They're also among the cheapest rotisserie chickens around, making this a deal that seems too good to be true.

它們也是各式烤雞裡數一數二便宜的，這價錢好到令人無法相信。

"so, you got money?"

「所以，你有錢嗎？」

"Not a penny. But I'll still take that chicken!"

「一毛錢都沒有。但我還是要那隻雞！」

In fact, the chicken is so cheap, it doesn't seem like Costco could even make money selling them.

事實上，這雞肉便宜到不曉得好事多究竟有沒有賺頭。

And yet, Costco continues to sell them for $4.99 while their competitors have raised prices.

即便如此，當他們的競爭對手漲價時，好事多仍持續以 4.99 美金的價格販售它們。

So what's going on here?

所以他們是怎麼辦到的？

To get the answer, first we have to jump in the wayback machine for a look at the avian flu crisis of 2015, which threatened the entire US poultry industry.

為了得到解答，首先我們必須跳進時光機到 2015 年一窺當時的禽流感危機，這起危機威脅了整個美國的家禽產業。

With countless birds lost, Barclays analyst Meredith Adler asked Costco's chief financial officer Richard Galanti if this would finally result in the company raising prices.

隨著數不清的雞隻喪失，巴克萊的分析師 Meredith Adler 詢問好事多的首席財務長 Richard Galanti 這是否會導致好事多漲價。

He said, "I can only tell you what history has shown us: When others were raising their chicken prices from $4.99 to $5.99, we were willing to eat, if you will, $30 to $40 million a year in gross margin by keeping it at $4.99. That's what we do for a living."

他說，「我只能告訴你歷史告訴我們的：當其他人將他們的雞肉從 4.99 美金漲到 5.99 美金時，我們仍願意吃它，如果你願意，當我們維持 4.99 美金時，一年的毛利將有三千萬到四千萬美金。這就是我們維生的方式。」

Why would Costco leave tens of millions of dollars in potential profits on the table if they could sell the chicken for more?

如果他們能夠以更高的價格販售雞肉，為什麼好事多願意捨棄帳面上潛在的數千萬的收益？

Because they think they can make even more money by selling chicken cheaper.

因為他們認為透過低價出售，他們可以賣出更多的雞肉。

Costco first began selling their $4.99 chicken in 2009 and it was an instant hit.

好事多在 2009 年時首次販售其 4.99 美金的烤雞，當時是個大成功。

Just a year later, Costco sold 51 million rotisserie chickens, and by 2017 that number was up to 87 million.

只過了一年之後，好事多賣出五千一百萬隻烤雞，到了 2017 年，該數字成長到八千七百萬。

That's a lot of customers coming through the door looking for chicken, which is why Costco keeps their chickens all the way in the back of the store.

真的非常多的消費者是為了烤雞而來，這也是為什麼好事多把他們的烤雞放在店裡最後方的原因。

Many other chains use the same strategy of luring customers into their stores with cheap, delicious chicken.

很多其他的連鎖店也採用相同的策略，用便宜、美味的烤雞來誘使消費者進到商店裡。

Don Fitzgerald, vice president of merchandising at the Kroger-owned Mariano's, told the Wall Street Journal that it's all about getting people in the door, and then pouncing with high profit margin add ons.

Don Fitzgerald，在克羅格旗下的 Mariano's 的銷售部副總裁告訴華爾街日報說，這全和誘使消費者進到商店裡面有關，然後高毛利就會伴隨而來。

"If they get a chicken, a salad, and maybe they pick up a bottle of wine , now we're really talking."

「如果他們買了一隻烤雞，一份沙拉，或許他們還會順便買一瓶酒，現在我們知道為什麼了。」

While Costco isn't the only player in the rotisserie chicken game, they're taking steps to go above and beyond their competition.

然而好事多並非販賣烤雞的唯一商家，因此他們也想方設法超越其競爭對手。

Since they started selling, they've invested in larger, high-efficiency ovens, and containers made with less plastic, both of which help keep their costs down.

自從他們開始販售烤雞，他們投資了大型、高效率的烤箱和用較少的塑膠製成的容器，這兩者都幫助他們降低成本。

And, in 2018, the Seattle Times reported Costco was investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a massive chicken farm located in eastern Nebraska.

