Costco Is Expanding Its Store Hours for Some Members

As the third-largest retailer in the world and a bulk superstore that provides millions of Americans with affordable, large quantities of groceries, Costco is an essential supplier for so many households, and the chain just made it even easier for customers to shop whenever they need to.

As of June 30, Costco will begin opening its stores at 9 a.m. — one hour earlier than it previously did — exclusively for its Executive members. (A standard Costco “Gold Star” membership costs $65 each year, while the Executive membership is priced at $130 a year and includes additional benefits and savings.)

After the hour of exclusive access for Executive members, Gold Star and Business members can begin shopping at 10 a.m. on Sunday through Friday and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

There’s good news for Gold Star and Business members too: Costco warehouses will now stay open one hour later each Saturday, until 7 p.m., for all members. Costco shoppers can take advantage of the extended Saturday hours for the first time this weekend, on July 5, just in time for their long weekend barbecue hauls.

This isn’t the bulk retailer's only recent effort to improve customer experiences. Earlier this month, Costco announced plans to test a scan-and-go feature to expedite the purchasing process for its shoppers, who have been vocal about their frustration with long checkout lines before. 

Coupled with the new hours, these two changes mean more patrons can visit at hours that are convenient for them, and they’ll hopefully spend less time waiting in checkout lines too.

The warehouse retailer announced its new hours in an email to members on June 11. The email also revealed that Executive members can now take advantage of a $10 monthly credit when they purchase a total of $150 or more on SameDay.Costco.com or from Costco through Instacart.

This credit is applied automatically at checkout and, per the Costco website, can only be used once per month.

If you want to beat the lines or your work schedule made it difficult to go to Costco during its previous range of hours, maybe these new updates will help you shop at the retailer more frequently. You can also upgrade your membership to the Executive level if you’re a serious early bird.