Consumer Reports named Sam's Club’s Member's Mark Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken its top overall pick, edging Costco’s Kirkland Signature bird after tasting rotisserie chickens from 10 retailers. The result lands on Costco’s most familiar value item and puts the warehouse club’s long-running benchmark under fresh pressure.
10 retailers, two top tiers
10 retailers were split into two groups: birds flavorful enough to serve on their own and birds better suited for soups, salads and sandwiches. Sam's Club and Costco landed in the first group, alongside Stop & Shop, Walmart, Wegmans and Whole Foods Market.
Between 10 and 13 chickens were purchased from each retailer across multiple store locations and shopping trips, giving the tasters repeated samples instead of a single store visit. The setup matters because it lets the comparison reflect more than one bird from the same chain.
Sam's Club edges Costco
Sam's Club won on flavor, seasoning and juicy texture. Costco’s Kirkland Signature chicken still ranked among Consumer Reports’ top picks, but the seasoning was less consistent between samples, which is where the edge opened up.
The $4.99 Costco chicken has held its price steady for years despite inflation, and that price has helped build its reputation as a reliable bulk buy. In 2024, shoppers also voiced frustration over Costco’s switch from plastic clamshell containers to bags, adding another point of comparison around the product they already knew well.
Costco's price stays fixed
Costco’s steady $4.99 price remains part of the appeal, but this ranking shifts the discussion from cost alone to how the bird tastes across stores and samples. The fact that Costco stayed in the top tier while still losing the overall title shows the comparison was close, not a wipeout.
Sam's Club beats Costco on rotisserie chicken, Consumer Reports says captures the new ordering plainly: shoppers looking for the best overall rotisserie chicken now have a different warehouse-club leader. Eric Shawn, a correspondent, is tied to the broader coverage, but the ranking itself rests on the tasting results and the way the samples held up across visits.
For Costco shoppers, the immediate question is whether the company changes anything about a product that has long been treated like a house standard. For Sam's Club, the top spot gives Member's Mark a clearer claim in a category where value and consistency are judged side by side.