而在 2018 年時，西雅圖時報報導說好事多正投資數億元到位在內布拉斯加東方的大型養雞場。

The centrally-located state was chosen, in part, because of the large corn and soybean production there, which will save Costco on feed costs.

會選擇位在中部的州的部分原因是因為那裡生產大量的玉米和大豆，這將為好事多節省飼料費。

That's important, because they're going to have a lot of chickens to feed: an estimated 100 million a year.

那非常重要，因為他們將要餵養很多的雞隻：估計一年一億隻。

The only downside, of course, is a less personalized chicken experience than you might get from a boutique dealer.

唯一的缺點當然是你在好事多購買烤雞的經驗可能無法和你在高級餐廳吃烤雞的經驗相比。

"The chicken you'll be enjoying tonight…" "You have this information, this is fantastic!"

「您今晚將吃到的雞肉是…」「你有這些資訊，真是太棒了！」

"Absolutely! His name was Colin."

「當然啦！他的名字是 Colin。」

And there are other plans in the works, too.

他們還有其他正在進行的計畫。

They're in talks to raise hundreds more chicken barns, and while it's a hefty initial investment, it's going to help keep their costs low in the future.

他們正計畫設立更多的養雞場，雖然它是個下重本的投資，這仍將幫助他們在未來維持住低成本的運作。

Of course, none of that explains why Costco's uncooked chickens are actually more expensive than their cooked chickens, which seems backwards.

當然，這些都無法解釋為什麼好事多的生鮮雞肉實際上比他們熟食雞肉還貴，這看起來似乎不太合理。

After all, they're doing all the work so you don't have to!

畢竟，他們幫你省去了很多工事！

"What are we supposed to do with that?"

「我們應該如何處理牠？」

"Eat it."

「吃掉牠。」

"Eat it?! The f-----'s alive!"

「吃掉牠？！牠還活著！」

But Time Money suggests there may be a sneaky reason for this too, cooked chickens are going to go bad faster, and they want to keep them at a price point that'll make sure they're continuously going out the door.

但是 Time Money 指出他們可能還暗藏其他秘密，煮過的雞肉比較快壞掉，而他們想要讓這烤雞產品能在一個能持續銷售的價格上。

They definitely do at that price!

那個價格當然達到了那個目標！

It's also worth noting that rotisserie chickens aren't the only products Costco has said they'll keep at these insanely, super-low prices.

值得注意的是烤雞並非是好事多維持在驚人的、超低價的唯一商品。

According to Time, Costco's jumbo hot dog and drink deal has been priced at $1.50 since the mid-1980s.

根據 Time 雜誌，好事多的超大熱狗和飲品組合自 1980 年代中期就一直定價在 1.5 美元。

It's all about increasing foot traffic, and that's been particularly challenging for stores like Costco, which generally aren't located in super-convenient areas where people might pop in regularly to see what's on the shelves.

這全和增加來客率有關，這對像好事多這樣並非總是位在超級便利的區域的商店由其不易，對超級便利的商店來說，人們可能還會定時光顧來看看架上販售些甚麼。

People need a reason to make the trek to Costco, and what's a better reason than a quick and tasty low-cost dinner that's ready to serve?

人們需要一個理由千里跋涉來好事多，而什麼是比一個準備好上菜，快、又好吃及便宜的晚餐還要更好的原因呢？

And besides, passing up the chicken might make them angry.

除此之外，忽視烤雞可能會惹毛他們。

And you don't really want to get the rotisserie chicken angry, do you?

而你不想真的讓烤雞生氣，對吧？

"I don't know, I think they're kind of cute, this one just walked right up to me and…"

「我不知道，我覺得他們好像很可愛，這隻剛向我走來且…」

Check out one of our newest videos right here!

來這裡看看我們最新的影片吧！

Plus, even more Mashed videos about delicious chickens are coming soon.

另外，還有更多有關美味雞肉的 Mashed 影片即將到來。

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.

訂閱我們的 YouTube 頻道，按下小鈴鐺，如此你就不會錯過任何一支。