Costco's latest prices for two beloved products has everyone asking the same question

Members on Instagram called out the retailer for the exorbitant prices of seafood.

PUBLISHED 24 MINUTES AGO

Representational image shows man with a shopping cart looking at frozen food products at Costco (Cover image source: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan)

Costco has been known for its collection of food items that often go viral, and some are just iconic. But not everything the retailer comes up with is enough to impress customers. Costco is offering a special selection of lobster and crab for the Thanksgiving holiday, but it has failed to tempt members. In a viral Instagram reel, @Costcohotfinds shared the warehouse retailer's special seafood offering that included Red King Crabs and wild cold water lobster tails, but all viewers could see were the eye-popping price tags. The 10-pound boxes of wild-caught red king crab legs and claws were on sale for $329.99. Viewers were shocked to see the exorbitant prices, claiming the products were no longer affordable in the current economy.

Representative image of a man carrying a lobster in a bag (Image source: Getty Imagtes/Photo by EyesWideOpen)

In the video, @Costcohotfinds shared three items that were on sale at the warehouse retailer. The first item was the 10-pound box of red king crab legs and claws, and the second item was the smaller two-to-three-pound packs of the same, which were selling for $34.99. The third and final item was two-pound packs of cold water lobster tails, which were on sale for $26.99. While the products were presented like a steal deal, viewers thought differently. "Lolololol is Costco kidding with those prices?" wrote @cd828. Since the creator wrote "🦞🧈 and don’t forget the butter!" in the caption, another viewer, @thegoodcarter, wrote, "It's either the tails or the butter. I can't afford both."

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A post shared by Laura Jayne Lamb (@costcohotfinds)

Many shoppes got nostalgic, calling out the prices from a few years ago to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era. "I remember before COVID, it was $239.99 for 10lbs of king. Now you can't even find them. It went from king to golden to none😢," wrote @eastside43227. Another user, @williamrench, claimed, "Those were $200 a few years ago."

Screenshot of a comment (Image source: Instagram/@lansford_lim)

According to a report from Tasting Table, Costco's seafood prices have been steadily climbing since the pandemic, as a result of steep inflation. The publication noted that in December 2020, the 10-pound box of crab legs and claws cost about $250, and it shot up to a whopping $380 in the following year. The prices reached the peak in 2023, when the box was selling for $440. Thus, some shoppers expressed that this year's prices weren't so bad after all. "That’s a good deal. For the people complaining about the price and economy, etc., then don’t buy them. Plain and simple. More for the people who want to buy them," wrote @schriners_4.

Screenshot of a comment (Image source: Instagram/@nicole.ingram)

However, others pointed out that price wasn't the only issue with the products. "I got those last weekend. They were not very good. Been a fan of their crab legs in the past, so was surprised at the small amount of meat and the flavor," wrote one customer, @rgilbert420. "Those king crab legs are pathetic. Miss the days of the rolling seafood stations at Costco with giant king crab legs," added @jayallday925. Apart from seafood, Costco recently faced some flak for its $200 Thanksgiving meal as well, with shoppers claiming that the alternatives from Walmart and Whole Foods were better.