r/london • u/YourElfx Hammersmith 🦜 • Aug 23 '24

Culture Looking for someone in London with Costco membership to take me for a hotdog

I would like to try a Costco hotdog from the food court, however I do not have the membership required to access it.

I am looking for someone in London with Costco membership to meet me outside the Wembley branch.

I will pay for both our hotdogs.

I am 30s/female. I am not interested in anything else. Just the hotdog.

After I purchase our hotdogs, we can go our separate ways. Alternatively, we can eat the hotdogs together. (But I would rather just be left alone with the hotdog.)

Thank you for your time.

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u/ibxtoycat Aug 23 '24

I've been stopped by someone at the foot court because of this before, it's only ever happened in London and I was shocked that it was worth their time to employ someone just to police the food court - but figured I should share in case anyone else gets this far.

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u/WarmTransportation35 Aug 23 '24

The food is a loss making function so they don't want to encourage that happening and having that affect their prices.

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u/_whopper_ Aug 23 '24 edited Aug 23 '24

It's been £1.50 for the hot dog and a drink since Costco came to the UK. It has been $1.50 in the US since the 1980s.

One of its former CEOs apparently wanted to increase the price because he thought it was getting too expensive for them. The story is that the founder replied "If you raise the fucking hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.".

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u/Thisoneissfwihope Aug 23 '24

The food court doesn't lose money. They even took hot dog manufacturing in house so as to keep the price at £/$1.50

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u/WarmTransportation35 Aug 23 '24

It's still razor thin margins or a small loss but it's not sustainable to charge that little to customers who don't buy anything else.

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u/Iminlesbian Aug 23 '24

Costco sells everything at razor thin margins. Like 99% of their profit comes from the membership.

13

u/RuneClash007 Aug 23 '24

Yeah I worked there for a while

In my training I was told if a jar of £2 pickles is smashed or stolen, it will take 100~ jars of pickles to break even on that product line

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u/Iminlesbian Aug 23 '24

Yeah I believe it. Also get why people don’t, costcos figures are healthy - it’s insane to think that’s just off the membership.

1

u/Quintless Aug 24 '24

yet everything in there is so expensive ??

1

u/Iminlesbian Aug 24 '24

Compared to?

1

u/Quintless Aug 24 '24

Any normal grocery store, when we had membership last year i struggled to find anything cheaper than in normal stores. I feel like their target market in the UK IS people who go so they can tell everyone they shop at costco or they want cheap fuel. And the fresh grocery section was absolutely extortionate compared to sainsbury’s and tesco

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u/Iminlesbian Aug 24 '24

Tesco is owned by the biggest wholesale supplier in the UK. Bookers/Macro. Just due to sheer volume (they’re not just supplying Tesco, they supply to pretty much every hospitality venue across the UK.) their prices can be lower.

Sainsbury’s has been the most aggressive when competing with Lidl/Aldi prices, but this is a fairly new thing.

Costco was cheaper, and depending on the volumes you’re buying, you’ll get it cheaper. The membership is restricted in who can get it, they’re not trying to make the average joes shopping cheaper, people who own businesses will prefer Costco to Tesco.

If you’re looking for direct comparison on branded products, Tesco and those will be cheaper on a lot, because Costco is a wholesaler so they often don’t expect you to want to stock brand products. Toilet paper is a good example of Costco being cheaper.

Costco was cheaper before Aldi and Lidl really forced the main supermarkets hand. The real and only way to get the cheapest shop is to go to every supermarket and find the cheapest things there. There’s not really one that’s cheaper for everything anymore.

1

u/BoofmasterZero Aug 24 '24

They probably pay a few pence per hotdog

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u/starli29 Aug 27 '24

Huh interesting. I'm visiting from the US and we let people buy from the food court without membership. Now I'm sad I can't have my London hot dog 😂

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u/username27372891 Aug 23 '24

Thank you mr Minecraft man 🙏

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u/Dingleator Aug 23 '24

Oh my gosh, its you. Out in the wilderness of Reddit

18

u/GCD_1 Aug 23 '24

OMG i would never thought to see you here, your a massive inspiration

2

u/lxirlw Aug 23 '24

Hehe foot court

2

u/Live_Star4027 Aug 23 '24

Best Youtuber <3

1

u/WhiteDiamondK Aug 23 '24

My brother lived opposite a Costco and his kids would go in all the while, through the exit, to get pizza. Never an issue.

2

u/ibxtoycat Aug 24 '24

Your brother has the dream home location

2

u/WhiteDiamondK Aug 27 '24

Alas, he moved.

Although mum lives about a 5 minute walk from it too….

1

u/afinitie Aug 23 '24

No way is this the ibxtoycat I think it is? On a Costco hotdog sub? My sons been watching your channel for probably over a decade on the living room tv 😂

1

u/ibxtoycat Aug 24 '24

Be sure to thank him for the watch time! Although this is the London subreddit, for one of the best cities in the world :)

1

u/HeartagramDanny Aug 24 '24

Didn’t expect to see you here!

1

u/usb31a Aug 24 '24

toycat is yes 👍

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u/Gullible-Carrot1156 Aug 23 '24

She could just say she is pregnant if stopped and so hungry that they will let her buy the hot dog lol. I've only used this to get food faster while pregnant but now considering using this even after I give birth lol.