Our local Meijer has the rotisserie chicken and they are delicious. They run $4.99.. One makes a nice meal for the two of us. A little salad, a veggie and a small dessert and the meal is complete.

petalique, if you're ever in the area of a Costco and want to try a chicken, stop by and head to the customer service desk. I'm pretty sure they will give you a one time pass to shop and check it out -at least they used to.

Non-members can also go in with a member. If you get a friend to buy you a Costco gift card (with your money, of course), that lets you in to spend that. Non members can also buy Costco gas with a gift card.

Living next door to an indigenous settlement, I confess to buying gas there, a couple of miles (about 3 km.) away, at 10 - 12 - 15 cents or so less per litre, 3.8 or so of which make a U.S. gal.

While some claim that such gas avoids the gov't. taxes, others say that some taxes apply. While I haven't asked it's my impression that folks with a card to certify them as indigenous pay a somewhat lower price than I do.

Many of the general population visit indigenous smoke (and, beginning recently, due to Canada legitimizing weed) weed shops to buy much lower priced indigenous produced tobacco and weed, as it's tax-free, or at least partly/substantially so. Three such shops next door to me.

ole joyful

Thanks, Olychick and Elmer. Good to know. There is not one inside of 40 miles, but I noted there is one in Waltham, MA. Wegman’s, Trader Joe, Whole Foods about 30 miles away.

Edited.. thanks all. I will put coffee Qs in its own thread. Good suggestions.

Start a new thread on coffee, please! We always buy Peet's Major Dickason's whole beans and grind at home.

One of the two Costco's we use sells gas. The lines are often backed up into the street. I don't have enough patience to wait for as long as it will take to save a few dollars on gas. A friend of mine will drive all over town to save 10 cents a gallon. Funny how different we all are.

Petalique, you are welcome to discuss coffee on this thread, but you'll probably get a much better response of you start a new thread so that the coffee drinkers see it. I imagine that will be one popular thread!

The Costco rotisserie chickens are noticeably larger that the rotisserie chickens in other local stores and are less expensive than some of them. One chicken provides several meals and they are delicious. I keep a container of Sweet Baby Ray's garlic parmesan wing sauce on hand and brush the Costco chicken and it is wonderful.

Lucille, Costco's high standards and reputation for quality are part of what excites me about the new facility they are building. If they manage to run a facility that is humane to the chickens, produces a safe and clean product, treats their employees and contractors fairly and still sell their roasted chickens for $5, it will be a win for every body.

They would also be setting new standards and raising the bar for the rest of the poultry industry. I have high hopes for this venture; only time will tell how it all turns out.

I think Costco has done a great job of cultivating a higher reputation for quality than it sometimes deserves.

Aside from known brand names and known brand food items in large packages, we've found many Costco products are not much better than "okay" and sometimes less than that. Nowhere more so than with food. We buy no fruits or vegetables at Costco anymore because the quality even with consistent suppliers for particular items can be quite variable. Melons can be okay one time and internally rotten the next time such that you toss them out. Same is true for cheese, which we stopped buying there too. Price is the name of the game for them - the lower the price per pound, the more they can sell. Can all customers taste the difference when they've resorted to less expensive sources for cheese and the flavor/quality decreases as a result? It would seem the answer is no because they continue down that path.

Chickens - the brining makes them watery (not to be confused with juicy) and as I've said, we find free range chickens from small producers that we cook ourselves much tastier.

More than at other retailers, one has to be careful and pay attention over time because I think there are things to buy at Costco and things to not buy there.

It's too bad that so many of your Costco purchases have been unsatisfactory, Elmer. I'm rather surprised that with these negative experiences and your low opinion of Costco that you continue to shop there.

I haven't had the same experience; I can't think of a single thing I've been unhappy about except the large crowds of shoppers at times. Although, I've solved that probably by avoiding the place on weekends and only going mid week in the middle of the day. Retirement is a beautiful thing.

We don't buy a lot of produce from Costco because the quantity is more than two people can eat before it either spoils or we get tired of it. But, we do buy melons, cuties, artichokes and a few other items that have been really nice and fresh.

One thing I like about Costco is their return policy which allows customers to return anything they've purchased (with a few exceptions such as electronics and appliances which have a 90 day return policy) at any time for a full refund. Unhappy with that spoiled produce? Take it back.

I bought three bathroom rugs there a year or so again. About three months later, one of them started to unravel. I no longer had the receipt, but I took the rug back and they happily refunded my money.

I also love the samples. It's really nice to be able to taste a new to me product before making a commitment in the form of a purchase. So many times, I've bought something new at the grocery store only to get it home and find I didn't like it.

