Costco Shoppers Are Fuming Over Holiday Candy Inflation

Costco is known for its loyal customer base, driven by great products at great prices. Now, though, shoppers are irate over the perceived shrinkflation of a favorite holiday candy treat: Kirkland Signature Peppermint Bark. As the candy treat gets more expensive but allegedly offers less and less product, one TikTok commenter claiming to be a Costco bakery employee says the price of cocoa is ultimately to blame — and they appear to be correct.

As of this writing, cocoa trades on international markets for nearly $12,000 per tonne, the highest price for cocoa since April 2024 (via Trading Economics). By comparison, coffee, another tropically grown commodity getting noticeably more expensive, is just $327 per tonne. The price of cocoa is up 179% in 2024, and it's nearing the peak of a price surge that began with a cocoa shortage in 2023. Since cocoa is so expensive, the Kirkland brand has likely had to adjust its peppermint bark recipe and price for the product to remain commercially viable, meaning consumers pay more money but receive less product.

Angry shoppers on TikTok appear to be correct: Costco has shrunk the size of its peppermint bark while raising the price. A 2023 TikTok about the peppermint bark's seasonal debut shows a price of $9.99, which increased by $5 this year — more than 50% — to $14.99.

There also appears to be less peppermint bark per package in 2024 than in previous years. Online, shoppers claim that the 2023 package weighed 624 grams, compared to 2024's 595 grams. The 2024 peppermint bark also appears to be thinner in video footage than 2023's candied treats.

Blommer, the Chicago-based brand behind Costco's milk chocolate, has also felt the cocoa price crunch. In 2023, it closed its Chicago factory and original headquarters, in part because of the prohibitively high price of cocoa. And with prices rising even further, more shrinkflation is a distinct possibility for chocolatey treats across the board, not just at Costco.