From crave-worthy bakery splurges and holiday-ready sweets to surprising food court changes and buzzy giftable finds, these Sam’s Club standouts are shaping December shopping—mixing indulgence, convenience, and a few controversies shoppers can’t ignore.
The Viral Food & Bakery Obsessions
1. The “Dubai Chocolate” Gelato Bomb
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The Buzz: This is arguably the most “viral” dessert item of the month. It’s a frozen spin on the Dubai chocolate bar trend, featuring pistachio cream, chocolate gelato, and crispy kadayif pastry.
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Verdict: Shoppers are hunting this down specifically for holiday hosting; stock is spotty in major metros.
2. Twice-Baked Almond Croissants
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The Buzz: A massive hit on Reddit this week. Users are calling these “top tier” and significantly better than standard grocery store versions.
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Why it’s trending: They are being sampled heavily in warehouses, leading to impulse buys. They are sold in packs of six and described as having a generous almond filling that isn’t too dry.
3. Velvet Bees Honey Butter
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The Buzz: A new arrival ($16 for 16oz) that is flying off shelves.
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Best Use: Redditors are obsessed with putting this on cornbread, warm dinner rolls, or even melting it into coffee. It’s becoming the “it” condiment for Christmas dinner tables.
4. The Holiday Cookie Tray (Specific Cookie Debate)
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The Buzz: The massive 60-count holiday tray is back ($24.99), but the discussion is focused on the Toffee Sandies.
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The Debate: There was initial confusion over the flavors, but the consensus is that the Toffee Sandie is the standout star, with some users wishing they could buy a tray just of that flavor.
5. Kirkland Signature Cherry Fig Bread
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The Buzz: A new massive loaf in the bakery section.
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Why it’s buzzing: It is being praised as a “must-grab” limited-time item. It pairs perfectly with the holiday cheese flights also currently in stock.
Food Court & Operations Drama
6. The “Coke vs. Pepsi” Switch
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The Buzz: Reports have solidified that Costco is officially transitioning food courts from Pepsi products to Coca-Cola products in 2025.
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The Vibe: This is controversial. While Coke fans are celebrating, the “Hot Dog & Pepsi” loyalists feel a nostalgic era is ending.
7. New “Inefficient” Kiosk Protocol
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The Buzz: Many locations are changing how food is picked up. Instead of calling numbers, customers now have to wait in a single file line to hand their receipt to a counter person before the order is staged.
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The Complaint: Reddit threads are full of complaints that this creates a massive bottleneck and “mobs” of people, defeating the purpose of the self-serve kiosks.
Gifts & Home Finds
8. Ninja Crispi (Portable Air Fryer)
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The Buzz: This is the hot kitchen gadget of December 2025. It’s a portable air fryer that uses glass containers (appealing to the non-toxic/plastic-free crowd).
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Deal Alert: It’s seeing discounts (around $30 off) leading up to the holidays, making it a prime gift item.
9. Poppi Cranberry Fizz
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The Buzz: The “healthy soda” crowd is clearing out this holiday-exclusive flavor.
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Why: It’s being marketed heavily on TikTok as a festive, low-sugar mixer for holiday cocktails, driving younger shoppers to the warehouse.
10. Charmin “Blue” Shrinkflation Controversy
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The Buzz: Not a happy trend, but a loud one. Users noticed a new SKU for Charmin Ultra Soft (“Blue” package) which claims to be “New & Improved” but comes with a higher price tag and identical sheet counts (or perceived smaller rolls).
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The sentiment: Many long-time buyers are declaring they are switching brands or sticking to Kirkland due to the price hike.
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