Costco Shoppers Spot “Death Star” on Bud Light, Sparking Rumors the Store Will Ditch Beer

If you're a longtime Costco shopper, you may have noticed that over the years, the mega-retailer gives some telltale signs that an item's going to be pulled from its shelves for good.

Sometimes, the store will put these soon-to-be-discontinued items on steep discounts, which is typical of any retailer, but these slash prices are usually lesser than the chain's already relatively low bulk value costs.

The other telltale sign? The "star of death." Sure, it sounds like an ominous occultist marking that will ultimately spell someone's doom, but the "star" is actually a little asterisk that Eat This, Not That reported that the brand will usually mark that an item will soon be removed from shelves whenever the asterisk is placed on its price tag.

And Costco guests have purportedly visited locations where the brand has placed these dreaded asterisks on tags for Bud Light, following the marketing fiasco where cans of the beverage featured trans-Influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which sparked a massive controversy from longtime consumers of the brand.

The outlet goes on to say that the asterisk doesn't necessarily mean that the "marked for death" product is gone for good, as Costco will bring back products it once offered even after temporarily discontinuing it.

A number of former Bud Light drinkers, however, have publicly swore off of ever purchasing Anheuser Busch products again.

The response to Mulvaney's involvement with the brand was swift: Anheuser Busch suffered fiscal brutality from the boycotts, losing a purported $3-4 Billion in valuation since debuting its partnership with Mulvaney.

Reports of stores being stocked to the brim with Bud Light as customers refused to purchase the beverage teemed on the internet: a viral tweet showing a picture of a Walmart location's shelves filled with the stuff began circulating online.

And then there were news articles about the sales of Bud Light in Hell's Kitchen, NYC an area known for housing a number of gay bars. dropped 58% for cases and 70% for bottles after the drama.

This caused a number of folks to speculate retailers, including Costco now, would soon stop ordering Bud Light or at the very least carry a much smaller stock of the drink than before.

Some also commented on the retail news in a clip that discussed the marketing fiasco's apparent direct reflection on sales: "More terrible news for Bud Light after partnering with brand destroyer Dylan Mulvaney."

It went on to state that the brand's President has said layoffs are "imminent" and that the brand "refuses to apologize" for the PR nightmare. The video goes on to reference Costco's "death star."

NPR reported that Mulvaney has said she feels afraid to leave her home after the backlash to their brand endorsement deal with Bud Light, and that Anheuser Busch has never reached out to her following the blowback.

The news agency stated that Bud Light's sales have dropped further, putting America's once best-selling beer behind that of Modelo Especial.

Folks on Twitter have also reported on Costco's rumored decision to stop selling Bud Light, again, highlighting the asterisk as a strong suggestion the bulk retailer may end its relationship with the Anheuser Busch offering.