6 Frequent Customer Complaints About Costco's Bakery

Costco certainly has its share of loyal patrons, people who shop there frequently and for decades on end. But even the most die-hard Costco fans have some critiques about the company. And who better to listen to than people who know the store inside and out? That's why we set out to identify some of the most frequent customer complaints in the Costco bakery section. 

We found multiple problem areas reported by various users, suggesting that each topic is a recurring issue at many locations. It might not be widespread at every bakery, but enough customers have similar experiences that these are worth paying attention to. You might have noticed some problems at your store, too. Next time you are perusing the bakery area, you might want to keep these things in mind to help guide your next purchase. While there are many beloved bakery items to choose from, you may decide to avoid some things based on what we're about to discuss.

It feels like the glory days are behind us now that Costco introduced its smaller pack of muffins — shoppers tend to return them quite frequently. Those big, round, somewhat squat ones are long gone. You used to be able to get two packs of six that you could mix and match. Instead, they were replaced with a smaller 8-pack; no more mixing boxes to give you variety. People are so upset at this change that they've even created petitions with hundreds of signatures trying to get the old ones back. 

"I'm not renewing my Costco membership over this," said one customer on Reddit. "The larger muffins have been a flagship product in Costco for years." Other complaints revolve around the muffins simply not being as good or several flavors being too dry. Some think they're small and cake- and cupcake-like. Several customers expressed that they went to the warehouse specifically for those large muffins, and they don't really feel compelled to visit any longer — one pointed out they were ideal for breakfast, but the new size doesn't work. 

There are even some customers who gave the eight pack a chance but are thoroughly displeased. "Will NEVER buy these again, EVER," one Redditor said. "They suck beyond belief and i'm shocked that Costco ever put out such crap." While they have a lot of complaints, some customers like the change as the size is more manageable.

We know what you're thinking: Cookies are sweet, the sky is blue. These are well-known facts. However, we are talking about customers complaining that the bakery cookies are excessively sugary. There is a difference between the level of sweetness one expects in baked treats and cloyingness. A Redditor set out to air their grievances about the Costco baked goods being too sweet, so much so that they want to return them. "I tried one of each and can't stand them." Another person responded to a comment that explained the idea well: "There is such a thing as too sweet. I love desserts but if you make them too sweet they're not really all that enjoyable." 

One Tasting Table writer shared a similar sentiment about the changes they wanted Costco's bakery to make; they called out that they find the chocolate chip cookies are often too saccharine. Other customers think they have too much sugar in general, and even those adorable mini chocolate chip cookies in the plastic container have been deemed quite sweet. Others say they've found Costco bakery treats are cloying these days; they're tired of too-sweet cookies and desire something less sugar-forward and would prefer a Costco cookie with a touch of salt. 

One thing that came up a lot was that customers think Costco's bagels mold way too fast. It's safe to assume bread might mold after a few days, but members say you have way less than that. Some mention that you need to consume them within 48 hours of purchase. Time's up after that, and then you need to freeze them or count the moments until you can spot mold. One person on Reddit laid it out clearly: "I bought some [Costco bagels] for the first time last Thursday and they were molded by Monday morning." Although the temperature and humidity of where you live might speed up the process even more, according to some shoppers. 

People consistently complain that mold is a major reason they don't like the bagels, but there is a lot of discontent about the texture, too. Some say they get hard the day after purchase or didn't seem fresh when they bought them, which doesn't exactly give you much time to eat the pack unless you're using it for bread pudding. Avoid buying Costco bagels unless you're hosting multiple guests and can eat them immediately. If you still want to get them because you like the taste or value, follow the advice of a Redditor. "Freeze them or they will grow the green death quickly," they said.

Costco's quality simply isn't what it used to be, at least according to some of its most loyal patrons. The complaints about the products were all over the place, which leads us to believe it's a widespread issue, not just a one-off problem. A Reddit thread about the sorry state of the bakery has hundreds of comments from shoppers, with a slew of bad items. People point out that the cakes aren't very good and there's even less variety than ever before; not to mention, the frosting has been stiff lately. 

Some say the breads are subpar and seem to have changed, and a lot of people say bakery goods are dry — from mini cakes to cinnamon rolls to muffins. Other complaints talk about muffins tasting artificial with a cardboard-like texture or cookies being too crumbly and brittle. One person who claims they worked at the bakery for three years shared that some of the tastier, higher-quality products were labor-intensive. They said they noticed Costco trying to shift more toward frozen items that could simply get popped in the oven rather than being crafted from scratch. "They were constantly trying to find ways to cut corners and speed up production," the Redditor mentioned. They went on to say they "could certainly tell the quality was diminishing."

Another major complaint was that the bakery products simply don't seem very fresh. People say the Costco bakery should limit production if its products remain on shelves unsold for days at a time. "Why is anyone buying 5 day old cookies," a Facebook user asked in a regional Costco group with more than 50,000 members. Others responded that they noticed the bakery products appear old and don't plan to buy Costco's products anymore unless they are made on the day of purchase. 

People say items they bought just the day before were already hard. "I actually find that a lot of what's on the shelf dates out the same day or next," another responded. Costco members across social media platforms shared similar experiences, noting that products are very close to their best-by date or that the bakery goods seem old and dry these days. Shoppers point out that their store may have huge stacks of things like muffins that are already two days old. Perhaps Costco anticipates items will sell faster than they actually do; either way, it doesn't lead to the best, freshest customer experience. Multiple people reinforce the tip of checking the dates before buying to spare yourself subpar, older items.

At first glance, a 2-pound loaf of bread doesn't seem like it should cause problems. But when you think about it, it's a lot of bread to finish before it gets stale or moldy. It's large and difficult to cut, too, since bakery loaves aren't sliced. Many shoppers are not fans of Costco's switch from a two-pack of bread to a single large loaf. "The good whole wheat bread with sunflower seeds on the outside that came in a 2-loaf pack has been replaced by one large, inferior loaf," said one Costco shopper on Reddit.

Others said they feel bitter or disappointed about some of the changes to their favorite 1-pound, now 2-pound bread. Some are not worried about the price; they actually point out that it's the same in their area. While others aren't happy about the price change, even if it's larger. For some, one enormous loaf just isn't reasonable to finish in a timely manner. "I was always able to save a loaf in our freezer while we ate the first loaf ... no more," one user said on Facebook. Of course, you can cut it and freeze it, but the loaf is still larger, which might not suit your needs for sandwiches or toast. 

Some comments said that the larger bread doesn't taste the same and seems lower in quality. When we tried the Rustic Italian loaf along with other Italian-inspired Costco items, we noticed it seemed underproofed and dense, almost as if it still needed a few more minutes to bake in the oven.