The $1.50 Costco Hot Dog Combo

[John Goodin]

I really like businesses that realize trying to squeeze every last nickel out of a customer may not be the best way to make the most nickels. Costco is expert at this. Here is one example of the corporate culture established by the founder that has continued. They also just paid a $10 per share special dividend to share holders.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-enduring-enigma-of-costco-s-1-50-hot-dog-and-soda-combo?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[Rick Potter]

I respect their decision to stick with it. Good business move.

On the other hand, they dropped the Polish dog, and I sure miss that, but I guess it was never promised forever.

[Mel Fulks]

Agree, the Costco hot dog is equal to ,or even superior to any hot dog any where. Any Dad's here who have a daughter
who will soon be married would be wise to make sure Costco is at top of the list of caterers.

[Bruce King]

We have a Costco 3 miles away so we joined to get the cheaper gas and get rewards on using their visa for everything. I was leery at first but now get it, even for a family of two we can buy many things there. We got a spa from their online deals for $2k including delivery, it was a close out model that usually costs double or more. Even a $10k spa does not have a deep seat like this one. Also got tires and a TV so the rewards were big that year. I don’t believe everything is really wholesale pricing but it’s definitely cheaper and not much junk at all. We rarely eat the hotdogs though.

[Bill Carey]

Agree, the Costco hot dog is equal to ,or even superior to any hot dog any where. Any Dad's here who have a daughter
who will soon be married would be wise to make sure Costco is at top of the list of caterers.

For my daughters wedding this past summer, we went with a midnight delivery of 300 sliders - with fries - from White Castle. They were gone in a heart beat.

[Stan Calow]

Their pizza slice combo is also a great deal.

[Jim Becker]

While the "Tube Steak Special", as I call it and get good eye rolls from the attendant in the process :D, is a great deal at a buck and a half, a lot of folks don't know that Costco is one of the top pizza take-out places in the US. The pies are larger and less expensive...and they are really good, too. (The $4.99 rotisserie chicken is also excellent for a take out meal) Costco makes their money primarily from membership fees as well as striking very good business deals with suppliers.

Honestly, I often time my visits so it's lunch time about when I'm going to be checking out... :)

[Bruce Wrenn]

Couple weeks back, they had whole boneless pork loins for $1.99 a pound, with a discount of eight bucks on each one purchased, with a limit of two. This deal brought them down to around a buck a pound! I do wish they could get some divided take out trays again.

[Mel Fulks]

For my daughters wedding this past summer, we went with a midnight delivery of 300 sliders - with fries - from White Castle. They were gone in a heart beat.

YES, another excellent choice ! And a White Castle is always associated with happy marraige !

[Bill Dufour]

Costco's rotisserie chicken is loss leader to bring in customers. I bet the hot dog is also.
Bil lD.
https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-rotisserie-chicken-2018-4

[Phil Mueller]

For a very special occasion for my wife, I hired a well respected local seafood restaurant chef to come to the house and cook a meal. As we were chatting, I asked him where he got his seafood in a pinch (when deliveries don’t arrive from where ever), and he said Costco.

[Frederick Skelly]

For a very special occasion for my wife, I hired a well respected local seafood restaurant chef to come to the house and cook a meal.

Man, what a great idea! I'll file that one for future use. I'd never have thought of that!

[Ole Anderson]

Costco tends to cater to the local crowd. One about ten miles away is in the affluent Bloomfield Hills section of Michigan. They have a meat section dedicated to prime beef and often have Yamaha grand pianos on display. BTW, the hot dogs are actually larger than I care for, must be almost twice the meat of a regular dog.

[roger wiegand]

I shop Costco because they treat their employees relatively well with decent salary and benefits, unlike most of the rest of the large retail in the US. It shows, both in seeing the same folks there for decades and that they are genuinely cheerful and helpful. The culture shows through. Apparently they can both do that and make money.

