7 Costco Changes Shoppers Say Would Improve the Store
Even devoted Costco fans know there are plenty of areas where the warehouse chain could improve customer experience. New members especially are often bewildered by the lack of organization inside stores, and with no aisle numbers for members to hunt down specific items, the shopping experience can quickly turn into something stressful—especially if inventory is constantly being moved around. But what do Costco members specifically have beef with, so to speak? Here are seven changes that would make shopping at Costco vastly more pleasant, according to shoppers.
Auto Price Adjustments
Costco should automatically return money to customers based on recent price adjustments, with members saying they would happily pay more for Executive Membership if it were a perk. “Auto refund for price drops that happens in 30 days vs the customer having to get a price adjustment,” one Redditor said they wanted. “It’s usually not worth the trip to the membership desk for a $3-5 refund, but I’ve had a couple $100+ ones. And even the smaller ones would add up quickly – I bet I’d make up to $100 in 6 months easy if I were fastidious about it,” another agreed.
Improved Checkout Experience and Scan & Go
Unlike Sam’s Club, Costco does not have a Scan & Go feature, and using the self-checkout is not a streamlined experience. “They need better self checkout. The ones they [have at] Home Depot and Lowe’s have are way better for bulk items,” one member said. “Nothing at Costco needs to be weighed so there’s no reason to get the style other supermarkets use… It shouldn’t be faster to buy 20 2x4s at Home Depot than scanning at Costco.”
Functional App and Website
Many shoppers say even the search function on the website/app doesn’t work properly and gives inaccurate results. “There are many times that I have searched for items and the app doesn’t find them, then I search google with “site:Costco.com ThingIWant” and it comes up right away. The app is also a mixture of several services that are poorly integrated, where some areas pop up as a browser page within the app and require you to login again, which is a crummy experience,” one member said.
Store Inventory and Aisle Locator
Members who use the Costco app can check warehouse inventory, which tells you what’s in stock but not which aisle it’s in. “If I’m looking for something in particular, what aisle. Electrolyte powder…. Is that in the flour section? Health section? Candy? Drinks? It moves and carries from the two different stores I shop at,” one frustrated shopper said. “Costco has the very worst website for a company that large. Navigation is horrible and the search results are embarrassing,” another said.
Curbside Pickup and Delivery Improvements
Costco shoppers want the warehouse chain to offer a decent curbside pickup option. “I’m of the belief that the website operates exactly as intended and we won’t get curbside pickup any time soon. That forces us to step into the warehouse, where their deals can be put right in your face and people end up making way more impulse purchases,” one cynical shopper said.
Food Court Upgrades
Costco fans wish the food court would offer a more wide variety of items for those who want healthy-ish options. “Can they just bring us something that isn’t a massive thing of dough/bread?” one Redditor said. “So many other countries around the world that have Costcos have so much more creative menus. Why on earth is it so difficult to bring back a freaking combo pizza (Island-nation Japan had this for goodness sake)? Or a sushi roll? Or a bucket of chicken? Or a chicken sandwich? Or a cheeseburger? Or fish and chips? Or even real ice cream (gelato, hard packed, anything without massive processing done to it)…”
More Organized and Pleasant Shopping Environment
Many shoppers cannot stand the chaos at checkouts. “The scramble to find the fastest checkout aisle is needlessly chaotic. I know a single queue has been tried and rejected, but the store would be a lot less stressful for me if it were less of a free for all,” one member said. “Leave everything in the same place and quit moving things to different locations just to get me to browse and see new things to buy. My browsing time is wasted looking for the items that I want and usually purchase, so it defeats the purpose. Other stores don’t do this,” another complained.
