Could a hot dog be the marker for COVID recovery?

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When do you know things are getting back to a sense of normalcy during COVID-19? What are the signs?

They say, whoever they are, that there is a certain marker that will harken the end of a recession. It’s called the underwear indicator. During a downturn, undie sales decrease. When they bounce back to a 2-3% increase, it indicates a recovery.

Could a hot dog be the marker for COVID recovery?

Costco Wholesale has announced that its food courts are on the way to be reopened. That means the iconic $1.50 hot dog, soda combo may be hitting your stomach soon. In 2019, Costco sold 151 million of them.

The retailer launched the combo back in 1985. 36 years later it is still the original price. According to Food & Wine, “Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation Calculator suggests the price should be around $3.65.”

The hot dog combo is a #PinkGoldfish of micro-weirding for Costco Wholesale. And they are fiercely protective of it. Co-founder Jim Sinegal said during a 2009 interview with The Seattle Times. “We’re known for that hot dog. That’s something you don’t mess with.”

Current CEO W. Craig Jelinek took over from Sinegal in 2012. When he talked about raising the price, Sinegal retorted, ‘If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.”

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