Consumer Headlines: Costco sales, Wendy’s BOGO deals, and YouTube TV raises prices

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — On this Friday the 13, it seems that 13 is Costco’s lucky number. The warehouse giant released its earnings report, and earnings were up a significant 13% for the quarter.

News10NBC’s Deanna Dewberry took a closer look at what this means for consumers.

During the quarter that ended on November 24, Costco customers purchased a lot of jewelry, luggage, and furniture, which significantly boosted Costco’s bottom line. According to Costco’s Chief Financial Officer, customers also bought a lot of meat and produce, indicating that more people are cooking at home rather than dining out. Both high-income and lower-income members are buying more, with high-income folks gravitating to premium cuts and others purchasing more poultry, beef, and pork.

Meanwhile, Wendy’s is trying to entice those cooking at home back to its restaurants. Through Sunday, December 22, Wendy’s is celebrating 12 Days of Wendy’s BOGO Deals, offering buy-one-get-one-free deals on items like burgers and Baconators. These deals are available exclusively through Wendy’s app.

In other consumer news, YouTube TV is raising its base price by $10, from $72.99 to $82.99. The last price increase was in March 2023. When the streaming service launched in 2017, the price was $35. In seven years, the price has gone up 137%. Deanna suggests considering the option of choosing channels a la carte instead of the base plan, which includes 100 channels, most of which you likely don’t watch.

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