Costco just locked out thousands from early shopping

Get ready for a new era at Costco, but only if you’ve got the right card.

The retail giant’s controversial new door policy officially kicked in this month, locking out thousands of members in the US from early morning shopping and sparking a fresh wave of debate among its loyal customer base.

After weeks of anticipation and a quiet grace period, the warehouse behemoth has drawn a clear line in the sand: from September 1, only those holding the pricier Executive Membership will be granted exclusive early access to the aisles.

For Executive Members, it’s a golden ticket to an hour of serene shopping, free from the usual chaotic crowds, from 9am to 10am on weekdays.

Saturdays see this coveted window slashed to a tighter 30 minutes, with early birds allowed in from 9am, while the rest of the membership waits until 9.30am.

The message is stark for Gold Star and Business members: try to enter before these designated times, and you’ll be turned away. No exceptions.

It is unclear whether the same process will be extended to Australian stores.

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Shannon Hendry shopping with daughters Cleo and Charlie at Costco Warehouse in Bundamba. Picture: Tara Croser.

Costco has defended its divisive move, telling Business Insider: “Our Executive Members are our most loyal members, and we want to reward them for their commitment to Costco.”

The “reward,” however, comes at a cost.

The Executive Membership is a hefty $130 annually, double the $65 fee for the standard Gold Star or Business tiers.

Beyond the early entry, Executive Members also received a $10 monthly credit earlier this year, sweetening the deal for the top tier.

This latest operational shake-up is just one in a series of changes that have kept Costco members on their toes, following closely on the heels of the widely publicised and equally contentious switch from stocking Pepsi products to exclusively offering Coca-Cola beverages across its stores.

US precedent raises concerns for Australian workforce

The implementation of the new member access policy in Australia echoes similar operational shifts already seen in the United States, where adjustments to opening hours earlier this year ignited significant unrest among Costco’s workforce.

As previously reported, the retail giant’s core US warehouses began opening at 9am for Executive Members from June 30, with Saturday hours also extended until 7pm for all members.

While these changes were touted as a way to improve the shopping experience by alleviating crowded warehouses, they triggered a wave of discontent among employees concerned about the impact on their schedules and workload.

A concerned customer on Reddit questioned, “Y’all ready for 9am openings? Mainly for the employees. How’s your warehouse preparing for 9am openings every day. I hear it’s starting June 30th. We struggle to get open on 9.45am, I can imagine it’s going to be fun every morning in merchandising. I’m assuming there will be no adjustments to schedules or depot times. Just get it done in less time.”

Customers and staff are up in arms over a number of global changes implemented by the retail giant.

This query garnered nearly 400 comments from workers eager to voice their frustrations.

One employee admitted the adjustment had the potential to make things “infinitely worse” for them.

“I’m in the meat department at Costco. It sucks. I already get there at 5am. Now it will be 4am…What sucks is we also will now open an hour later – 2 hours may not sound like a lot but we already struggle to get certain parts of the day covered and certain things done between opening and night crew. This 2-hour change will make it infinitely worse,” they wrote.

Other workers echoed similar sentiments.

“As an employee who drives the cooler 4am to 10 every morning, and front end after, and has a second job to make ends meet and only sleeps 4-5 hours a night, no. No I’m not,” read another comment.

A user from the optical department chimed in, “I hate it. I work in optical and there is no reason we have to be there because nothing is gonna happen. It’s for executive members only. So now we are gonna have angry non-executive members too.”