Costco (COST) He has quietly stopped selling the $ 20 half-sheet cakes in his U.S. stores for the past month, instead of pointing people toward his 10-inch round cakes and other assorted baking products.
“To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing, Costco has reduced service in some departments,” the company explained to outraged customers on its Facebook account. In a statement to the New York Times, Costco said it has no plans to immediately bring the half-leaf cakes and said the round cakes “resonate with our members.”
Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.
The decision also coincides with a recommendation by various states and US health agencies to avoid or ban large gatherings in light of Covid-19. Half-sheet cakes feed about 50 people, while their 10-inch round cakes feed a dozen.
Kroger (KR) and Sam’s Club stores also appeared to stop selling the half-leaf cake, according to an online search. However, Walmart (WMT), Albertson and HEB still sell sheet cakes of various sizes.
Despite the increasing number of coronavirus cases, a Costco executive previously told CNN Business that “he is trying to get back to normal, as areas across the country are trying to do the same.”
The chain began bringing free food samples to a handful of stores and plans to extend them to additional locations in the coming weeks. Costco is also loosening restrictions on the number of people members can bring during their shopping trips.
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