Why Costco Bakery Muffins Are Frequently Returned

The Costco bakery has developed a major fan base. Many of its items are made from scratch, and shoppers can find everything from custom birthday cakes to the Kirkland Signature Butter Cinnamon Sugar Loaf that Reddit is obsessed with. But not every bakery item has been a hit. One product that has received a particularly frosty reception is the new bakery muffins. Fans have complained that they've gone up in price while going down in both size and quality. 

Costco shoppers took to the internet to vent their frustration over the change. Previously, the muffins featured a mix-and-match box of 12 muffins for $9.99. At the end of 2024, however, Costco overhauled the muffin system entirely, despite many fans being perfectly happy with the original version. The new muffins are priced lower at $6.99, but the box now includes only eight muffins, each considerably smaller than before. "So that's going from around 83 cents per muffin to around 88 cents per muffin," one Redditor complained. 

At face value, the switch looks like a classic case of shrinkflation, a phenomenon of companies reducing the size of a product while keeping the price the same, or in Costco's case, increasing it. This hasn't been the first time Costco has been accused of shrinkflation, and fans have pointed to other products that appear to have shrunk over time, from bakery items to everyday essentials like toilet paper.

While the shrinking size of the muffins angered some fans, others weren't too bothered. In fact, a number of shoppers had long complained that the original muffins were simply too large. Another common complaint about the mix-and-match muffins was that they were dry. Unfortunately, shrinking the muffins and tweaking the formula didn't seem to improve their quality, and according to some fans, it made things worse. 

Costco introduced four brand-new flavors: Blueberries and cream, triple chocolate, lemon raspberry, and cinnamon chip muffins. To put it lightly, they didn't go over well with bakery loyalists. "I first bought the 8-pack because they looked interesting. Not even thinking they were a replacement for the old standard Costco[-]sized muffins," one user complained. "And in a word, will NEVER buy these again, EVER. They suck beyond belief[,] and I'm shocked that Costco ever put out such [quality]." Another Redditor weighed in their opinion, echoing similar grievances that others had about the 12-pack muffins: "These are so much worse. They're much drier, [have] less flavor, just bland and crumbly."

That said, it's not all bad news. There were a few changes that shoppers viewed positively. For instance, the new muffins are made with real butter instead of oil, and higher-quality ingredients, like sour cream and real milk. However, one Redditor noted that this formula does come with a downside: "The 'cream cheese blueberry' muffins [go] bad super fast, and we ended up having to throw away 6 of the 8 muffins." Spoilage is a recurring issue with several Costco bakery items, and its bagels are frequently returned for the same reason. Still, while no one enjoys food spoiling quickly, faster spoilage can indicate fewer preservatives and additives, which some shoppers see as a worthy trade-off.