Costco members have a 2025 wish list of improvements they’d like to see

Costco members took to social media to highlight some things about the warehouse retailer that they think could be improved.

While there are many things to love about Costco, members Costco-dedicated subs they identified the retailer’s crowd, layout and website as sometimes pain points in their shopping experience.

A: Reddit thread Last month focused on the pros and cons of Costco, with plenty of people pointing out the crowds at the retailer’s warehouses, with one describing them as “nuts.”

Customers line up at the checkout counters at a very busy Costco store in Queens, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

“I love Costco and I know the products are good and the policy is good, but I seriously can’t wait in the parking lot and long lines every time I need a product fast,” said another Reddit user.

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“Every time I go to Costco, no matter the day or time, I run into huge crowds where the checkout line averages to the back of the store,” one Costco member said in a separate thread three months ago. is full of people and the situation is made worse by people creating artificial traffic jams at every intersection.”

Some users said they encountered fewer people when they visited at certain times, such as right after opening or close to closing time.

The layout of Costco’s warehouses, as well as the retailer’s practice of changing product locations and changing offers frequently, have surfaced in threads on the Costco subreddit.

One user suggested the retailer Having a map or adding signs above the aisles to their warehouses might help, saying they “spent a lot of time going back and forth up and down each aisle” looking for items.

“You can’t count on an item you like/need to stay in stock because Costco changes their inventory all the time,” said another. “But that also means they have new stuff all the time have”.

Other criticisms of the layout focused on traffic inside Costcos near entrances and checkout areas.

According to Reddit fans, Costco may also be bringing updates to its website, with some commenting on its functionality and appearance.

Customers wait in line at a Costco store on December 11, 2024 in Novato, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, others suggested that Costco introduce scan and go technology to its shopping experience.

FOX Business has reached out to the warehouse retailer for comment.

In its most recent annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company stated that its concept focuses on “offering our members low prices on a limited selection of national brand and private label products across broad categories” that will “drive high sales volume and inventory.” fast turnover.” It usually offers up to 4,000 different products in its warehouses at any given time.

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Costco said on its website that its nearly 900 warehouses have a “treasure hunt atmosphere.”

“One of the most exciting things about shopping our warehouses is that you never know what incredible deals you’ll find from one visit to the next,” says a page on the company’s website. “And because we’re constantly rotating and introducing new products, we encourage We’ll buy you products you’re interested in sooner rather than later to miss out.”

With its layout, Costco seeks “economies and efficiencies in the use of sales space, product handling and inventory control,” according to its most recent annual report.According to the company, access control and the use of memberships help keep theft at lower levels than other retailers. :

When asked about “scan and go” on Costco’s earnings call last month, CEO Ron Vachris told analysts and investors that the company occasionally hears about the technology.

He said self-checkout has been “a great option for our members, and that’s what we’re focusing on.” According to Vachris, Costco will “continue to look at the technology and how we can improve that front-end experience, which is the only point.” :

Last summer, the company began installing membership card scanners at the front of its US warehouses.

Customers enter Costco Wholesale Corp. warehouse in Hawthorne, California on June 12, 2024. (via PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP Getty Images/Getty Images)

The scanners “took a lot of pressure off the cashiers and moving lines and saw some nice productivity improvements when we did that,” Vachris said last month.

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Before that, the CEO said they helped Costco “adjust the front lines that we have to open and close lines based on business fluctuations” and made the checkout process faster by eliminating the “friction” at the registers. among other benefits.

The company has worked on both its website and app.

In September, for example, Costco executives said the company had improved “native search functionality” for the U.S. version of its app.As recently as December, CFO Gary Millership said Costco “continues[s] make progress with our technology roadmap and improvements to the member experience, such as adding warehouse inventory through its app.

According to Costco, about 138.8 million people have Costco membership cards.