THE future of Costco's iconic $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is in doubt amid a leadership change.
Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti is on his way out after nearly four decades of service, leaving shoppers unsure of what changes will come.
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Before his final day on March 15, he spoke with Bloomberg to try and quell some fears.
Of course, customers mainly wanted to know if they could still get their favorite entree for $1.50 after Galanti leaves.
“It's probably safe for a while,” he told the outlet.
Galanti added that prices of other affordable favorites, like the $4.99 rotisserie chicken, should “stay the same.”
However, this is a stark difference from what other Costco execs have said about the hot dog offering in the past.
In 2018, former CEO Craig Jelinek explained that founder Jim Sinegal was dedicated to keeping the combo priced at $1.50.
“I came to [Sinegal] once and I said, ‘Jim, we can’t sell this hot dog for a buck fifty. We are losing our rear ends,'” Jelinek said in an interview with CNN.
“And he said, ‘If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.'”
Sinegal reportedly promised late Costco co-founder Jeffrey Brotman never to raise the price of the combo.
However, a financial analysis found that the meal cost should be around $4.25 when accounted for inflation, according to The Motley Fool.
SHOPPING HACK
Thad Kleszcz, general manager of the Culver City Costco store in California, revealed some little-known shopping hacks.
The biggest secret was that you don't always need a membership card to shop at the store or get exclusive low prices.
“You can purchase pharmacy items, your prescription, and alcohol without a membership,” he told Inside Edition in 2018.
The pharmacy can be accessed both in-store and online and even supplies pet medication.
Kleszcz compared a Kirkland Signature bottle of vodka that was only $20 to another high-end bottle that was nearly $40.
“You're getting almost half off here and you're getting the same or better quality than you would elsewhere with the Kirkland name,” Kleszcz said.
Most Kirkland products are priced 10% to 50% less than their brand-name counterparts.
Another Costco employee revealed the little-known rules regarding free samples.
Meanwhile, shoppers are begging the store to fix “inconvenient” packaging on a frozen staple.
