Costco Customers Are Calling This Seafood Boil Find A Total 'Scam'

Costco's seafood roadshows are back, but one item is causing consternation among shoppers. After a customer posted a picture of the roadshow's seafood boil kits on Reddit, users turned to the comments to debate the $11.99-per-pound price tag.

Each boil contains Dungeness crab, mussels, red potatoes, shrimp, clams, and corn on the cob, with an added seasoning packet. Most of the ingredients come pre-cooked and ready to heat: According to Costco's signage, the boils require just 6 minutes of cooking time. In the comments, the original poster explained that they bought two boils — one for $56, and the other for $64.

Convenient, yes. Costly? Maybe. The buyer didn't mind the price and overall liked the boil, especially for the convenience, while another user thought it "sounds like a fun, low mental energy option to try out something new." But for the most part, Redditors were unconvinced. "Unfortunately, selling this by the pound means you're paying a lot for potatoes and corn," read the top comment. Another described it as a "scam."

"I get the attraction of convenience," wrote one commenter. "I'm single, buy a lot of prepared food. But literally everything on that list, other than crab, sells for much less than 11.99/lb." Others noted that they could get similarly priced boils at their favorite local seafood restaurants.

So, are folks really paying a premium for the convenience? Crab is undeniably pricy, but one video from a recent Costco roadshow showed Dungeness crab selling for $11.99 on its own — no corn or potatoes weighing down the bag.

In addition, both vegetables are inexpensive and typically sold loose at grocery stores, so you can buy as much — or as little — as you need. With shrimp, clams, mussels, and crabs readily available at grocery store seafood counters, you can also choose how much of each you want in your seafood boil. Not a fan of, say, mussels? No problem, leave them out. But opt for the freshest possible ingredients — it's key to making the best seafood boil every time.

The process of actually making a seafood boil from scratch isn't that different from cooking the Costco kit. Just don't throw all your ingredients in at once — it's a common seafood boil mistake. Add your ingredients one by one, based on cook time, to avoid under- or overcooking. Throw in a jar of Cajun seasoning, and you've got your own boil.