Costco No Longer Carrying Coke Products

Today Costco announced that it will no longer stock Coca-Cola products in its stores.  Costco does not plan to remove existing Coke products from their stores but is not placing any more orders unless an ongoing price dispute is resolved.

While this may not be a big deal for the average consumer, vending machine operators may be adversely affected by the move.  Many business owners supply their vending machines with products from warehouse retailers such as Sam’s Club and Costco.  However, this does not mean that vending companies will no longer be able to stock Coke sodas.  The sodas are available in bulk from Coca-Cola and other retailers as well.

Costco posted notices in stores and on its website  saying, “Costco is committed to carrying name brand merchandise at the best possible prices. At this time, Coca-Cola has not provided Costco with competitive pricing so that we may pass along the value our members deserve.”

It is not immediately clear which company will blink first in this latest standoff but it should be resolved fairly quickly.