I’ll disclose this right off the bat: I’m a HUGE fan of Costco. My local Costco is always packed, no matter the hour, which is a testament to its customer loyalty.
Things are getting even better for Costco members, and I’m super excited about some of these major changes.
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Kirkland Signature products are exceeding Costco’s overall sales growth, according to CEO Ron Vachris. Kirkland Signature products are typically comparable to more expensive name brands, but at a lower price point, making them wildly popular among customers.
These prices might fall even more soon…
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Vachris explains why Kirkland Signature prices are going down instead of up in a time of inflation and economic uncertainty, saying, “We continue to move more Kirkland Signature product sourcing into the countries or regions the items are sold, and this is helping us to lower costs and mitigate some of the potential impacts of tariffs.”
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Some of the price cuts are pretty significant. Just look at Kirkland Signature olive oil, which has dropped about 25% in price. Kirkland Signature mixed nut butter and peanut butter have also gone down in price.
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As of June 30th, you can get into Costco an hour earlier if you have an Executive Membership card. From Sunday through Friday, Executive members can start shopping at 9:00 AM instead of the usual 10:00 opening.
What about Saturday, you might be asking?
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Costco usually opens a tad earlier on Saturdays (9:30 AM instead of 10:00). Executive members get a slight advantage and can shop half an hour sooner from 9:00-9:30 AM.
Hopefully, this can help thin out some crowds as a benefit of the more expensive membership.
Executive memberships cost $130 per year compared to $65 per year for a standard membership, and you also get an annual 2% reward on Costco purchases.
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You might have noticed a few changes to the food court options. While I was sad to see the berry smoothie be replaced by a mango smoothie several months ago, Costco has replaced the mango version with a strawberry banana smoothie (I have yet to try it).
Other new menu items include bringing back the turkey provolone sandwich, which is back after being MIA for around five years.
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In addition to the new food items, Costco recently announced that it’s replacing its Pepsi products with Coca-Cola.
You know what’s not changing any time soon in the food court?
The $1.50 hot dog and drink deal. This menu item is notorious for having a steady price (it hasn’t changed since the 1980s) despite inflation, and remains steady to maintain customer loyalty and draw customers in to the food court.
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Costco’s app is pretty handy (did you know that you can scan your membership card using your phone, among many other perks?).
A new feature allows you to see if products are in stock at your local warehouse, and you might even be able to see the price (although my app still says “Warehouse pricing may vary”).
Previously, you had to either call Costco to see if a product was in stock, or worse, be disappointed by empty shelves where you expected the item to be. (I’m looking at you, Kirkland Signature plain Greek yogurt!)
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In addition to earlier shopping hours for some members, many gas station locations are increasing the hours of their gas pumps. Costco CEO says these changes were made “to make filling up at Costco more convenient for our members.”
In addition, if you use a Costco Visa to pay for gas, you can enjoy 5% cash back instead of the previous 4% rate.
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This one might not be a noticeable change on the customer’s behalf, but you never know.
Costco’s employees are enjoying increases in pay, with some employees making over $30 per hour. You might notice the employees have a bigger smile on their faces from the boost in their salaries, and friendly employees always make for a better shopping experience! (Not that Costco workers weren’t friendly to begin with.)
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A lot of these changes are pretty exciting! The ones I’m most excited about are the earlier opening hours and the app feature that lets me see if items on my list are out of stock (saves me some disappointment).
Let me know yours in the comments section!
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