On July 31, a Reddit user shared some intel on a product favored by both Costco-lovers and chocolate chip cookie-makers: Kirkland Signature chocolate chips had been replaced at their local store.
“They completely replaced the chocolate chips with nestle,” wrote u/SomeRealTomfoolery in r/Costco, showing a rack of Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels in 72-ounce bags in a Costco store.
The post went viral with more than 500 reactions and 160 comments.
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At the time of publication, the Kirkland brand ingredient appears to be missing from its usual spot on the Costco website — though, the product still appears on the Costco Business Center website.
Representatives for Costco did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.
Online sleuths with working Costco membership cards have been discussing the product’s absence online for months.
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“whaaaaaat. I literally just bought these for the first time ever and love them!” wrote one Redditor on June 27, to which another replied, “They are seriously the best chocolate chip ever.”
The Redditor added that they use them for chocolate fondue, pudding, brownies, cookies and more, dubbing the product their “go to” and saying that “Nothing else compares.”
“I didn’t get a picture, but they are being restocked with Toll House in North GA at least. :(,” someone else on the platform wrote in a post titled, “Kirkland chocolate chips = gone.”
Another wrote they appreciated that the morsels were “certified kosher parve,” adding, “The bonus was zero coconut, which is my weird allergy.”
Many commenters took umbrage with Costco’s switch to Nestlé, which caught heat in the past for its cocoa sourcing practices, including its use of child labor and low pay for cocoa farmers.
“I refuse to buy the Nestlé chips or anything under their name or banner,” wrote one Costco shopper.
“Scored 3 bags of Kirkland brand a few weeks before they switched to evil Nestle,” wrote another. “I’m good for 2 years lol.”
Earlier this summer, one Redditor called for customers to protest the discontinuation and suggested folks leave feedback for the retailer, which is something other commenters are on board with as well.
The despair has spread to other social media platforms like X, where one user wrote that the “world is getting worse and worse every day and nobody cares.”
On July 3, one Redditor posted a screenshot of a message they say was sent by a Costco representative explaining why its buying team made the switch. In the letter, the alleged representative cites rising costs as a reason for the discontinuation.
TODAY was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the screenshot.
One commenter on Reddit seemed to sum up the overall sentiment in just one word: “Damnit.”
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