Complaints about Costco’s fresh fruits and veggies are far from new or rare. Customers have been taking to social media to sound off against the retailer’s produce for years now, citing fast spoilage and inconsistent quality overall. A fresh wave of criticism against Costco’s produce has been popping up on social media this week, showing that the complaint-plagued department is still struggling to resolve these issues in 2024.
This renewed scrutiny against Costco’s fruits and veggies began when a shopper took to Reddit this week to complain that the produce section has been “really slumping.”
“Is there a reason for this, or is it just bad luck?” the shopper asked. “Lots of moldy, soft stuff, and the prices aren’t all that great either. The last four visits have been very meh.”
The post has since received more than 450 comments, many from fellow Costco members who are similarly displeased with the fruit and vegetable selection at the warehouse club.
“Can confirm. I’ve gotten strawberries and raspberries from there that don’t last 48 hours in the fridge’s fruit drawer,” a shopper commented.
“Last week they had grapes for $5.99—with visible white mold on them. What a deal!” another quipped.
That’s not to say that shoppers have had a poor experience with Costco’s produce across the board. Some even commented on the post to defend the retailer’s fruits and veggies.
“I have had a great experience with Costco produce pretty much across the board. I get good quality fruits/vegetables that last forever in my fridge, often more than a week,” one wrote.
Still, the complaints against Costco’s produce department are far too numerous to disregard. The problems have even become so unbearable for some that they’ve sworn off Costco’s produce altogether.
“Still love Costco, but we have a ‘no produce’ rule from them. We’re lucky if it lasts five days after we get it home. So, 100% agree with the slumping theory,” a Redditor noted.
Fruits and veggies are the only items at Costco that have faced some serious backlash lately. Last month, the retailer added a new butter chicken with naan bread meal kit to its deli section, and shoppers immediately began complaining about the “very meh” flavor and price of $5.99 per pound. (The full meal kits are priced around $14 to $16.)
“I wouldn’t buy this at $5.99 let alone $5.99 a pound,” a Redditor commented.
Zoe Strozewski
Zoe Strozewski is a News Writer for Eat This, Not That! A Chicago native who now lives in New Jersey, she graduated from Kean University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Read more about Zoe
