This Quiet Change To Costco's Iconic Food Court Hot Dogs Have Fans Upset: 'Wrong Move There'

Costco's food court is a main attraction for customers who look forward to rewarding themselves for finishing their shopping list with a screaming deal on a hot dog and soda. The low price is half the appeal, and thankfully Costco's CEO has assured customers the hot dog's price will never change. However, they didn't say anything about altering the makeup.

Some eagle-eyed shoppers have noticed the hot dog buns look smaller than they once did, and others say the bread used to have sesame seeds on the outside but no longer does. When Instagram user costco.co.obsessed posted a picture featuring a footlong spilling out of an unseeded bun nearly half its size, folks were quick to call out the membership warehouse in the comments. One recent shopper appeared to verify the shrinkflation suspicions when they commented, "Indeed, the bun was smaller and very soft." Another confirmed, saying, "Yes and the buns have no sesame seeds. Wrong move there."

The quality of the buns overall was also called into question. One customer said, "The buns always split apart." Someone else added, "Yes! They need to bring back the original buns! ... they are using cheap buns which fall apart, I'm done." Still, like any other debate online, not everyone was on the same page. A few people had no beef with getting less bread with their glizzy. Others claimed nothing has actually changed with the buns, begging the question: Is this alleged shrinkflation real or imagined?

Because Costco sells more hot dogs than all the Major League Baseball stadiums, there's a large sample size of folks who can help confirm or deny the allegations that the buns are shrinking and shedding their sesame seeds. A few people in the comment section of that same Instagram post simply took the poster's word for it and believed it to be true, and they're still not upset about it. "It's a buck fifty and it comes with a soda and free refills. I can deal with one less bite of bread," one person argued.

Another wasn't concerned about less bun coming with their frank, but they weren't so sure about the other part of the supposed change. They said, "Tbh I wouldn't be mad at it because it's less bread lol. I can't say that I have ever had a sesame seed bun though." Another naysayer claimed, "Ours have always looked like this."

Is this a case of the Mandela effect? Possibly, but it's more likely that the size and makeup of the buns varies regionally. Either way, the inflation-resistant hot dog combo remains a cheap way to treat yourself after crossing everything off your shopping list, even if you really are getting a little less bread for your dough.