Why Is The Costco Rotisserie Chicken Price So CHEAP?

Why IS the Costco rotisserie chicken price SO CHEAP? At a LOW $4.99, you may not believe their reasoning. With the rising cost of EVERYTHING the member based shopping giant (I am not a member, and I have never been to a Costco) has vowed to keep their SUPER popular rotisserie chicken at $4.99, giving them a competitive edge over their competition.

Let's face it. You've had a LONG day of work, or errands. You're too exhausted to cook AND you are starving. But, we don't want take-out again! Is there anything better than a freshly made rotisserie chicken? Plus that aroma hits you when you get it in the car. NO, I have not taken off a wing and eaten it on the ride home. I have thought about it, but if I get caught, I don't want to be the next Tik Tok embarrassment that goes viral. So at $4.99, Costco owns the rotisserie category. The price at most other grocery outlets is around $9.99.

The Costco rotisserie chicken is SO popular, it has become a cult item, with it's own Facebook Page bragging 18,000 followers. According to Costco, the big box store sells around SIXTY MILLION chickens a year, here in the United States alone.

It's right in front of our face. They LOSE money. $30 to 40 MILLION a year. According to nightdaily.com:

"And by setting itself apart from its competitors by pricing low, Costco guarantees a higher footfall in its stores. So, despite losing out on a few dollars per chicken, the company makes up for it with customers’ other purchases once they’ve stepped through the doors."

Costco knows what they are doing. You go to Costco for big bulk items. So when you get the deal of a lifetime on a delicious rotisserie chicken, they know you'll spend on many other items. It doesn't stop there. Costco invested $450,000,000 to create their own production plant, in a partnership with farming facilities. According to Vox.com:

"In 2019, Costco made an unprecedented move to source its chicken at even lower margins: It set up its own feed mill, hatchery, and slaughter plant in Nebraska, and contracted nearby farmers to raise over 100 million birds each year, all under the name Lincoln Premium Poultry (LPP). It could be saving the company up to 35 cents per bird."

ONE HUNDRED MILLION?

So the next time you're at the Costco in Waltham, at $4.99, you could buy two, one for dinner, and one for the ride home. See you on Tik Tok. But at $4.99, who cares.

"From the Basket to the Casket." It's a catchy saying many in Massachusetts use to profess their love of Market Basket. Since moving to Waltham I have fallen in love with Market Basket. And although sometimes I'm a little overwhelmed when walking into the Waltham Market Basket due to the high traffic, I appreciate the cleanliness and overall quality of the store - and I love their prices (sometimes). I have come to understand why Market Basket isn't just a grocery store, it's a way of life.

So I decided to put my research hat on and find out which locations are most loved by customers and which locations aren't feeling as much love. I did this by crunching over 73,000 Google reviews. Each Market Basket could score as high as 5.0. I'll let you know how each scored and how many reviews have come in for each location as well. If the score is a tie, I'll give the nod to the location that has the most reviews.

So here you go - Every Market Basket in Massachusetts Ranked from worst to first! Let's go!

Location: Haverhill/Water St.
Rating: 4.2
# of Google Reviews: 1,600

Location: Lowell/Fletcher St.
Rating: 4.2
# of Google Reviews: 1,600

Location: Methuen/Methuen Shopping Center
Rating: 4.3
# of Google Reviews: 909

Location: Fitchburg/Water St.
Rating: 4.3
# of Google Reviews: 982

Location: Tewksbury/John Fitch Hghwy.
Rating: 4.3
# of Google Reviews: 1,300

Location: Salem/Hawthorne Square
Rating: 4.3
# of Google Reviews: 2,000

Location: New Bedford
Rating: 4.3
# of Google Reviews: 3,494

Location: Billerica/Boston St.
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 484

Location: Haverhill/Lincoln Ave.
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 424

Location: Rowley
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 523

Location: Newburyport
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 605

Location: Gloucester
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 802

Location: Westford
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 839

Location: Wilmington
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 911

Location: Chelmsford
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 930

Location: Reading
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,100

Location: Lowell/Bridge St.
Rating:4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,100

Location: Middleton
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,200

Location: Woburn
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,213

Location: Bellingham
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,352

Location: Danvers
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,457

Location: Lawrence
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,474

Location: Raynham
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 1,643

Location: Ashland
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 2,015

Location: Leominster
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 2,200

Location: Brockton
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 2,400

Location: Somerville
Rating: 4.4
# of Google Reviews: 4,200

Location: Tewksbury/Oakdale Mall
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 434

Location: Tewksbury/Main St.
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 816

Location: North Andover
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,100

Location: Haverhill/Lowell Ave.
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,200

Location: Burlington
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,371

Location: Littleton
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,400

Location: Methuen/Merrimac Plaza
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,400

Location: Salem/S. Broadway
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 1,600

Location: West Bridgewater
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 2,100

Location: Hudson/Shops at Highland Commons
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 2,100

Location: Bourne
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 2,300

Location: Revere
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 2,916

Location: Fall River
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 3,400

Location: Attleboro
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 3,400

Location: Waltham
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 3,700

Location: Chelsea/Everett Ave.
Rating: 4.5
# of Google Reviews: 4,500

Location: Lowell/Old Ferry Rd.
Rating: 4.6
# of Google Reviews: 712

Location: Salem/Central St.
Rating: 4.6
# of Google Reviews: 927

Location: Oxford
Rating: 4.6
# of Google Reviews: 2,664

Nobody's perfect and I am definitely not. Here are the Market Baskets that for some reason weren't on my master list (and their ratings). I'll update them into the countdown above once I feel like I've heard from people with all I missed:

Plymouth - 4.5 from 1,621 ratings
Hanover - 4.6 from 308 ratings
Shrewsbury - 4.7 from 314 reviews - this would make it #1... but it's VERY new.
Athol - 4.5 from 1,787 reviews