My love of Costco increased when the new area store began delivery through Instacart soon after it opened so I don't have to actually go there. My experiences have been mostly way above satisfactory for delivered groceries. I do hope that they do right by their chickens in the new plant, and there is so much more in the way of meat and produce and of course the Kirkland premium vanilla ice cream that I enjoy from them.

"I'm rather surprised that with these negative experiences and your low opinion of Costco that you continue to shop there."

As I mentioned earlier (but no problem for not digesting such a long thread), we pick and choose what we buy at Costco. It's gas if passing by and lines aren't long, tires, spirits and sometimes wine, a few "cases" at a time of half-liter bottles of Arrowhead water, and the odd other items here and there. Always known brands and no Kirkland stuff. As far as regular shopping trips into the store that's less than 15 minutes away, it's less than monthly.

While typing I thought of another disappointing Costco product experience. Something we used to buy periodically we don't buy anymore because the quality has plummeted - thick lamb loin chops which they sell 8 or more to a package. Perfect for having another couple over for dinner or a few packages for more guests. I cook them over charcoalto medium rare, seasoned with lots of garlic, and they're delicious.

I went to Costco one morning in preparation for company that evening to get a package. When I picked it up, the meat looked "different". I can't explain how or why, but it wasn't the same. I bought it, cooked it that night, and the flavor was VERY disappointing. It wasn't the same. Maybe 6 weeks later, I bought another package to try again. Same "different" look, same mediocre flavor. They apparently changed suppliers and what they have now is inferior. I still buy thick lamb loin chops. What I can get at a fine grocery store is much more expensive but it tastes as it should. No more Costco lamb.

As before, I've always found that quality is variable at Costco. You need to pick and choose what's good and it changes from time to time.

I've been a Costco member almost since they opened their first warehouse here in Seattle in 1983. And over the years I've bought all manner of products from them - TV's and other electronics, tires, small appliances, wines, baked goods, meats (some of the best beef available!), paper goods, various food products, books, clothing, towels and linens, pet food and supplies, even plants (which I typically only purchase from plant nurseries). I can say in all honesty that almost nothing I have purchased from them was unsatisfactory or below par and anything that was not quite right was replaced or refunded without question.

I no longer shop there very frequently as the closest store is a good 40 minute drive away and as a single person now, their sizes don't often make a lot of sense. But when I was raising a family, it was a weekly visit at least. Teenage boys can eat a lot!!

I think their quality is very high. And I have no issues with any of the Kirkland Signature brand items. Most of them are packaged specifically for Costco by recognized brand name manufacturers - you are just able to purchase them under the Kirkland label at a substantially reduced price. I have NO argument with that :-)

btw, brining poultry does not make it watery but it does preserve the juiciness.......as most cooks know and why it is such a recommended process........... And Costco rotisserie chicken is a justifiable best seller!

The chickens are a great value, very large with lots of meat and a fine carcass for broth. We get them often enough because they are handy for a meal, chicken salad, meat for soup or a casserole, even the dog benefits. They are superior in size and taste to supermarket cooked chickens. However, I think they taste "steamed" rather than rotisseried because they sit in those plastic containers. I think a chicken roasted at home in the oven tastes better.

It seems I'm an outlier here often. :-/

I think the only thing I've ever taken back to Costco was a set of 2 very nice non-stick pans. They were awful, so I took them back and it was kind of funny because the woman walking in ahead of me was returning the exact same set. Cashier said they'd gotten lots of them back.

Oh, and one other thing I returned was the remaining unused AA batteries that I'd bought in one of their large packages. They were marked as good until 2020 (this was likely in 2018), but several of them had started leaking. I took them back and said I didn't expect a full refund because I'd used probably 3/4 of the package, so just an adjustment would make me happy, but they gave me the $ back for the whole package.

One time the cashier convinced me that I should upgrade to Executive membership because I was buying something expensive and the cash-back on that order alone would almost pay for the upgrade. I did it, but then realize I don't buy enough to justify the added cost. So when it was time to renew, I went to customer service to downgrade to a regular membership (because it would have automatically renewed at Executive level). They insisted I take the fee for the Executive back, even though I'd used it a full year, saying since I wasn't satisfied, I shouldn't have to pay. I was very impressed with their policy.

@socks, I'm with you. I don't like the texture of Costco rotisserie chicken.

I buy Costco chickens to use in recipes (soup, pot pie, enchiladas, etc.), not as a meal. Always use the carcass for stock.

" brining poultry does not make it watery but it does preserve the juiciness.."

Let's be clear. Poultry soaked in salty water absorbs salty water. That's what the salt is in the water for, it boosts the absorption, and that's what the brining is for. "Juiciness" of brined poultry? That's water.

