Reddit Isn't Impressed With Costco's New Kirkland Breakfast Sandwiches

If there's one thing people haven't been able to stop talking about in recent years, it's the runaway price of groceries. While inflation may be slowing to some degree, for many people, price remains the top concern when contemplating future purchases. Case in point: Costco's new Kirkland-branded breakfast sandwiches. A Reddit thread from November 17 found that while the few people who had tried the sandwiches seemed to find them quite flavorful, many were dismayed by the price.

According to the user who made the post, one box of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on croissant rolls was priced at $15.97 at a Costco in Visalia, California. Round up by three cents, divide by the eight items inside, and the final cost is about $2 per sandwich (although Visalia doesn't tax most grocery purchases). Many of the thread's commenters felt that this was way too steep for a single sandwich and expressed that, in this case, the price was probably a deal breaker. As one user suggested, "Kirkland needs to get the cost down to maybe under $1.50 [per sandwich] for me to be interested." Several users also said that they simply preferred to make their own homemade breakfast sandwiches, while others opted to stick with fast food.

Even though Costco charges an annual membership fee, the reason why many cardholders shell out the big bucks is because the extra $5 a month is supposed to pay for itself in savings. How, then, does this tally with the chain charging such a seemingly high amount for frozen breakfast sandwiches? The USDA reports that groceries purchased in September 2023 cost 2.4% more than they did at the same time in 2022. With this in mind, is Kirkland really priced so much higher than its competitors?

As just one example, a box of five bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast Hot Pockets costs $6.97 at a Walmart in Visalia. Rounding up to $7 and dividing by five puts the price at $1.40 per sandwich, meaning the Hot Pockets version is more affordable, even if its croissant crust may look less substantial at first glance than the Kirkland sandwiches' rolls. Great Value, on the other hand, also offers croissant breakfast sandwiches, priced at $5.78 for a box of four, or just under $1.50 per sandwich. For those who prefer name brands and/or bulk buys, Jimmy Dean's bacon, egg, and cheese croissants are priced at $10.97 per box of eight, or just under $1.40 per unit.

In the end, it seems as though Costco's breakfast sandwiches aren't such a budget buy, after all. They do, however, still beat out Burger King, where a bacon, egg, and cheese Croissan'wich can run closer to $5.