Costco Customers Hoarding Holiday Pies Is Giving Grinch Vibes

The holidays are supposed to be a time for giving, but the reality of hosting a major gathering often creates a stressful shopping experience. Not only are grocery stores packed in the days leading up to holidays like Thanksgiving, leaving many feeling like they're playing a game of bumper carts in the aisles, but the limited supply of many seasonal food items also raises the stakes.

While it's easy to laugh at movie scenes in which characters fight over the last turkey, the sentiment rings true for real-life shoppers, especially when the time comes to stock up on Costco's holiday pies. Pumpkin, apple, and pecan are all classic pie flavors that Costco warehouses reliably sell each year. However, several Reddit posts have surfaced showing the dark side of Costco's festive season. One Reddit post shows a customer pushing a flat cart filled with Costco's pumpkin pies, its title reading, "He got 42 pies, but why no whip cream?"

Many commenters questioned the apparent hoarding of holiday desserts. Some guessed that the shopper was a realtor planning on gifting one to each client, while a different user suggested a church party. On another post showing a shopper with a cart full of pies, commenters theorized they were putting together gift baskets or perhaps donations for a homeless shelter, while one user joked that they could "sell them for $5 a slice at an event."

Of course, the phenomenon of shoppers buying dozens of Costco pies at once has sparked some panic about inventory, with one Reddit commenter saying, "No limits on this item? Or is 42 the limit?" At least some Costco stores responded to the hype by enacting a one-pie-per-membership limit due to increased demand and limited supply. One Redditor photographed the 30-minute line they waited in alongside nearly 100 other shoppers to buy a pumpkin pie, noting they could only buy one each.

While many users didn't think a pumpkin pie was worth the wait, Costco's massive pecan pies may be a different story. In a Reddit thread about the dessert, one user who claimed to have worked in the Costco bakery noted that both the pumpkin and pecan pies were made from scratch at the store. Many commenters were quick to praise the pecan pie specifically, calling it "divine" and noting that it was their "favorite part of November."

Understandably, Costco shoppers become frustrated when they miss out on these temporary items after holiday hoarders scoop up every last one. While some are quick to call the act selfish, others view it as fair game — after all, is it really the holiday season if you're not fighting over a pie and stressing about a last-minute dessert? Ultimately, if you have your heart set on a Costco pie for the holidays, you'll probably want to snag one early.