By Gao Yun
For many people, grocery shopping is often tedious and boring. But a Costco customer in San Francisco, Juleon Cotillon, has made it a lot more enjoyable. A small device he designed to attach to shopping carts unexpectedly went viral, with orders flooding in quickly.
According to the Daily Mail, Cotillon created a 3D-printed tray called the “Buck Fifty,” which clips onto the upper rack of a Costco shopping cart. The tray is perfectly sized to hold Costco’s iconic $1.50 hot dog and soda combo and comes with a cup holder to prevent drinks from spilling while pushing the cart through the aisles.
He said the idea came from his own frustration when shopping, having no place to set down food from the deli section. He described the sudden popularity of his product as “like standing in the eye of a tornado.”
The name “Buck Fifty” comes from Costco’s long-standing $1.50 price for the hot dog and drink combo, which has remained unchanged despite rising costs. The tray is priced at $15 and sold out quickly on its first release on Etsy. Some customers uploaded photos showing that they no longer have to worry about their drinks spilling when leaving the store.
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Cotillon, a pastry chef, makes each tray at home using plastic materials and a 3D printer. What began as a casual personal project has grown into a popular product.
He has been interested in manufacturing since childhood. After being introduced to 3D printing in 2019 and receiving a printer from his girlfriend, Jeanette Garibay, he delved into it and taught himself AutoCAD design software. However, the costs are high: the Bambu Lab X-1 Carbon printer he uses costs about $549, and he later bought two more. The AutoCAD subscription alone is over $2,000 per year.
Currently, he is busy fulfilling orders. As a regular Costco shopper, he visits the store once or twice a week and uses the tray himself.
According to The Sun, the shopping cart tray quickly became popular among Costco fans, with many leaving praise in the comments. Some wrote, “This is what America is all about,” while others said, “I need this so badly.”
Some customers jokingly suggested that Cotillon should create versions for Costco’s signature pizza slices and $5 rotisserie chickens.
With related Instagram short videos going viral, the product quickly sold out. However, customers still have a chance to buy it: the “Buck Fifty,” designed and printed by Super Smash TV, is now available for pre-order on Cotillon’s Shopify store at $19.69. The creator says new pre-orders are expected to take about three months or longer to produce.
Costco’s quarter-pound beef hot dog and 20-ounce soda (with free refills) have long been a member favorite. The company actually loses money on the combo, but like $5 rotisserie chickens and cheap gas, such items help boost membership renewal rates. Management has repeatedly stated that their top priority is maintaining over 80 million paid members.
Costco’s basic membership costs $65 per year, while the Executive membership costs $130 annually and offers perks like early store access. Though the upfront cost is higher, frequent shoppers typically recoup it quickly through lower prices on everyday items like diapers, coffee, cheese, and water filters, while large purchases such as TVs, sofas, or engagement rings can cover the annual fee in a single transaction.
Meanwhile, Costco has also tightened controls for non-members. Last year, the company installed card-scanning devices at store entrances to curb shared membership cards and began requiring employees to check membership cards at outdoor food courts nationwide. Previously, non-members could easily buy the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.
