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There are plenty of bargains to be found at Costco, but it’s hard to beat the massive rotisserie chickens that will only set you back $4.99. However, if you’ve gotten used to snagging a plastic tray out from under a heating lamp whenever you make the trek to a warehouse, you could be in for a big surprise during your next visit.
There’s probably no single item people associate more with Costco than the $1.50 hot dog (and soda) the chain has been selling in the food court at a price that hasn’t been increased for close to 40 years.
With that said, the rotisserie chickens that serve as a shining beacon at the center of the Costco meat department also deserve some serious love.
According to The Joy of Costco (a book penned by Kirkland Brand superfans David and Susan Schwartz), an outpost in Montreal first started selling rotisserie chickens in 1995 thanks to a couple of employees who drew inspiration from a supermarket chain in Canada.
After that location sold 6,000 chickens in the first week, Costco higher-ups realized they might be onto something and started selling them for $4.99 a pop at other stores. Nowadays, the company moves 100 million precooked birds on an annual basis in the United States alone.
American Costcos place those chickens in a black plastic base covered by a see-through top made of the same material, and as someone who routinely shreds them by hand after heading home, I’ve found the lid comes in handy when it comes to serving as a temporary bowl for the skin and bones I use to make stock.
However, according to a post that recently appeared on the Costco subreddit, I’ll have to retool my approach to that process based on a memo announcing the imminent arrival of the plastic bags that will be replacing the aforementioned containers—a move that will purportedly use 75% less plastic and result in an emissions reduction of 4,000 metric tons thanks to shipping logistics.
While I personally think there’s something to be said for the ability to stack the containers in your cart if you get more than one chicken (as well as the durability a bag doesn’t provide if you want to place something on top), it’s hard to knock the environmental aspect.
The fact that the bags come with a built-in handle also seems like a solid upgrade, as grabbing the bottom of the plastic tray containing a chicken that’s fresh out of the oven can be an unexpectedly perilous exercise if you’re not careful.
It’s not entirely clear when the change will roll out, but as long as the chicken itself isn’t impacted, I doubt most people will have trouble adjusting.