Why One Costco Perk Peeves Some Customers (& Employees)

Costco memberships come with perks depending on which level you choose: Gold Star, Business, or Executive. In a new change, the warehouse is giving Executive members exclusive shopping time before everyone else. Costco raised its membership prices last year by $5 for its Gold Star and Business memberships and $10 for its Executive Membership, so this move is seen as adding more value to the higher price. However, some shoppers have voiced a few complaints in multiple Reddit threads.

In general, Costco stores don't open to customers until 10 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays. With the new hours, the warehouses open their doors to Executive members at 9 a.m. every day, giving them 30 minutes to an hour to shop before more people rush in. The upper-tier members generally like that the store and parking lot is less crowded, and that they can still stop by the food court.

However, there have already been some problems with customers not being allowed to enter because they don't have Executive-level memberships. Costco shoppers are already tired of one annoying member habit — waiting for other shoppers to find their cards when entering the store — so it stands to reason that waiting to get inside only for the staff to turn away non-Executive members ahead of them will fan those flames. Additionally, Executive members have noted seeing some customers waiting to access items that were blocked by unpacked pallets, while some produce and meat cases weren't properly stocked.

In one Reddit thread, the original poster noted, "The store wasn't close to being ready for customers. There was major restocking going on all over but particularly in the produce and refrigerated sections. [...] I would use the early opening again but it would be nice if the store was in an appropriate condition to open." A store employee responded that they aren't getting extra time to prepare the store before opening at 9 a.m. In another Reddit thread before the new hours were implemented, staff were already voicing concerns about losing an hour to prep the store.

The Costco workers on Reddit, though, suggest that Executive members who are unhappy with the early, exclusive shopping experience fill out comment cards. One of them even provided a link to provide feedback. They believe that the higher-ups in the company are more likely to make adjustments when the members are unhappy than when the staff voices concerns.

On another note, Costco employees don't get the common retail perk of a discount on what they buy at the store. Instead, they get various other perks, such as "guaranteed hours, benefits, time and a half on Sundays, free turkeys at Thanksgiving, four free memberships, a livable wage," an employee said in a statement to Business Insider. So at least they get to enjoy all the benefits of a Costco membership, including after-hours shopping.