BTW: Headlines You Should See
Speakers
Lisa Mateo
— Reporter, Bloomberg
Summary
This Bloomberg This Weekend segment is a light roundup of headlines. Lisa Mateo discusses Costco's $4.99 rotisserie chicken strategy, Starbucks discontinuing a blended refresher powder, marmots harassing California hikers, and unofficial Lake America merchandise. The main market-relevant takeaway is Costco's use of low-priced rotisserie chicken as a traffic-driving business model.
- Costco's $4.99 rotisserie chicken has held its price since 2009.
- Costco vertically integrates through a Nebraska chicken slaughterhouse and roasts near warehouses.
- The rotisserie chicken production cost is estimated around $3.50 per bird.
- Costco places the chicken at the back of the store to drive shopper traffic.
- Starbucks is discontinuing a blended refresher powder after barista dust and rash complaints.
- Starbucks refreshers are described as a $2 billion annual business.
- Unofficial Lake America merchandise is available on lakeamerica.ca and receiving bulk orders.
Ideas
Costco's cheap rotisserie chicken drives store traffic.
Costco keeps its $4.99 rotisserie chicken price intact because it operates its own chicken slaughterhouse in Nebraska, roasts near warehouses, and uses other parts of the bird and leftover rotisserie meat in prepared foods. With production cost around $3.50 per bird, the chicken is not a money loser, and placing it at the back of the store pulls shoppers through aisles to drive traffic and incremental sales.
Up Next
This Bloomberg Markets video, published August 30, 2026, features Lisa Mateo discussing COST. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers: Lisa Mateo · Tickers: COST