Washington DC [US], July 14 : Costco appears to emptying its shelves of Bud Light from their stores after the beer company received the “Star of Death,” which some shoppers call following its ill-fated tie-up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, reported The News York Post.
For the past few months, Bud Light has faced a conservative backlash over its brief partnership with Mulvaney in March that involved a sponsored Instagram post. The sales of the beverage have plummeted since then.
According to The Hill, Bud Light in June lost its spot as the nation’s bestselling beer.
Social media users shopping at Costco posted images showing an asterisk — which customers have branded a “star of death” or “death star” — had appeared on the price display above shelves stacked with cases of Bud Light, The New York Post reported.
The asterisk is thought to be an ominous sign that Costco either doesn’t intend on restocking the shelf with the item in question.
“Is it just me…or am I the only one who noticed that Costco has applied their infamous “Star of Death” on Bud Light being sold!” one Twitter user wrote.
“For those of you who don’t know… when Costco puts an * buy any item. It means it’s about to be discontinued," the user added.
Several social media users have posted videos and images from stores showing shelves stacked with unsold cases of Bud Light while rivals such as Modelo Especial and others appear to be more in demand.
The anecdotal evidence dovetails with public opinion surveys that found Bud Light to be waning in popularity among beer drinkers in the United States.
Further, according to New York Post, Bud Light sales plunged 28.5 per cent for the week ended July 1, which is slightly worse than the previous week which witnessed a 27.9 per cent decline.
The troubles plaguing Bud Light have had a residual effect on its sister brands in the Anheuser-Busch stable of beers.
Bud Light’s slide was triggered by backlash over social media posts in which Mulvaney is seen touting the beer.
After the backlash, Bud Light has tried to make bounce back in the market with humour in its ads to win back hearts and minds — but to no avail, as the reaction on social media has been scathing, according to The New York Post.
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