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Costco Stamps Bud Light With Its 'Star of Death' After Severe Backlash Bud Light sales are down more than 30% compared to June 2022.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

Key Takeaways

  • Bud Light's dipping revenue could impact its retail presence
  • Customers saw a tell-tale asterisk on cases of the beer at Costco
  • Bud Light's maker is not on the brink of financial collapse

Bud Light sales are down more than 30% compared to last June following the brand's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, per Fox News.

And the slumping revenue is having a major ripple effect when it comes to the brand's retail presence: Customers have spotted Costco's asterisk denoting products that won't be restocked — also known as the "star of death" — on cases of the beer, TheStreet reported.

Related: Bud Light Offers Rebate for July Fourth, Basically Free Beer

Bud Light has launched a significant summer campaign, complete with money giveaways and other promotions, in a bid to boost sales and win back its title as America's No. 1 best-selling beer — a designation it lost to Modelo in May, The New York Times reported.

Although Costco has yet to confirm that Bud Light won't return to its shelves, members posted evidence of their "star of death" sightings on social media. "COSTCO says... STAR OF DEATH for Bud Light * it will not be restocked," one user tweeted.

Despite claims swirling on social media that Bud Light-maker Anheuser-Busch InBev is going bankrupt, there's "no truth" to such drastic assessments, a spokesperson for the company told AP News.

Related: Bud Light Launches 'Biggest Campaign Ever' to Win Back Customers

Other industry experts back that up, stressing that the company holds billions of dollars in assets and that its stock continues to climb, per the outlet.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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