[This guest mystery was written by Bill, who lives in Tucson. He's had a membership to Price Club/Costco for around 30 years; that's a long time and a lot of loyalty. He is new to my blog and started reading it as a result of looking for information on Costco's bran muffins.]
THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING BRAN MUFFINS
Hi: I certainly qualify as a member of the Addicted to Costco club. I have been a faithful member since well before there was a Costco. I know I became a member at least when Sol Price opened his first Orange County California store. Although I might have joined even before because I remember shopping at a San Diego store with a daughter who lived there in S. D. even before the O. C. store opened. My membership has been continuous since that time, which must be close to 30 years now.
Their quality of products and their prices are something I’ve always been able to count on UP UNTIL NOW!
But now there comes the mystery as to why Costco has stopped baking their excellent bran muffins and why they won’t reveal the reason to their loyal customers. The mystery of “Why Costco discontinued baking bran muffins” has become even a greater mystery as no straight answers are being given by either store employees or the Costco home office.
Within the last few months, without explanation, both of the Costco stores in Tucson, Arizona stopped baking bran muffins. I checked just today on a Phoenix area store and found they too have quit baking bran muffins.
And no store employees can (or will) tell me why they have quit baking them.
The only answers I have received, both from store employees and upon calling the Costco home office, are:
- Costco leaves the decision on what to bake in their stores to the store manager.
- Costco, being in the business to make money, wouldn’t discontinue baking them if they were selling well.
I obviously can’t argue with number 1 above but I have never seen any bran muffins going unsold in the many months that I had been buying them. In fact, it seemed like if you didn’t get down there on the day they were baked, you would never find any left over the next day. They always seemed to be at a premium and only seemed to be baked one day a week. Because of the infrequency of having them available, I (and other bran muffin lovers) found ourselves having to call to find out which day of the week that they were going to bake them on so we could make a trip down there to get them before they ran out. I suspect that part of the problem might be just that it became bothersome for them to answer the phone calls as to what day they would be baking them. There seemed to be a problem of them obtaining on a regular schedule the needed bran for baking. And many times when I called to see if they were baking them I would get a message that “they ran out of muffin mix” or “the muffin mix didn’t come in yet.”
Adding to this great mystery is the fact that I just found out that the Sam’s store in Tucson has also discontinued baking bran muffins.
So how about a contest to present the winner with some sort of prize if they can discover the real reason why so many Costco Stores and the Tucson Sam’s Club seem to have discontinued baking bran muffins at the same time. (I can offer the prize of informing people where I have found the next best bran muffins to Costco’s.)
Is Bran scarce? Has Bran become too high priced? Has it been contaminated and is not safe? I think Costco Members are entitled to know why a favorite product has been discontinued and why the reason for it’s discontinuance seems to be being kept secret.
1
Emily (Bentobloggy) //
2010.06.29 at 7:58 pm
Ooh, interesting! I’ve actually never tried the bran muffins, but I love the other kinds.
2
Gay Ayyagari //
2010.06.29 at 9:25 pm
but do you know how unhealthy a whole muffin must be? and most people don’t stop at eating just half of one either. same with the bagels.
3
Kimberly //
2010.06.30 at 4:03 am
It was a bran muffin free zone at the New York Costco we visited yesterday too.
4
Clue //
2010.06.30 at 5:29 pm
While everyone is on the trail of bran muffins, would you keep your eyes open for any trace of the Kirkland Blueberry Pecan Cereal too? Since it’s gone missing, I’ve been skipping breakfast for two months now ad I’m getting pretty hungry!
5
OTHsnoozer //
2010.07.02 at 8:37 am
This post isn’t relayed to Bran Muffins but I was very familiar with Sol Price and his organizations. He was a lawyer before he founded Fed Mart in the San Diego area (which was supposed to be based on Fed Co’s business model). I would shop there for some great deals before he started the Price Club in 1976. I’m a charter member ( 1st 100) of the Price Club and still carry my original Price Club card in my wallet today (I had to get the local store managers approval to use it instead of having to change it to a Costco card when the switch took place although I use my AMEX card mostly now). I hired one of Sol’s accountants a few years after he started the Price Club, which was very difficult to do in those days because he always paid his people well. I was really sorry to see him sell out to Costco but it was probably for the best at his age. He passed away last year, but many who remember him will always admire his vision and foresight. Hope some young business executives learn from his experiences.
6
Mr Duncan //
2010.07.02 at 8:00 pm
As a costco bakery employee, they didn’t sell. In-fact after the indgredients expired to make the bran muffin, it was discontinued. The real questions is what happened to the key lime pie.