[Jim Becker]

I shop Costco because they treat their employees relatively well with decent salary and benefits, unlike most of the rest of the large retail in the US. It shows, both in seeing the same folks there for decades and that they are genuinely cheerful and helpful. The culture shows through. Apparently they can both do that and make money.

Yes, they are a really good employer; pay well and have good benefits. Folks tend to stay long-term, too. If you look at their badges, you'll see a year when they joined the team. Many of the folks in our local store have "2011" on their badges, which was the year the store opened.
----

Ole, yes, the hot dogs are big...about the equivalent of two "normal" ones. They are close to 12" before cooking, I believe. And the buns are fresh.

[Bill Dufour]

I guess costco has figured out what many here know. It is worth it to pay a little more for better quality tools. they last longer and do a better job. Saving money in the long run over cheap junk that never really works right and often breaks down and has to be replaced.
Bill D.

[Erik Loza]

We are Costco members but never stop at the cafe counter. When in Dallas, I chaperone the cart for my MIL while she shops and one time, she went on and on about how great their hot dogs were. We got some and I remember being surprised at how tasty they actually were. Of course, she raves about McDonald's coffee and I had to toss that out. So, 1-for-1 but the Costco hot dog was a winner.

Erik

[Frank Pratt]

Costco is great, but you have to have a good idea of prices to really save cash there. I'm careful to not buy certain items (and there are lots of them) that they regularly have on sale for 15 - 20% off, except when on sale. The rotisserie chicken is a great deal, as are the hot dogs. My only complaint with the hot dog deal is that it comes with Pepsi and I'm a Diet Coke guy :)

[Ronald Blue]

No Costco near me but have Sam's. Like Frank says you need to be conscious of what you're buying. Not everything is a deal. They also have the hot dog and drink deal. The hot dog is a Nathan's and very good. We know what things are a good value and avoid the things that aren't.

[Jim Becker]

Costco is great, but you have to have a good idea of prices to really save cash there. I'm careful to not buy certain items (and there are lots of them) that they regularly have on sale for 15 - 20$ off, except when on sale. The rotisserie chicken is a great deal, as are the hot dogs. My only complaint with the hot dog deal is that it comes with Pepsi and I'm a Diet Coke guy :)

Which is why I opt for the lemonade. :) Professor Dr. SWMBO is a Diet Coke person and I don't generally drink sugary stuff anyway.

BTW, in addition to the tube-steaks and pizza being very good, that Chicken Bake thing is also really good...and they sell them in frozen foods, too. They make for a nice quick lunch on certain days.

I buy a lot of fish, pork and chicken from them as well as some beef items. The two-packs of soups are really good. The Kirkland ice cream bars with dark chocolate and nuts on the coating are great. Paper products are excellent. We get a lot of our health and beauty products there, too. I do agree that, as always, one must be an informed shopper, whether at Costco or anywhere else.

[Gordon Dale]

Costco is great, but you have to have a good idea of prices to really save cash there. I'm careful to not buy certain items (and there are lots of them) that they regularly have on sale for 15 - 20% off, except when on sale. The rotisserie chicken is a great deal, as are the hot dogs. My only complaint with the hot dog deal is that it comes with Pepsi and I'm a Diet Coke guy :)
Man, that got me thinking of the very old SNL Olympia Restaurant skit (cheeseburger, chips, no coke--pepsi) with Belushi et al. I had to go to YouTube and re-visit my youth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puJePACBoIo

[Bernie Kopfer]

We rarely eat the hotdogs though.

You definitely will live longer!

[Rod Sheridan]

Interesting article and the comments here are great.

Americans and hot dogs, must be a cultural thing:D

Now, if they had spicy Italian sausages I would be motivated to find one....Rod

[Tom M King]

If I put that crap in my body, it might really be as old as I am in years.

