Egg supply issues in the US amid a bird flu outbreak have pushed prices to record highs and made it difficult for stores to keep cartons stocked on shelves.
In a survey conducted by Numerator, a market research firm, over half of shoppers said they’d seen shortages of eggs or found them out-of-stock at stores, including BJ’s, Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Publix.
I visited a Costco store in New York City to see firsthand how consumers navigate egg supply issues and price hikes. Here’s a play-by-play of how I managed to get one of the last cartons in the store.
9:29 a.m. — I arrived at Costco about 30 minutes before the store opened.
Manhattan’s only Costco store is located at East River Plaza, a shopping complex in East Harlem.
I often have to circle the parking lot and wait for a spot when I make my usual Costco runs on Sunday afternoons, but I had no trouble finding a place to park that early.
9:34 a.m. — I spoke to a few shoppers who said they’d had trouble finding eggs in grocery stores.
Some people I spoke with said they hadn’t arrived early to buy eggs but instead preferred to shop when the store was less crowded. They also said morning grocery trips worked best with their busy schedules.
When asked why they were at the store so early, two people said they’d had trouble finding eggs at other stores and had come to Costco in search of an affordable supply.
“People don’t want to overpay for eggs,” one shopper, who declined to give his name, told Business Insider. “That’s why I stock up on them.”
“It’s a shame. It’s a shame how much eggs cost,” another shopper who asked not to be identified said.
9:55 a.m. — A Costco employee came around to scan membership cards.
I noticed scanning membership cards beforehand allowed for better traffic flow once the doors opened.
9:58 a.m. — The crowd grew as more people arrived and lined up to enter the store.
Crowds gathered outside the store by the parking lot and in the indoor vestibule leading to the warehouse entrance. I estimated that there were around 30 to 40 people between them.
10:01 a.m. — The doors opened.
It took some maneuvering for all the people and carts to fit through the doors, but overall, I found the process orderly and efficient.
Some people stopped at the entrance to scan their cards again, but employees waved them through and said that wasn’t necessary if they’d been processed outside.
10:02 a.m. — I marveled at the mostly empty aisles in what’s normally a crowded store.
I’ve shopped at Costco stores in the Midwest and Iceland. The busiest location is Costco in New York City. I’d never seen the aisles look so spacious.
10:03 a.m. — It seemed like everyone had the same destination in mind — the dairy, milk, and eggs refrigerated section.
I figured it was best to head straight there just in case the eggs went quickly.
10:04 a.m. — Success! There were still about 20 cartons left, each with two dozen Kirkland Signature large cage-free eggs.
I was surprised to find that there weren’t any sets of five dozen cage-free eggs for sale, only smaller cartons with two dozen eggs.
A Costco employee told me that egg deliveries have been inconsistent and that the store’s stock varies daily.
Since the Manhattan location hadn’t received any eggs that morning, the cartons in stock were likely leftover from closing the day before, the employee said.
10:05 a.m. — I grabbed two cartons of eggs, one for myself and one for my neighbors, who asked me to get one for them.
My neighbors and I occasionally pick up items from Costco for each other. They bought me some cheese on their latest shopping trip, so I owed them a favor.
10:07 a.m. — The egg supply dwindled.
I stayed in the refrigerated section to see how long it would take for the eggs to sell out.
10:08 a.m. — Just eight minutes after Costco opened, all of the eggs were gone.
I watched several shoppers, who had also arrived early, walk into the refrigerated section. They seemed to express disappointment after seeing the eggs were sold out.
10:12 a.m. — I looked around to see if Costco had posted any signs limiting egg purchases, but the Manhattan location didn’t appear to have any.
I saw one person with six packages of eggs in their cart, but for the most part, shoppers took one or two cartons each when I was in the store.
Some Costco locations have limited customers to three egg cartons per person, but policies appear to vary by store. Costco representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
10:31 a.m. — I paid $8.49 per carton, which was around $4.25 per dozen.
The average price of a dozen large eggs in US cities was $4.95 as of January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Costco’s price during my visit was 70 cents lower than the national average.
In my experience, Manhattan’s Costco usually has a small line of people waiting outside before it opens, but this shopping trip felt different. The strategic planning required to buy a carton of eggs reminded me of the frantic rush of securing Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets.
In this economy, eggs no longer feel like a basic grocery staple. They’re a hot luxury item that flies off the shelves, available to the most devoted fans.
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