Costco makes major changes to its $5 rotisserie chicken...here is what to expect

Big box retailer sold 135 million of the $4.99 birds in 2023

It is one of the most popular items sold at Costco but changes to the famed $4.99 rotisserie chicken have seen the big-box retail giant roasted by its customers.

The retailer - despite selling 137 million rotisserie chickens in 2023 - has changed the packaging of the popular item. Previously the chickens were packaged in plastic “clamshell” containers, but now come in more environmentally friendly plastic food bags.

The change was announced by Costco in March and has now been rolled out across most of its stores.

Last month the company’s magazine, Costco Connections explained the change in packaging would save millions of pounds of plastic each year.

“You may have noticed a classic Costco item in a different container: Kirkland Signature™ Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken now comes in a bag. Based on projected rotisserie chicken sales in 2024 in the U.S., the new packaging will save an estimated 17 million pounds of plastic every year,” said Costco.

“The bag also takes less space to transport; one pallet of the new bags is equivalent to five pallets of the old packaging, so Costco can remove 1,000 of its freight trucks from the road each year. The use of fewer transportation vehicles will eliminate over 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.”

A Kirkland Signature premium brand roasted rotisserie chicken sits at a Costco store in Niles, Illinois. Changes are coming to the popular product (Getty Images)

Social media users have been quick to slam the move with a string of complaints.

“This was a rare Costco L tbh,” business writer Trung Phan wrote on X.

He claimed bags were leaky, were not good for storing leftover chicken and that customers “can’t pick out good chickens.”

Another user, complained: “Your new roast chicken bags leak like crazy. Whole trunk was soaked by the time I got home. Two bags both leaking.”

According to The Washington Post, similar plastic bags are already used by retailers such as Whole Foods, Giant, Wegmans, Food Lion, Sprouts, Safeway and Walmart for their rotisserie chickens.

The Independent has reached out to Costco for comment.