6 Frequent Customer Complaints About Costco's Meat Department

Whether you're hosting a barbecue at your house or you just want to stock your freezer with meat that you can use over the next several weeks or months, Costco might just be one of the best places to shop. You can find giant packs of steaks, huge portions of chicken breasts and thighs, and hearty racks of pork ribs at this big-box store. In fact, there are even many chefs who can't help but praise Costco's meat department.

But even though Costco has historically been praised for this facet of the store, it's not without its problems. Customers have taken to the internet to complain about several different problems they see in Costco's meat department, from rising prices to seemingly declining quality standards. Perhaps you've noticed some of the same issues at the meat section of your local Costco, or maybe you've noticed other issues that aren't mentioned here. Either way, reading about other shoppers' less-than-pleasant meat department experiences may foster a sense of solidarity, or have you questioning why you shop for meat at Costco in the first place.

We can't determine whether it makes sense for you and your family to shop for meat at Costco. By pointing out some of the areas in which Costco customers think the store's meat department falls flat, you can at least have a better sense of what you're getting into every time you shop there.

If you've eaten much in the United States in the last several years, then you may have noticed that people feel like food quality has been declining. That's true when it comes to restaurant meals, packaged foods, and even the whole foods ingredients you buy when you want to cook your own meals from scratch. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that many Costco customers are complaining about just that from the membership club's meat department. In fact, this is an extremely common criticism that pops up online over and over.

One Redditor took to the forum to query: "Costco used to have the best meat. What happened?" Many other posters agreed with the assessment that although Costco's meat used to be excellent, it has dropped precipitously in quality. A commenter mentioned the decline in the number of premium meat options available at the store, and another said they don't want to pay the posted prices when the meat just isn't as good as it used to be.

On another thread, a Reddit user pointed out a decline in meat quality at Costco for chicken and beef, saying the meat didn't taste as good as it used to and was often cut or prepared poorly. And even Facebook users are complaining about toughness, premature spoiling, and overall quality.

Costco customers seem to call out several types of meat for being low-quality these days, but the chicken breasts keep getting called out. They're often described as being tough and woody, with an unpleasant, stringy texture that can occur when the chicken grows too quickly. One Reddit user who was a new member at the time of posting asked if the store was overtaken by woody breasts. They had already had the problem after buying chicken from Costco, then started seeing similar complaints popping up online.

Another claimed they had been getting woody chicken breasts over the course of a year and were considering alternatives from other grocery stores. Yet another commenter on the same post ostensibly had the same problem, since they said they had to transition from Costco chicken to Whole Foods. One Redditor was so upset about the woody chicken breasts that they'd been getting that they actually emailed the CEO of Costco to express their displeasure. One thing is for sure: Shoppers are fed up with Costco's chicken breasts.

And it's not just the woodiness of the chicken breasts that's turning customers off. One Reddit user said they'd been finding a lot of blood clots in their chicken, while others found that even the chicken nuggets were less than delicious to boot.

Generally speaking, groceries have been getting significantly more expensive for years now. Foods that were once relatively affordable and widely accessible are now being regarded as luxuries by many shoppers. Unfortunately, meat often falls into this category. Even though Costco has historically been considered a great place to buy meat because you get a better deal by buying in bulk, many customers are balking at price increases at the store's meat department, especially considering the concurrent decline in quality we're seeing.

A Reddit user posted about Costco beef prices going up, which they largely attributed to tariffs. One commenter on the post asked why people were even buying beef at prices that high anyway, saying they had mostly switched to pork and beef to take advantage of lower prices. A similar post from a user in Canada lamented about the price of Costco steaks. The poster said they actually missed buying steaks from Costco but could simply no longer justify the price.

On still another thread, a user posted a photo of Costco's marinated skirt steaks, pointing out that the price per pound of one with a later sell-by date was $1 higher than an older package sitting in the same spot. A commenter replied this was how quickly Costco shoppers were seeing price increases in the store's meat department.

So, if you're paying more for your meat than you really want to and the quality's not very good, you'll at least want it to stay good in the refrigerator for more than a couple of days. After all, you shouldn't have to cook meat you buy at the store that same night to actually get to enjoy a fresh product. Unfortunately, many customers claim Costco's meat spoils exceptionally quickly, which ultimately costs more money if they don't take the time to return it.

According to one Reddit user, ground beef they had purchased less than 24 hours before had already gone smelly and gray. Sure, the best-by date was close, but still, why would Costco put out meat that was so close to spoiling anyway? A commenter on the post had a similar experience with Costco's chicken, which they had to return to the store to get their money back. 

Another Reddit user posted a photo of some steaks they had purchased from Costco. On one side of the package, the meat looks good, but on the other, the steaks have taken on a sickly grey tinge. They said they keep getting packages of steak from Costco where one steak seems much older than the rest in the pack. These people aren't alone. Still another Reddit user had to ask when they could return rotten meat to Costco.

If there's one thing in the meat department that Costco is known for, it's the rotisserie chicken – a product that's known as a loss leader. Basically, Costco isn't really making a profit off of the rotisserie chicken itself. Rather, the store offers this chicken at such a competitive price that it brings customers into the store specifically looking to take advantage of this convenience product. Then, when they're there, customers are more likely to buy other items from Costco as well, ultimately making Costco more money in the process. 

But now, Redditors have posted complaints about the store's rotisserie chicken in multiple subreddits, questioning why it just isn't hitting the spot. One person said they had encountered a strange, chemical flavor in the chicken multiple times. Another questioned if the quality of the chicken had declined, claiming the stock they'd made from the chicken didn't look or smell particularly good.

On another thread, a Reddit commenter claimed the quality of the rotisserie chicken had gone down in the last few years. Not only were they getting smaller chickens from Costco, but the taste apparently wasn't as good as it used to be, either. That might just make you rethink whether it's actually worth picking one up for dinner tonight, especially considering there are so many other rotisserie chickens out there to choose from.

Costco customers seem to have plenty to say about the chicken and beef sold in the store's meat department, but Costco seems to be falling short on the pork front too, at least when it comes to the chain's bacon. A Reddit user posting on the r/Costco subreddit was very straightforward with their complaint: "The bacon is garbage now!" Apparently, the slices aren't all the same thickness, which can make cooking the bacon evenly quite difficult. However, this same user also complained that the bacon is often way too fatty. One commenter claimed this change in quality took place during the pandemic. Others say they've stopped buying the bacon at Costco because of this lower level of quality.

You can find similar posts elsewhere on Reddit. One commenter said the bacon is too salty. Another claimed that they're now paying a premium for better-quality bacon from other brands, passing up on the savings that Costco used to offer. And on yet another post, a Redditor said Costco had included one decent-looking bacon slice in the pack to distract from the fact that the others didn't look good at all. There's undoubtedly a quality issue with the bacon at Costco, and customers are getting tired of it.