepsi vs. Coke war, considering the company's sales have edged out its competition for several years in a row. On social media, Costco customers share their excitement over the reintroduction of Coke to Costco. One woman on Instagram shares, "Not exaggerating, but Costco bringing back Diet Coke to the fountain is genuinely one of the highlights of my year." The new fountain Coke lineup includes regular Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Sprite.

Many AmEx cardholders are frustrated by the fact that they can't use their American Express cards at Costco, due to the warehouse's exclusive deal with Visa. However, what they might not realize is that Costco's decision to work with Visa might actually be keeping costs lower for shoppers. Costco used to have an exclusive deal with AmEx, until 2016, when it switched to Visa due to AmEx's high merchant fees. Instead of passing those fees along to the consumer in the form of product price increases, Costco shifted to Visa.

Despite the rationale, customers were not thrilled with the shift. One customer on Facebook states, "Costco not accepting AmEx is criminal." In fact, this is one of the key differences between Sam's Club and Costco, because Sam's Club accepts more forms of payment, including American Express. Despite customer resistance, it is unlikely that the store will make the switch back to AmEx, considering it would require raising its prices to cover the cost of the merchant fees associated with the card.

Costco's iconic $1.50 hot dog and soda combo deal has remained the same price since 1985. Shockingly, this unwavering price stems from a death threat issued by Costco co-founder Jim Senegal. When former Costco CEO and president Craig Jelinek tried to raise the price on the combo deal, co-founder Jim Sinegal stated, "If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out." Thus, the value deal has remained the same all these years, regardless of inflation, economic shifts, or material costs.

More recently, amid inflation and tariff price increase concerns, Costco's current CEO, Ron Vachris, doubled down on Sinegal's commitment. In a video on Costco's Instagram page, he stated that he plans to keep the classic buck-fifty price for good. One comment on the video reads, "Give this man anything he wants in the world. Protect him at all costs. Long live the grand overlord of Kirkland." In this case, it is the absence of change that gains customer favor as Costco members respect the company's refusal to increase the price of this longtime food court staple.

One of the most devastating changes for bulk shoppers came in 2018, when Costco discontinued the Polish hot dogs from the food court. The company claimed that the removal of the Polish dog was an effort to make more room on the menu for healthier offerings, including acai bowls and some plant-based options. Although it kept the all-beef hot dog on the menu, customers were none too pleased with the removal of the delicious Polish dog.

The key difference between the two food court dogs is that the Polish dog was loaded up with spices, including black pepper and garlic, which made it extremely popular among many Costco shoppers. In fact, there are petitions online begging Costco to bring it back that have garnered more than 12,000 signatures. However, Costco has not returned the culinary classic yet. While the Polish dog is now a Costco food you won't find, it was such a cultural phenomenon that Sam's Club threw shade by introducing Polish dogs to its own food court in 2018, hoping to steal some members away from its competitor, no doubt.