Change is once again afoot at everyone’s favorite warehouse retailer, Costco — and this time, customers couldn’t be more excited. Amidst potential strike tensions, and a barrage of complaints from customers found online, the retail chain has announced a bit of good news (to some) regarding soda drinks at its food court.
We’re out of Pepsi, is Coke okay?
It’s going to be a Coca-Cola summer at Costco Warehouses later this year, as the retailer announces it will be bringing back Coca-Cola products to its food courts in lieu of Pepsi products. Whilst Pepsi drinkers are bound to be disappointed at this change, Coke drinkers are surely rejoicing.
The past month had sparked rumors that Costco would be making a change to its fountain drinks which was first reported by Costco Insider. The announcement for this fizzy change was made after the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. “This summer, we will be converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola,” said Costco CEO Ron Vachris.
A post made on Instagram by Costco Insider outlined the changes. The post said that “the change will bring Coke, Coke Zero and Diet Coke, as well as Sprite instead of Starry.” It was also noted that after over a decade, Costco is switching back from Pepsi to Coke products in their stores. When FOX Business reached out to the company for a comment, Costco did not immediately respond.
This is not the first ever time Costco will be offering its food court diners Coke products. Prior to 2013, the retailer was serving Coca-Cola products in its soda fountains. However, a decision made in 2013 resulted in Coke products being swapped out for Pepsi products.
Why the back and forth with Coke and Pepsi and now Coke again?
Costco Insider has also shared that the initial switch from Coke to Pepsi in 2013 was “a cost-saving measure to keep their famous $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.” The $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is a fan-favorite of the company’s customers and is often praised for its affordability. The price of hot dogs has reportedly remained unchanged since the 1980s.
If the company opted for Pepsi to maintain low prices, does this mean that the hot dog and soda combo will see its first price increase in over forty years? Fortunately, this will not be the case and customers can still rely on the food court’s affordability — now with an ice-cold Coke added on. CFO Gary Millerchip has assured customers that Costco hot dog prices will remain steady.
In a quarterly earning call last May, Millerchip asserted: “I also want to confirm the $1.50 hot dog price is safe.”
How are customers reacting to this change?
The general sentiment surrounding the return of Coke products to the food court is that of excitement. Of course, coupled with that comes disappointment from Pepsi lovers.
According to a poll taken by Costco Insider — as shared by editor Matt West, “87% preferred Coke over Pepsi”, meaning the vast majority of customers were in favor of this change.
A Costco related Reddit thread revealed customer opinions on the matter. One user posted, “This better not be a December fools prank so help me god.”
Another Redditor shared, “I don’t even take the cup when I get the hot dog! I’ll be super happy if they go to Coca-Cola”.
Overall, this change seems to be incredibly well received. Perhaps this decision was made by the company to placate its customers after the decision to discontinue the table of books at most of its warehouses was made. The decision to stop selling books was met with a lot of pushback and disappointment.