You all are making my heart smile. Costco loves that you are loyal members. Listen to you all, raving about Costco things.
If the rotisserie chicken is the example you use to justify Costco membership, that's just fine with them. If you ONLY buy a rotisserie chicken this trip, that's also fine, since Costco knows you will likely spend a BUNCH more on another trip. And you do. Loss leaders add to overall member satisfaction. So if you're a happy member, Costco losing a few bucks on a chicken to keep you happy, will be a very good thing for everyone.
@CO skier: Stop by the Member Services desk and ask them to run your Shopping History. They can give you a grand total of what you spent last year, and how that translates into the membership fee offset. If the numbers support it, and you've spent enough to cover the upgrade cost from Gold Star to Executive, then you're money ahead to go for the upgrade, and start earning the 2% rebate on everything you buy. (Add in the Costco Citibank Visa, and it's as much as an additional 4% back.) If you're not sure you'll spend enough, upgrade anyway, and monitor your spending. If you find you just haven't spent enough to support the additional $60 a year in membership costs, they can downgrade you from Executive back to Gold Star, and refund you the membership difference. So you have nothing to risk. But my gut tells me if you're a regular Costco shopper, you'll pay for your membership pretty easily. Just about every regular shopper does.
@Glynda: Costco doesn't plump their rotisserie chickens. (I agree, that's pretty disgusting.) That's why the Pocatello location mentioned above has some selling for less that $4.99. If the chicken is underweight, it is weighed and is sold on a per-pound price. That way you aren't overpaying for a smaller bird. It's a factor of the upstream poultry provider, and is why
@Passepartout posted the original link to Costco setting up their own poultry growing location. They want more control over every factor of the process, so those underweight chickens are fewer in number. If you always buy a $4.99 rotisserie chicken, you're sure to be getting the most cluck for your buck. LOL!
Dave