Grocery shoppers are used to bad news at the meat counter these days. Beef prices have been climbing steadily, and experts say the trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
On July 15, USDA data put ground beef at $6.12 a pound, up nearly 12% from a year ago, while uncooked steaks average $11.49 a pound, up 8%.
Ranchers are working with the smallest cattle inventory in 74 years, leading to the U.S. importing more than 4 billion pounds of beef annually. The country’s biggest beef importers, Australia and New Zealand, already face a 10% tariff, and President Donald Trump has threatened duties as high as 50% on other beef-producing countries, such as Brazil.
All of this means ribeye and flank steaks are already expensive—and could get even worse.
So when one Costco shopper in San Jose spotted a ribeye priced at just 12 cents, it’s no surprise he was ready to grab it.
Costco San Jose Shopper Makes Unbelievable Beef Deal Discovery
TikTok user @soggybanhmi shared a video from his local Costco warehouse where he found the mislabeled steak. His clip got over 576,500 views.
The pack was sitting under a brisket label at $5.49 per pound. But instead of recording the actual weight, the package showed only 0.01 pounds. With ribeye priced at $11.99 per pound, the slip-up meant the steak price label was only $0.12.
“Holy s—, I found my unicorn,” he says in the video. “Oh god, yes.”
In the caption, he added, “Let’s goooo.”
Still, the dream deal didn’t pan out. He later admitted in the comments that Costco refused to honor the label when he tried to check out.
Do Stores Have To Honor The Listed Price?
California law says shoppers are entitled to the lowest posted or advertised price. If a shelf tag or sticker shows one figure and the register rings up something higher, the lower number is supposed to be charged. Stores are also responsible for making sure old tags and incorrect labels are removed.
If a business refuses, customers technically have the right to seek damages, restitution, or even attorneys’ fees under the law. But in practice, most shoppers end up with little recourse if a store decides not to honor the mistake.
@soggybanhmi
Commenters Tell Him To Self-Checkout
The video’s comments were flooded with people urging him to act fast. “I would’ve self check out so quick!” one person wrote. Another added, “You better buy every single one that’s marked like that!!!”
Others weren’t so convinced. “They not gonna honor this one fam, self checkout,” someone said. Another viewer shared their own brush with mispriced beef: “happened to me once, wasnt that cheap tho. it was like 4 trays of prime ribeyes for like 10 each. they ended up letting me keep 2. still a win.”
BroBible has reached out to @soggybanhmi via TikTok direct messages and Costco via contact form.