# Costco Guys > Costco Guys is a 2024 TikTok meme featuring father-son duo A.J. and Eric Befumo excitedly reviewing warehouse products with the explosive catchphrase "BOOM! The Costco Guys are a father-son TikTok duo, Andrew "A.J." Befumo and his son Eric "Big Justice" Befumo, who went viral in March 2024 for their enthusiastic Costco product reviews and the catchphrase "BOOM!" What started as a simple video following the "We're X, Of Course We Y" TikTok trend snowballed into a full-blown internet empire, complete with hit songs, Saturday Night Live parodies, a Tonight Show appearance, and professional wrestling contracts with AEW. ## Origin A.J. Befumo is originally from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, and spent over a decade as an independent pro wrestler under the name "the American Powerchild Eric Justice" from roughly 1994 to 2005[8]. He named his son Eric after the wrestling persona. The family later moved to Boca Raton, Florida[5]. A.J. created a TikTok account in 2023 while working as a regional manager for a mortgage business, posting videos as a character called "Mortgage Muscles"[5]. The videos didn't take off until his son Eric started appearing in them. Their first video together, filmed in December 2023, showed Eric introducing A.J. eating a hamburger[5]. A video of them shopping for meatballs at Costco in January 2024 was their first to go viral[3]. The defining moment came on March 1, 2024, when they posted a video following the "We're X, Of Course We Y" TikTok trend. Big Justice opened with "We're Costco guys! Of course we go shopping while eating a chicken bake!" and A.J. followed with "We're Costco guys! Of course we had to try the new double chunk chocolate cookie!"[4]. The video pulled in over 20.3 million plays and 2.1 million likes within two weeks[4]. - **Platform:** TikTok - **Creator:** A.J. Befumo (creator, performer), Eric "Big Justice" Befumo (performer) - **Date:** 2024 ## Overview The Costco Guys are built around a simple formula: a dad and his kid walk through Costco with way too much energy, reviewing food court items and warehouse deals using their signature "Boom or Doom" rating system. A thunderous "BOOM!" means a product is great. A "DOOM" means it's a dud (though dooms are rare)[3]. The duo's wide-eyed, unblinking stare into the camera, combined with their over-the-top enthusiasm for mundane suburban shopping, gives their content an oddly hypnotic quality[7]. Their extended universe includes A.J.'s wife Erika ("Mama Justice"), daughter Ashley, child influencer The Rizzler, Cousin Angelo, and dancer Jersey Joe[9]. ## How It Spread The March 1 video triggered an immediate wave of parodies and lip dubs. TikToker @cheeseballsinthehizhouse posted a duet the same day that picked up over 3.5 million plays[4]. On March 4, @wizardinatshirt recreated the video inside a Costco store, earning 2 million plays[4]. Distorted meme edits appeared within days, with @hexgd posting a warped, darkened version on March 3 that hit 3.3 million plays[4]. Drawing recreations followed by March 10, when @zork.honerd posted an animated version that pulled 3.8 million plays and 486,400 likes in five days[4]. On March 12, the duo posted a new video where people kept asking A.J. "What's that?" and he repeatedly answered "It's a double chunk chocolate cookie," racking up 4.7 million plays in three days[4]. That clip spawned its own wave of edits[4]. By March 8, their Costco food court review introducing the "boom meter" had reached over 25 million views and 2.4 million likes[9]. The Rizzler, a child influencer known for his "rizz face," did his first crossover with the duo on June 6, 2024[9]. By that month, the Costco Guys had passed one million TikTok followers[5]. In May 2024, they signed with talent management company Night and became full-time content creators[5]. By summer, memes about the pair had spread well beyond TikTok to Instagram, X, and YouTube[9]. Joe Tilleli of Gizmodo wrote in August 2024: "If you've opened TikTok, Instagram, or X even once this year, you probably know what a Costco Guy is"[5]. ## How to Use The Costco Guys format typically works in a few ways: 1. **"We're X, Of Course We Y" parody:** Film yourself declaring membership in a group, then describe a stereotypical behavior of that group. Deliver the lines with maximum enthusiasm and an unblinking stare into the camera. 2. **Boom or Doom reviews:** Rate any product or experience using the binary "Boom" (good) or "Doom" (bad) scale. 3. **"Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie" loop:** Repeat a phrase with escalating intensity as different people ask you the same question, mimicking A.J.'s cookie video. 4. **Distorted edits:** Take clips from Costco Guys videos and apply warping, darkening, or other visual effects for surreal humor. 