Here's something more to know. Animal meat needs to be cooled quickly after slaughter. Most chickens processed by the large factory producers are cooled by being dunked and sprayed by cold water. It's immersion cooling and the water is often chlorinated. The chicken absorbs some of this water and loses some flavor to the water. Some chicken is also injected with water as its processed - you'll often see "water added" or language like "contains X% water by weight". Better quality chicken from some smaller producers is "Air chilled". Meaning, the carcasses are passed into what is like a large freezer room. Spending enough time to be cooled quickly but not freeze. The flavor of air chilled chicken is noticeably superior to chicken that has been dunked in cold water. And it's naturally juicy, no water is added.

Socks, I am with you on not caring for the Costco chickens. The ones from WFM do better in a pinch for me. There is something very odd about the Costco texture.

Zalco, I think you misunderstood Socks comment.

As I mentioned earlier (but no problem for not digesting such a long thread), we pick and choose what we buy at Costco.

No worries, Elmer. I saw and digested your statement regarding picking and choosing. It's just that from reading your post and now your subsequent post, it seems that the negative experiences outweigh the positive. If I had that many problems with the products (rotten produce, inferior cheese, watery chickens and now substandard lamb) I purchased from a store, I'd stop shopping there.

Edit to add that next time you find yourself with another bad purchase, take it back to Costco. Seriously, they will give your money back, no questions asked. It sounds like you have been tossing a lot of product which is the same as throwing away money in my book. Hopefully, the dog benefited from the lamb, but I can't recall whether or not she's allowed any people food.

I actually did that with my local grocer except when I have no choice. After I don't know how many times of bringing home moldy cheese, fermented yogurt, dried out tortillas and rotting produce, I simply quit giving them my money.

It wouldn't be worth the aggravation to me and I'd find another place to buy gas, tires and liquor. I already said earlier that I won't wait in line to buy gas from Costco because it's not worth my time to put up with the long waits. But, that's just me and I realize that your decisions are based on what is best for your household and that is fine.

Same as with brining poultry which is a hotly argued subject among cooks and foodies. Some swear by it and others don't care for the practice. Obviously a lot of people like Costco's chicken or they wouldn't have sold 91 million of them last year. There are a lot of articles on the internet about the practice along with explanations of how brining works, but getting into an argument over brining isn't something I care to do today.

I wish all of you a happy and productive day! I'm off to work in my studio along with a few other things that are on my list of things to accomplish this afternoon.

Lucille, Instacard sounds great. I don't know if the Costcos in my area offer that or not, but even if they did, I think I live too far out of what would their delivery area. Seems more and more stores are going the deliver route, which sort of brings us back full circle to the days of the milkman, meat man, etc. Funny how what's old is new again. :-)

Thanks dawn. Events in day to day life NEVER aggravate me. We have vast retail choices of all kinds in my area and there are none about which I would say "We buy all our X there". Some are better at some things than others and so on. An example- I think the yogurt, eggs, seafood and poultry at Whole Foods are the best quality in town and usually at the best prices. Not always. Other things there, pick and choose.

I don't like returning things, most especially not food, and for Costco the the small money involved doesn't warrant an extra trip nor the wait in line. Our dog never gets human food so no, the leftover lamb went to the landfill.

Oh, and before I go, I thought of another item we returned to Costco for a full refund.

Hubby had a Kirkland brand suitcase and something went wrong with it - I think it was one of the zippers that broke. That was back in the day when hubby was traveling all over the world for work (Mexico, Brazil, Germany, China, Korea, Japan, Thailand,and the Philippines to name a few places). That suitcase had thousands of miles on it and it got hard use including whatever the baggage handlers did to it as it traveled and it was obvious that it had seen better days.

Hubby took it back to Costco and they didn't bat an eye. Refunded his money, apologized for the problem with the bag and wished him a good day.

And, now I'm really going to my studio - just wanted to get that out before I forgot about it!

Apologies, socks, I thought you said you did not care for the texture of Costco's chickens, likening them to being steamed.

"How sad for you to say this. Insecure and defensive a little?"

Not the slightest bit!! I doubt I have ever been insecure in my life. And I have no idea why anyone - except perhaps you - would consider that statement "sad".

And feel free to make yet another inappropriate comment.........it's that last word thing :-)

How salty is this chicken? I have to be very careful of salt. Because of this thread I almost bought a chicken when I was at Costco on Monday but then thought about salt. I know I cant really tolerate the average rotisserie chicken from a grocery store. Eating low salt can be a real pain when you need to buy prefabed food since most precooked food is very salty and when you don't use much salt the food is almost inedible not to mention the serious problems I can get from the salt.

