As a long time Costco fan, I love learning that there are changes coming and there was no bigger announced change than the return of Executive hours. I used to love showing up early and knowing that I could breeze through the store, pick up whatever I needed, and check out quickly.
That addition is bested only by the addition of new gas station hours that, for most places, start at 6AM. No more idling in line at Costco Gas, just show up a bit earlier and drive up for super cheap fuel.
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Here are a few more of the changes I'm excited about:
Executive Hours Return
Before the pandemic, Costco offered thirty minutes to an hour of exclusive shopping to Executive Members. On weekdays and Sunday, it opened an hour earlier while only adding thirty minutes to the start of Saturday. The new hours will be:
- Weekdays: 9AM to 10AM
- Saturday: 9AM to 9:30AM
- Sunday: 9AM to 10AM
Gold Star members will not be able to enter the warehouse early, unfortunately. And for those Costco locations that previously opened at these times, starting June 30th they will only be accessible to Executive Members.
Gas Station Hours Extended
The Costco gas stations were already available outside of the normal warehouse hours but they've been further extended.
- Weekdays: 6AM to 10PM
- Saturday: 6AM to 8:30PM
- Sunday: 6AM to 7:30PM
Hours at California and Hawaii locations may vary, so check with the Costco website.
Coke Products at the Food Court
If you're a Costco fan, you probably heard about how Costco was bringing back Coca-Cola products to the food court. Costco changed to Pepsi in 2013 but is now set to replace the fountain drinks with Coke products this year, likely in the summer.
Sorry Pepsi fans, you'll have to go elsewhere.
$10 Instacart Same-Day Order Credit
Every month, Executive Members get a $10 credit on Instacart same day orders of $150 or more. There's no special promotion code, as long as your information is up to date, the credit will appear on your order before you check out.
Affirm Buy Now Pay Later
Costco will be working with Affirm to offer Buy Now Pay Later, which allow you to spread out the payment of a large purchase over up to three years. You will need to be approved but you can now finance purchases of at least $500 but no more than $17,500 through Costco.com. You can split the monthly payments into up to 36 payments, or as little as three.
You won't be able to do this in the warehouse though, this is strictly on Costco.com.
Hand Scanners at Self-Checkout
At some Costco locations, you will be able to use hand scanners in the Self-Checkout lines. While it's not as nice as Scan & Go at Sam's Club, you can now leave many of your items within your cart if you use Self-Checkout. It's still a pilot program and in testing but it's only a matter of time before it extends to all locations.
You can now leave those heavy bags of rice and bottled water in the cart!
Muffins Come in 8 Packs
Do you love the Costco bakery as much as we do? If so, now the muffins will come in packages of 8 and are slightly smaller. Some people welcome the change, as the previous muffins were enormous (we cut them in half) while others preferred the larger size.
Bye Bye Books
Costco will stop selling books in most of their stores. Our Costco (Columbia, MD) has seen its book section get smaller and smaller over the last year and it appears that it will disappear alltogether shortly. It's too profitable a space to relegate to books I suppose.