7
Christen //
2010.07.03 at 12:43 pm
My husband is a bakery manager at Costco. Regional managers and corporate makes the decisions on what to sell and what to pull. They pull items because either they don’t sell how they want or the companies they buy the ingredients from raised their prices. If an item sells well they keep it. Lots of things are seasonal though such as key lime pie , peach pie and flavored cheesecakes. Sometimes they pull a product to introduce another one just to see how that would do. In my husbands store they pulled the chocolate cream pie and tiramasu to try boston cream pie. They quickly realize if it’s a mistake or not. I do know for sure that when they decide to pull a product they have to sell the product they have on hand until they run out. So some stores may run out quicker than others making it look inconsistent. If you like something new, speak up. Costco values and runs on customer comments. You decide what they sell. Let them know!!
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Kimberly //
2010.07.06 at 8:57 am
I thought the key lime pie was a very seasonal item. I’m not sure when the season is, but I know it comes and goes.
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Christen //
2010.07.06 at 2:25 pm
The key lime pie is seasonal for most of us, but in the south it’s year round. Each store carries something year round, that most only have seasonally. It depends on the area. It’s not just in the bakery. Produce and deli have the same deal. I see things posted on here that are out of season for us. All our coupon books are different too. You guys seem to have cooler things than us in Delaware. We are going to Myrtle Beach next week, so we’ll be checking out that Costco. I’ll let you know anything interesting. When we go on vacation anywhere, even over seas, we go to every Costco in the area. We’re obsessed!!
10
Dez //
2010.07.07 at 9:49 pm
I’ve been looking for the Key Lime pie! We have limoncello cake at the moment- I don’t know what that’s like, but I want my key lime!
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Bill //
2010.07.08 at 4:54 am
I am the one who posted the original message on the Missing Bran Muffins.
I particularly appreciated the input that has come into this website. Particularly that of OTHsnoozer. Duncan, and Christian
I too much appreciated the enterprising efforts of Sol Price. I too had been a member of the Tucson Fed Co (or Fed Mart) before I moved to California. Was it really as early 1976 that he opened that first San Diego store. Time does fly. I too was saddened when he decided to sell the Price Club but I understood that his children really did not want to continue operating it and as I understand he sold it to someone who had been a former associate of his and had left to open his own Costco stores. Sol felt he could be trusted to maintain the good reputation that Sol had built for the Price Club.
Mr. Duncan wrote: “As a costco bakery employee, they didn’t sell. In-fact after the indgredients expired to make the bran muffin, it was discontinued.” I assume he was saying that the supplier who provided the bran muffin mix discontinued it, which would explain it I guess.
I had kind of figured that the fact that they kept saying they were out of mix that it had to do with the availability of the mix or increased prices for it.
Hopefully a new supplier may come up with a good mix at the right price and they will start selling them again. There may be a good business opportunity there for some baker to come up with a new mix. As I previously stated I don’t think they ever had trouble selling it, they just couldn’t bake them more then once a week (apparently because of a lack of supply of the mix.
Thank all who have responded. I promised a reward for someone who came up with answers by giving them what I found to be my second choice for quality bran muffins. It’ Mimi’s restaurants. They do sell them by the dozen, but they are about twice the price that Costco sold them for. But they are almost as good as Costco’s but perhaps a little sweeter.
Bill from Tucson.
P. S. I know that Coco’s and Claim Jumper also have good bran muffins but haven’t checked there yet to see if they sell them for carry out or what their prices might be.
Christen
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OTHsnoozer //
2010.07.08 at 10:35 pm
For those of you who might be interested in trying Bills second choice of bran muffins at Mimi’s, you might like to know that on next Wednesday the 14th, you can get 4 muffins of your choice for FREE if you order any breakfast of $6.99 or more. You’ll need to get a coupon from their web site. They also have their wine at half price on Wednesdays. Not plugging Mimi’s at all, but I get this info in my e-mail and thought it would be of interest to the group. Would also like to pass along a comment to Bill : I lived in Tucson from 1958 to 1978 when it was just a “stage stop” LOL.
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OTHsnoozer //
2010.07.08 at 10:50 pm
I forgot to mention that there’s also a $5 off of $15 coupon available at Mimi’s until July 13th. Check their web site
14
Bill //
2010.07.09 at 1:55 am
To Othsnoozer: Thanks for the headsup on Mimi’s Coupons and on the free muffins at breakfast next Wednesday. I may just have to stop there for breakfast that day. You only predated me to Arizona by a couple years. I moved my family to Scottsdale in 61 and Tucson in 64 or 5. And you’re right it was not much more then a stage stop in those days compared to what it is today. I really do count myself as a pioneer these days as we watch the influx of people here. Some of them are even legal American citizens whom we still do welcome with open arms. (not loaded arms.)
And for those who have commented on the calories in the Costco Bran muffins because of the size and richness, I do recognize that and I do limit myself to a half a muffin at a time.
