Costco is making a small change to one of its bakery staples, and members are divided. When buying bagels from the bakery, shoppers used to be required to buy two 6-packs for $5.99, whether they wanted 12 bagels or not. Now, locations are selling one bag of 8 bagels for $4.99. Members have complained about the old packaging style for years, not wanting to commit to buying a dozen bagels, and because of Costco’s preservative-free recipe, their bagels are known to grow mold quickly. The new setup seems to be more feasible for shoppers and might help to reduce food waste. Shoppers will be able to buy an amount they’ll actually eat, rather than overbuying and either freezing or tossing the extras. However, some people are disappointed, arguing that the change is ultimately a price increase. “So before, you got 12 for $5.99; now you get 8 for $4.99. They raised prices without raising prices,” one commenter noted. Pushing back against this argument, others say that it’s actually cheaper in the long run if you use the food or forget about it in the freezer. The rollout of the bakery switch isn’t at all locations yet, and availability can vary by location.
