“Sometimes, you just win.” Holland March, a down-on-his luck private detective says at the end of The Nice Guys after a grueling climactic scene. And this same sentiment was recently expressed by a Costco shopper in a viral Reddit post.
Josh Tice (@josh_tice) shared a photo on the social media application’s r/Costco sub. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. It’s a photograph of a plastic container with a black bottom and clear top.
Inside the bin is an assortment of the retailer’s double chunk chocolate chip cookies—at least 20 of them. It’s the type of container you’d probably purchase for a party. Or if you’re planning on buying a one-way ticket to diabetes-ville.
Tice reached for the container, and, presumably, was taken aback by its label. As it turns out, he wasn’t the only one who noticed something was amiss with the item. That’s because, he says, a store employee also inspected the cookie container before realizing a fellow Costco worker must’ve made a mistake.
$1.21
According to Tice, the local Costco packaged a bin of what was supposed to be individually sold chocolate chip cookies. Furthermore, these sweet treats were supposed to head elsewhere. The Redditor went on to state that about 80 containers of cookies just like his were placed on the floor. But by the time others were made aware of the gaffe, they were almost gone.
Tice wrote in his post: “Instead of sending these to another local store, someone put these out on the floor. Out of 80 containers, only 5 were left before someone with a Walkie-Talkie became very concerned.”
If you zoom in on the picture Tice shares, the issue is readily apparent: All of those cookies were sold for just $1.21. But there’s more information to glean from the verbiage on its sticker, too. The cookies needed to be sold by March 21, 2025 around two days before Tice nabbed the packed dessert bin.
Judging from his post, this could mean that Costco sells soon-to-be-expired cookies to other local businesses. So if you’ve ever stepped foot inside of a coffee shop and noticed its individually wrapped cookies look familiar, this could be why.
Other info on the Costco cookies
Additional details are also printed on the label that highlights detailed cookie serving protocols at the retailer. According to the tag, “each cookie is a single sell unit.” Furthermore, it indicates that Costco bakes a dozen cookies per pan at a single time.
As a means of monitoring cookie freshness, the sticker also instructs bakers to label their respective trays. “Position label on top of rack just above pans of cookies,” it reads. Furthermore, it seems that the maximum amount of time the cookies stay in store are for three days maximum.
Costco also appears to implement stringent rotational methods to minimize waste. “Important: always store older cookies above newly baked cookies, and rotate to control salvage.”
Pricing errors
There have been numerous instances of consumers taking advantage of pricing errors. The Daily Dot previously penned a piece on drivers filling up tankards of BP 89-octane fuel for just 32 cents a gallon.
And then there was this Target price glitch shoppers happily exploited in 2021. Throngs of patrons happily purchased a slew of “expensive” items that were incorrectly marked down to $14.99. Some examples included Ninja Grills, air fryers, furniture, mini fridges, and Keurig Coffee Machines. For instance: a $219.99 Whirlpool refrigerator was sold for $205 off.
Some especially savvy customers attempted to buy $500 gift cards that were also marked down to $14.99. However, Target purportedly nipped this issue in the bud. That’s because several users hopped online to say their gift card amounts weren’t honored. One individual even tried purchasing $50,000 worth of Target-only credit, according to Lakewood News Network.
Legalities
Pricing error laws vary from state to state. So if you come across such an error and a retailer gives you a hard time about honoring the mislabeled cost, refer to your area’s legalities. Depending on what these local rulings are, you may be able to walk out with the deal.
Like this blogger on Free Stuff Finder did after spotting Star Wars Kylo Ren dolls ringing up for just .99 cents. As a resident of California, he decided to perform his due diligence, and as it turns out, the business had to sell him the toys at its advertised price. Even though management tried arguing otherwise, he got the dolls for just under a buck each.
In fact, the deal sniper says that he’s “never had a store not honor display price errors.” For the figurines from a galaxy far, far, away, he said he cited the specific legal code in question to a supervisor. Following this, he made his purchase without hassle.
Someone messed up at my Costco
byu/josh_tice inCostco
Reddit reacts
Several folks who replied to Tice’s cookies picture expressed jealousy at his good fortune. One user on the app penned: “Nobody ever messes up at my Costco,” followed by an angry emoji.
Another simply posted an image of a man in a suit with his head down in prayer. A caption on the picture read: “Jesus. I see what you’ve done for other people, and I want that for me.”
Someone else shared a photoshoot of an angry-looking child. Captions on the kid’s picture displayed brief statements that contradicted his severe glares. “Congrats. Happy for you. Nice,” the image displays.
One commenter was surprised by the sheer size and amount of cookies Tice grabbed for $1.21. “Jesus I know this is Costco but a 24 count tray of those monsters? That’s crazy. I assume it would be $30 normally.”
Another replied: “I need to be better at looking at prices. I’ve never been more jealous in my life!”
Several users in the comments section reacted that the cookies would inevitably become dry. Due to the sheer amount Tice purchased for such a steal, they said the majority of them would probably become dry. However, one user rejoined with a method they use for extending the lifespan of a brittle cookie. “For all you ‘dry-babies’ out there, just a quick trip thru the microwave helps a bunch. I knew I shoulda’ checked the price on these today, but I resisted temptation.
For those of you without microwaves, chunk the dry ones up into some ice cream. That’ll shut you up for a bit.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Costco via email and Tice via Reddit DM for further comment.
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