Sep 27, 2023
Costco Cake Resellers in Mexico Net Up to $1,700 Over Four Days
Bloomberg News
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(Bloomberg) -- People are buying Costco cakes and pies in Mexico and reselling them in slices, with some saying they’re netting up to $1,700 over just four days of sales.
While the retailer’s desserts have long been popular, they’ve become hot trends in social media, adding to demand. The craze over the baked goods has led some Costco Wholesale Corp. stores to limit to five the amount of cakes a single person can buy. Resellers sometimes spend the night outside the stores, waiting as long as 12 hours for opening time, according to a report by Televisa’s N+ Media on “Costconomics.”
Ana, one of the resellers interviewed in the report, is part of a WhatsApp group of 15 people who take turns heading to Costco to stand in line and save a spot for the others. Depending on how much she invests in the pies and what additions she makes to them, she can net as much as 30,000 pesos ($1,692) over a four-day stretch, she said. Another reseller, Karen, said she pays for her chemotherapy with the money she earns from the pies.
The fad has led to fights inside some stores, long lines and disgruntled customers who just want to buy a pie for their kid’s birthday. “I’ve received plenty of criticism for doing this,” Ana said in the video. “But the truth is, we’re all just looking for a way to get some money.”
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