5. **Drawing recreations:** Animate or illustrate scenes from their videos in your own style. ## Cultural Impact The Costco Guys crossed from TikTok into nearly every corner of mainstream media in 2024. Their Tonight Show appearance, while awkward, brought them to a national television audience and generated its own cycle of memes about Jimmy Fallon's discomfort[1]. Saturday Night Live's parody confirmed their status as a fixture of the cultural conversation[5]. The Rizzler's star power led to a partnership with Nintendo to promote Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, placing him alongside celebrity endorsers like Brie Larson and Sabrina Carpenter[10]. Athletes picked up the "BOOM" gesture, with college football players and LeBron James both doing the dance publicly[3]. In professional wrestling, AEW leveraged the family's popularity for multiple pay-per-view events. A.J.'s Full Gear match drew mainstream attention to the promotion, and the family's ongoing AEW presence including a confirmed contract suggests wrestling sees long-term value in the partnership[5]. The duo also signed with Barstool Sports for merchandise featuring their signature slogans[2]. Their content spawned the "We Bring the Boom" song and multiple remixes, with the original track pulling over 14.4 million views on TikTok[7]. Vox's analysis positioned the Costco Guys within a broader discussion about media consumption divides, arguing their popularity represented a "straight-bro-coded mediaverse" that some progressive audiences were unaware of heading into the 2024 election[7]. ## Fun Facts - Big Justice's name comes directly from A.J.'s wrestling persona "Eric Justice." A.J. has said the name came to him while lying in bed brainstorming baby names with his wife[8]. - A.J.'s wrestling gimmick, "the American Powerchild Eric Justice," was inspired by British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. He wanted to be "the American version" of the muscular, patriotic wrestler[8]. - Almost every Costco food court item gets a "Boom" rating. "Doom" verdicts are rare, which fans have noted makes the scale somewhat one-sided[3]. - The family started their YouTube channel "All Befumo'd Up!" when Eric was three, years before TikTok fame[7]. - Urban Dictionary defines Costco Guys as people who "soullessly walk around Costco with nothing behind their majestic eyes"[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Costco Guys meme? The Costco Guys are a TikTok father-son duo, A.J. and Big Justice Befumo, known for their energetic Costco product reviews and the "BOOM or DOOM" rating system. Their March 2024 "We're Costco Guys" video kicked off a massive wave of parodies and meme edits[4]. ### Where did the Costco Guys come from? A.J. Befumo started making TikTok videos in 2023 as "Mortgage Muscles." His son Eric joined him, and a January 2024 Costco meatball shopping video was their first viral hit. The "We're Costco Guys" video on March 1, 2024 made them internet famous[5]. ### What does "Boom or Doom" mean? It's the Costco Guys' product rating system. A "Boom" means something is great, and a "Doom" means it's bad. The system became their signature format for reviewing Costco products[3]. ### How do you use the Costco Guys meme? The most common format is the "We're X, Of Course We Y" parody, where you declare group membership and describe a stereotypical behavior with maximum enthusiasm. People also create distorted edits, drawing recreations, and Boom/Doom reviews of their own[4]. ### Are the Costco Guys still popular? As of early 2025, the Costco Guys had over 2.6 million TikTok followers and signed AEW wrestling contracts. The Rizzler landed a Nintendo partnership, and the family maintained an active posting schedule[2][10]. ### Who is Big Justice? Big Justice is Eric Befumo, born April 8, 2013, A.J.'s son. His nickname comes from A.J.'s old wrestling persona "Eric Justice"[8]. Despite the name "Big Justice," he's the kid, not the dad[9]. ### Who is The Rizzler? The Rizzler is Christian Joseph, a child influencer known for his "rizz face." His father started posting videos of him on TikTok in 2020. He first collaborated with the Costco Guys on June 6, 2024 and became a regular member of their content universe[9]. ### Was A.J. Befumo a professional wrestler? Yes. A.J. wrestled on the New Jersey independent circuit from about 1994 to 2005 under the name "the American Powerchild Eric Justice." He returned to wrestling in 2024 with AEW[8]. ### What happened on The Tonight Show? The Costco Guys and The Rizzler appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Fallon appeared uncomfortable with their high-energy style. Clips of the awkward interaction went viral on their own[1]. ### Were the Costco Guys on Saturday Night Live? SNL parodied them in a TikTok-focused sketch. Marcello Hernández played A.J. and Chloe Fineman played Big Justice[5]. ### Are the Costco Guys political? Their content is never explicitly political. Some online discussions coded them as Republican-leaning based on superficial markers like living in Florida and using American flag imagery, but Vox noted the evidence was "mostly superficial"[7]. ### What is "We Bring the Boom"? A hip-hop single released in July 2024, with lyrics based on the duo's TikTok catchphrases. Stereogum called it "pretty fun" joke-rap. It spawned multiple remixes[5]. ### Is Cousin Angelo actually their cousin? It's unclear. The Mount Online noted "it is unknown whether he is biologically related to Big Justice and AJ"[2]. ## References 1. [From TikTok Fame to Late Night: The Rise of the Costco Guys and Their Memorable Appearance on The Tonight Show - The Iowa Independent - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos]() 2. [Bringing the Boom: The Rise of the Costco Guys – The Mount Online]() 3. [Big Justice: How the "Costco Guys" Took Over the Internet with a "BOOM!" - Hudsonfarmhouse]() 4. [Costco Guys - Know Your Meme]() 5. [A.J. & Big Justice]() 6. [Costco Guys - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [The Costco Guys, explained | Vox]() 8. [Costco Guys' Big AJ Talks Pro Wrestling Career & AEW]() 9. ['We're Costco Guys' AKA A.J. And Big Justice—Who Are They?]() 10. [Nintendo enlists The Rizzler as an official partner | GoNintendo]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/costco-guys Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library