"costco" news and stories

A good friend of mine once spilled a gallon of milk in his car. If that ever happens to you, head directly to the car wash. Do not stop on the way. Once that milk smell sets in, it never goes away and it is not pleasant. According to the New York Times, milk spilling has become a big problem due to a change in the classic milk carton.

Wal-Mart and Costco are rolling out new milk jugs. The difference is that the new jugs are square and made of recyclable plastics. This makes them stack-able and compact in trucks and on shelves. These jugs are less expensive because of easier shipping and the elimination of milk crates.

The downside of the new jugs is that it is taking consumers some time to get used to them. People are having difficulty not spilling milk during the pour since there is no spout. Sam's Club has even been offering in-store classes on how to pour from the new jugs. I suppose you could always transfer your milk to a glass container with a spout if it were that much of a problem.

Have you tried the square milk jugs yet?

This is a recall of bulk proportions.

Costco has issued a voluntary recall on 10,368 pounds of frozen Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice from Discover Cuisine. The frozen food packages are suspected to be contaminated with Listeria. According to Costco, "Each package bears the Canadian establishment number 'Est. 302' inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection as well as a 'Best By' date of '12 18 08.' The item number '2880' also appears by the UPC code on the package."

No illnesses have been reported yet, but Listeria can cause headaches, neck stiffness, and spontaneous abortions. Those people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to infection.

So check your freezers, and if you'd like more information, call this number, provided by Costco: (800) 774-2678.

[via: Consumerist]

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I would hate to find a rat in anything I purchased. That seems like the worst kind of surprise ever. Unfortunately, that's what awaited one consumer in Korea upon opening a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.

The person contacted and filed a complaint with the Korean Food and Drug Administration after purchasing the frozen veggies from a Costco there. The Korean unit of the company acted quickly to recall all Willow Wind Organic Mixed Vegetables, which were imported from California. Of course Costco suspended sales of the product, as well.

The thought of a rat in anything that I've bought is not a pleasant one. I know that some things just happen, but I'd like to think that a rodent would be caught before it got into a product. I know we've seen a lot of product recalls lately, so don't you thing that manufacturers would work a little harder to keep foreign objects out of their products? What do you think?

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Man, the Asian countries have it so good.

First we hear about Dunkin Donuts going to Shanghai and offering things like honeydew flavored doughnuts, then we find out that Costco in Taiwan is pretty much the picture of bulk Asian food awesomeness. (I didn't even know that Costco was anywhere except the United States).

Teczcape documented a trip to Costco in Taiwan, and though the ridiculously long lines at the rotisserie chicken counter and the requirement that all payments are made in cash are nothing to envy, I couldn't help but covet the bulk bags of kimchi (in the picture, lower left bag in the cart). It's Costco, so who knows about the quality of the kimchi, but at least it's not Kirkland brand!

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Come on, you just knew that this was going to happen sooner or later: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has reached a deal with Costco to offer frozen and fresh refrigerated foods for customers. The items will start showing up in Costco locations in 2008.

This article makes a good point about how this will affect Martha Stewart's image. It's one thing for Martha to tell us how to make neat crafts and how to clean our homes and where to vacation and how to decorate, and give us recipes and kitchen tips, but what if we try these foods -- foods that the company has made, supposedly -- and we don't like them, or they're just "typical grocery food?" As the piece says, drapes and paints cannot spoil in the refrigerator."

But they'll probably be fine. But I wonder what foods she'll offer? Probably something a little fancier than corn dogs and Salisbury steak.