Tucson Bill
15
Jordan //
2010.07.16 at 6:01 pm
Well I work in the E Jacksonville, FL store and we still sell them! Soooo come to Florida =]
16
Bill //
2010.07.16 at 6:53 pm
Hi to all who have posted answers to my question about the bran mufins.
Like I said, the Bran muffins always got sold out here in Tucson once baked. So I can only guess that the mix suppliers raised prices.
To Othsnoozer. I’m enjoying the four free bran muffins I got at breaksfast at Mimi’s on the 14th thanks to your notice. I also have a $5 coupon that maybe I’ll use next week on a $15 dinner. Thanks for all your input.
To Jordan at the Jacksonville store. I’d come down for a bath of bran muffins if you weren’t a little too far from Arizona for me. Besides I wouldn’t be able to stand the humidity there. I can stand the 110 Arizona heat by I still remember my early life in Detroit Michigan where an 89 digree temperature with 95 degree humidity would practically shut down the city. By the way if they ever stop baking bran muffins there and you can find out why, do drop a posting onto this website. I still would like to know for sure why we can’t get them here anymore I’m enjoying the Mimi’s bran muffins which are close to if not as good as the Costco ones were. But Mimi’s are about twice the price as Costco’s at about $12 a dozen.
arizbill@gmail.com
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deb //
2010.07.26 at 3:17 pm
I too was very disappointed when lately found out Costco was discontinuing their bran muffins. They are good but what many people probably don’t mention is that they’re great for the intestinal system and regularity. Thanks to you who answered some questions for me.
18
Bill //
2010.08.22 at 9:34 pm
Deb commented on the bran muffins being great for inestinal system and regularity. That’s a fact and that’s why I am now a regular purchaser of a dozen Mimi’s Bran muffins every couple of weeks. They taste good too!!
arizbill
19
Jennifer //
2010.11.20 at 7:05 pm
I also loved the Bran muffins and noticed that they have been absent from our 3 central CA Costcos for several months. Two other muffin varieties that I miss were the Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin muffin with icing drizzled on top (very delicious) and the Chocolate Chunk Pecan muffin. The last time I saw the pumpkin muffin was in January 2008 and the pecan muffin in November 2009. Sadly, they replaced the Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin muffin with a Pumpkin Streusel muffin which I have yet to see this holiday season. In fact, I have not seen any special holiday muffins at Costco this year?
20
John //
2011.03.18 at 12:55 pm
I just saw these psotings today. Located in Bend, OR we had mini bludberry bran muffins for several weeks this winter. There must have been almost 30 in a plastic tub. Now, gone! Even though they have checked their computer they can’t seem to find-out what happened to them and who their supplier was. These were not baked in-store as the larger muffins are. Must be a bran conspiracy, since I don’t think muffins are a “seasonal” item.
21
deb //
2011.03.18 at 8:16 pm
I saw those mini bran muffins also about a month ago. Are they gone also? I was hopin’ to pick some of those up again. Conspiracy against regularity if you ask me.
22
Bill from Tucson //
2011.03.19 at 8:58 am
Re Johns entry of 3 18 11
After many months of hoping that Costco would start baking bran muffins again, or explain why not, I’ve given up and now depend on Mimi’s restaurants for carry out Bran Muffins. They are more expensive but actually taste better. Probably sweeter and therefore maybe not as healthy. But they sure are good. And I do understand that a muffin has lots of calories so usually only eat 1/2 at a time. But the health benefits of bran for me is worthy of making it a regular in my diet. I have also seen mini bran muffins at our local Fry’s food store. The label just says “Your Local Bakery” and Frys. But I suspect they too may not be baked in store.
Since I’ve been led to understand that “bran” muffins are among the healthier muffins and that they always seemed to sell out at Costco I still would love for someone at Costco to say why all Costco stores have seemed to stop making them and will only admit to it being a decision by local managers. Are they avoiding telling the real reason?????
I suspect perhaps bran may be more expensive then other ingredients, but if that’s the case I would think they might just raise the price on bran muffins unless there is a plot to keep us from healthy eating. (smile)
Bill from Tucson
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Bill from Tucson //
2011.04.28 at 10:13 pm
I just reviewed all the entries to the Bran Muffin log since I started it almost a year ago and enjoyed all the comments. Particularly so those about the founder who certainly had a lot of forsite in establishing the Price Club. It amazes me to read about them opening stores all over the world.
I sometimes wonder what their distribution centers must look like. I toured the FedEx distribution center years ago and was amazed at the miles of convey belts bringing in all the shipments in the afternoon and them getting them redistributed by conveyer belts to the outgoing planes by midnight. A magnificent operation.
I just thought of a solution to get the Bran Muffins back in Costco stores.
Lets start a petition to the nutrition conscious First Lady to urge her husband to introduce a bill protecting bran muffins at all Costco stores. (smile)
Bill from Tucson