COSTCO is rolling out a major change starting in days on June 30, and the warehouse club is beginning to alert members of the switch-up with a sign near the front of the store.
In an effort to make the hours transition more smooth, the retailer is extending a grace period to certain shoppers.
Costco is soon rolling out a major change that will impact the hours at its roughly 630 US stores[/caption]
Costco members are divided into three tiers with varying membership costs and benefits: Gold Star, Business, and Executive.
Executive members – Costco’s highest-paying group – account for roughly 73% of the retailer’s sales despite making up under half of the chain’s 79.6 million members, per company data.
In an effort to boost the value of the $130 per year membership, Costco is switching up its store policy and extending its shopping hours for Executive level members.
Beginning on June 30, members in the Executive tier will be allowed into Costco’s roughly 630 US warehouses one hour earlier than Gold Star and Business members.
These members will be grated exclusive shopping access from 9 am to 10 am local time on weekdays and Sundays, and from 9 am to 9:30 am on Saturdays.
The handful of Costco locations that already open at 9 am Monday through Saturday will reserve that time for Executive members beginning on June 30.
“Our Executive Members are our most loyal members, and we want to reward them for their commitment to Costco,” the retailer told Business Insider.
As part of the hours change, Costco will also keep all of its US locations open for an extra hour on Saturdays, shutting its doors at 7 pm for all customers.
Shoppers have begin spotting signs pop up at their local warehouses informing them of the impending change.
In addition to outlining the new store hours, the signs also alert customers of a grace period to help ease Gold Star and Business members into the transition.
“A grace period for Gold Star and Business members will be in effect through August 31,” reads a sign.
The retailer’s move to extend its morning hours for Executive members matches that of rival Sam’s Club, which has long offered early store access for Plus members.
Costco shoppers have spotted signs alerting them of the impending hours change[/caption]
RETAIL RAGE
While many Costco Executive members plan to take advantage of the deal, a handful are indifferent about the perk, sharing benefits they would prefer over early store entry.
“As an Executive member I WANT the combo pizza back,” cried one customer on Facebook as a second top-tier member begged for gluten-free pizza.
Costco membership sharing guidelines
Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they’ve been cracking down on offenders in recent years.
- Primary Member Use: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it.
- Household Card: Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
- Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
- Authorized Cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn’t reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently.
Credit: Costco
“CAN WE GET SCAN AND GO ???? I’d appreciate that a lot more than this honestly,” said a third shopper.
Even Costco employees have expressed their grievances about the upcoming hours change, complaining that it will make their jobs significantly harder.
One worker vented that their warehouse already struggled to open at 9:45 am and could only imagine how much more trouble it would be to open even earlier.
“I’m assuming there will be no adjustments to schedules or depot times. Just get it done in less time,” they wrote in a Reddit post.
Another Costco employee in the meat department explained that they already arrived to work at 5 am and would now be forced to get there at 4 am.
“What sucks is we also will now open an hour later. Two hours may not sound like a lot, but we already struggle to get certain parts of the day covered and certain things done between opening and night crew. This two hour change will make it infinitely worse,” they wrote.
Other major changes are in the works at Costco.
For example, the retailer is implementing a nationwide food court change at all 630 locations – and it impacts the beloved $1.50 hot dog combo.
Plus, Costco made a major payment change after testing a new method with employees – and shoppers say “finally.”
Some Costco members and employees are not pleased with the upcoming store hours change[/caption]
