Everyone’s favorite wholesale warehouse, Costco, just pulled this item from its shelves and it appears to be throwing in a wrench in the breakfast budget of some newly disheartened customers.
Take milk alternatives off your shopping list for Costco
Milk alternatives have become all the rage in recent years and not just with the lactose intolerant cohort. As a result, many retailers began expanding their offerings of dairy-free alternatives and now consumers can enjoy milks of made from all kinds of sources such as oat, soy, almond, macadamia, coconut, and even rice.
Costco Wholesale, under its Kirkland Signature private label, also offered its customers a soy milk range that quickly became a crowd favorite due to its affordability. However, it appears that the retailer has made the decision to remove this product from its warehouses and customers seem to be quite disappointed by this change.
Warehouse members began noticing that the Kirkland Signature Soy Milk range which was available in plain and vanilla iterations was no longer being seen in store. As such, one Reddit user reached out to the retailer to ask about the disappearance of this beloved product. In response, a Costco spokesperson confirmed that the soy milk will be discontinued at the warehouse.
“Unfortunately, the Kirkland Signature Soy Milk was discontinued due to slow sales. However, we plan on bringing in a branded Soy Milk as an item rotation throughout the year. The next rotation is due to arrive in August,” the spokesperson wrote.
According to another Reddit thread, the retailer has been exploring other options for sourcing its soy milk after alleged disputes with its manufacturer over the price of the product.
“They’re trying to find other vendors who give good quality for value, while simultaneously talking down the old vendor to a more reasonable price,” the Redditor concluded.
How are customers reacting to this news?
Warehouse members often take to the dedicated Costco thread on Reddit to share updates, opinions and complaints related to their experience with the retailer and as such, the discontinuation of the Kirkland Signature soy milk is being mourned by many on the platform.
“I know it’s silly but I am so devastated,” one user posted in response to the retailer’s confirmation of the change.
“That’s terrible, I am in shambles right now,” another user lamented. “The price cannot be beat and I mix it with my protein shake daily.”
“”Ugh! I’m so sad about this. I’ve been looking for it,” exclaimed one Redditor, whilst another shared that, “The Kirkland brand soy milk was the best dairy free milk I have ever found.”
Change is part of the Costco experience, it seems
The warehouse giant has over 900 locations currently in operation around the world, with around 600 of these based in the United States. According to a recent annual report, these warehouse are typically stocked with no more than four thousand varying products at any given time.
Amongst these products is the retailer’s own Kirkland Signature brand that had first been introduced in the mid 1990s. The Kirkland Signature products are sold alongside other name brands at the warehouse and by regularly changing up its inventory, the company is able to cultivate the “treasure hunt atmosphere” it has become famous for — or perhaps infamous for, depending on who you ask.
The retailer also has ambitious plans to open at least 25 new locations this year, six of which have already been inaugurated just days ago, in March. These openings were made possible due to a boost in revenue received by the company after it increased membership prices last September from $60 to $65 for a standard membership and $120 to $130 for executive memberships. The last time Costco increased its membership fees was in 2017.