Nutrition info from Fooducate:

Nutrition

Percentages = Daily Value

• Serving Size: 3 oz (85g)
• Calories 140cal 8%
• Calories from Fat 70cal 11%
• Total Fat 7g 11%
• Saturated Fat 2.5g 15%
• Trans Fat 0g 0%
• Cholesterol 55mg 18%
• Sodium 460mg 20%
• Total Carbohydrate 0.5g 0%
• Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
• Sugars 0.5g 1%
• Added Sugars 0.5g 2%
• Protein 19g 40%
• Vitamin A 0IU 0%
• Vitamin C 0mg 0%
• Calcium 0mg 0%
• Iron 0.72mg 4%

Zalco, you did not misunderstand.

but then thought about salt.

Everyone is different, and despite the enormous popularity and deliciousness of Costco rotisserie chickens individual circumstances should be taken into account. Recommendations should always be taken with, or in this case without, a grain of salt.

Thank you Dawn. that is what I needed to know. If I had my wits about me I would have checked the label which probably has it. And yes Lucille, that is why I thought I would ask here. since so many of you eat them I could get a sense of how salty they taste.

My pleasure, patriciae. I'm glad it was helpful info. :-)

Socks:

The chickens are a great value, very large with lots of meat and a fine carcass for broth. We get them often enough because they are handy for a meal, chicken salad, meat for soup or a casserole, even the dog benefits. They are superior in size and taste to supermarket cooked chickens.

Zalco:

Socks, I am with you on not caring for the Costco chickens.

------------------------------------------------------------------

???

The end of soc's comment was

" I think a chicken roasted at home in the oven tastes better. "

I agree with that. Nothing easier to cook than roast chicken in the oven, whether whole or in pieces (even easier). It's almost no work and has much less salt.

At better meat counters, you can ask the butcher to break a whole chicken into pieces. At places that sell a lot of chicken, I think you get fresher meat, better than buying pieces in packages and with a variety of pieces to suit individual preferences.

Sure it's easy to roast at home, but it's not nearly as convenient.

Andie, I was commenting about the texture of the chicken not being to my liking. Socks said she found the chicken to seem steamed from sitting in the plastic container. I made an inference that socks did not care for the texture of the chicken either since she uses the chicken cut up as a part of other meals and not on its own. Also, it is rare that people list plasticky, steamed chicken as a selling point.

Socks did say it seemed steamed, but she still buys it. The chickens are a great value, very large with lots of meat and a fine carcass for broth. We get them often enough.

Seems to be a lot of word twisting on this forum from some people for some reason.

Andie, I have no idea of what your problem is. When you first said I misunderstood socks, I apologized to her. She then said I didn't misunderstand. Either socks and I are in agreement that the texture of the Costco chickens is off or socks just said I didn't misunderstand her in order to be super kind.

Either way, this is a thread about Costco chickens and not the cure for cancer, the solution for global warming or peace in the Middle East.

Have you met Elmer?

@Andie I too do not understand what your problem is, I rarely if ever chime in on this community but this blatant miss quoting of @Zalco's comment is frankly absurd. You made a mistake and this weird method of trying to covering it up is making you look like a complete lier and add to that you are even dragging in and insulting other members of this community which is again, absurd. You are clearly the one who misunderstood and led @Zalco on a wild goose chase trying to find what they did wrong. I personally think you should apologize. but more likely you will either, ignore the situation or, hit that flag button which for some reason removes comments immediately unlike on other websites such as Discord, or Reddit.

I will try one though the salt is a little high. I have nothing against salt per say. I adore salty snacks, just cant eat them with impunity. It is my trigger for vertigo.

Since I am not fortunate enough to get my chickens from a local source that doesn't either soak the chicken in water or actually inject it into the meat I am finding it harder and harder to make a decent roast chicken. I had a half cup of water come from the last one I did and that had no added water.

Patriciae, it is a little high per 3 oz serving; my problem is it is SO good, I sometimes don't want to stop with 3 ounces! But if I had to watch my sodium, maybe I'd try to limit it to a 2 oz serving and be satisfied with that.

Thank you, John McEnroe.

zalco, sweetheart, as I expected our charade has been discovered. It happens it was by someone perhaps reading a bit too quickly, misunderstanding comments, and then looking for a spat. It was fun for awhile.

I'll be home from my meeting a bit later than I expected. Go ahead and have dinner without me, I should be home around 8:00.

PS - I agree with the steamed chicken comment.

Elmer, darling, don't be silly. I will keep the freshly roasted chicken (Marcella Hazan's recipe with the lemon) warm. Looking forward to brainstorming new identities with you. Xoxo

"Zalco, sweetheart." "Elmer, darling." HAHA! Are you two actually together though? @Elmer @Zalco

No, John McEnroe, Elmer spotted an opportunity for humor, and I was happy to play along. We do both live in SV, though ;-)

ok I didn't think it was likely anyway

Ok, I don't understand the need for drama here. Socks' comment was clear to me and I'm pretty sure it was clear to Zalco. Costco chicks may not be perfect, but she still buys them as do I.

Welcome "John McEnroe". Six comments and your first time on this forum. ;)