[Jim Becker]

I
Now, if they had spicy Italian sausages I would be motivated to find one....Rod

THey sell the tasty Italian sausage back in the meat department. It's quite good, honestly. I forget if they have the spicy version or not, however. Occasionally, they had a sausage sandwich at the concession counter, but at the present time, there's a very limited menu and it's strictly take-out. For awhile, it was actually limited to hot dogs or whole pizzas...they've added a few things back recently, but the concession menu is still very small due to the pandemic. In my store, they currently have the appliance displays were the tables for eating normally are located.

[roger wiegand]

I have to say I've never had the hot dog. They had a polish sausage for a while that I liked too well, but I had to lie to my cardiologist. I ate a lot of hot dogs when I was a kid, but I honestly can't remember when last I had one. Now, bratwursts are another story, as are the sundry sausages we eat while traveling across Germany. Unless American hot dogs have gotten a lot better than I remember, I'm not tempted.

[Jim Becker]

They are close to "on par" with Hebrew Nationals, Roger.

[Alex Zeller]

I can remember when Costco opened around here over 20 years ago. I happened to be in the office when a stunning drop dead gorgeous woman got out of a car dressed in a very provocative yet classy way. Instantly you could tell she was trying to sell something. The owners son was also there and quickly said "what ever she's selling we are buying". That's how we all got Costco business membership cards, lol. I'm not sure if the hot dogs and pizza are loos leaders as they don't require people to enter the retail section of the store so you don't need to have a membership.

The local Lowes don't have them but the one Home Depot has someone out front selling dogs and such. I always thought that it was a mistake not having something like Costco. Nothing like a weekend warrior or a contractor needing to pick up something knowing that they can save some time and pick up a bite to eat at the same place.

[Tony Zona]

Rod,

My grandpa’s spicy hot Italian sausage would stand you right up, wide-eyed. How well I remember.

Very hot, but not too hot for seconds. :)

[Mike Kees]

The Polish dogs are way better than the regular hot dogs. I have them in our freezer all the time.

[Bruce King]

We should all complain to Costco for not having wholesale hardwoods.

[Rod Sheridan]

Rod,

My grandpa’s spicy hot Italian sausage would stand you right up, wide-eyed. How well I remember.

Very hot, but not too hot for seconds. :)

Sounds wonderful Tony, I know what I need to BBQ this month.....Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

I’ll have to go investigate Jim, thanks for the info......Rod.

[Mike Henderson]

The local Lowes don't have them but the one Home Depot has someone out front selling dogs and such. I always thought that it was a mistake not having something like Costco. Nothing like a weekend warrior or a contractor needing to pick up something knowing that they can save some time and pick up a bite to eat at the same place.

I agree. I also often thought they should have a coffee stand.

Mike

[Rod Sheridan]

I agree. I also often thought they should have a coffee stand.

Mike

Hi Mike, the Home Depot near me had a Subway sandwich shop and a coffee vendor for about 5 years, then they made that area into a parking place for shopping carts.

I miss that, they had really good Earl Grey tea, I think it was the Starbucks brand.............Rod.

[Jim Becker]

Historically, our local HD has had some food options, particularly aimed at contractor sales...tube steaks, etc....and has cold drinks and candy/snacks for impulse buys at checkouts. I don't know if it's there now, but there was often a coffee setup for free beverages, too. I haven't looked lately for that since it's not a concern and Wendy's is right next door if I really need food. (Local independent home center has a coffee station)Costco and similar has a bit of an edge here over the home centers in that they can serve food products at the concession counter that they also sell in the store. The home centers need to buy that stuff independently.

[Bill Dufour]

one of the three home depots in town has a few free hotdog days every year. They also have. bucket of ice with water bottles when it is over 110. Cancelled for the duration.
Bil lD

[Brian Elfert]

There are at least three Home Depot stores in the area that had food before the pandemic. One store has a small hot dog stand inside the front entrance. (This store is probably the busiest HD in the metro area.) Another store has a large shed type building right by the front door where hot dogs are sold. A third store had a hot dog trailer parked in the front row of the parking lot. This one had a LOUD generator. I never understood why the store didn't set up power for the trailer.