It's the end of an era for many Costco shoppers
Costco Will Stop Selling This Popular Item in Stores in 2025—Stock Up Now!
Published on Dec. 06, 2024
Attention, Costco shoppers: Big changes are headed your way. The retailer known for selling everything from junk food and furniture to laptops and travel packages—and everything in between—has announced that it will no longer sell one fan-favorite item.
Which beloved item will Costco stop selling? And is it really gone for good? Keep reading to find out everything we know about this one key change heading to Costco stores next year.
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What item will Costco no longer sell?
If you’re used to perusing Costco’s sprawling tables of novels and nonfiction books each time you visit the big-box retailer, your routine is about to change. Beginning in January 2025, Costco will no longer carry books in the overwhelming majority of its more than 600 locations across the United States.
As the New York Times reports, some stores may occasionally stock books. But chances are, your local Costco won’t consistently carry the latest and greatest reads.
Why will Costco no longer sell books?
As it turns out, Costco’s book biz was a labor of love—emphasis on labor. While Costco employees can roll out and display most products on the pallets they’re shipped to the store in, book tables require a lot more work.
Books have to be unpacked and neatly stacked, which takes time and manpower. Plus, they have a pretty fast turnaround. New books come out every Tuesday, requiring workers to swap titles that haven’t sold for new releases on the regular. And then there’s the matter of returning them from whence they came. That’s a lot of work for a store that keeps costs low by using as little labor as possible.
While this change is just now rolling out in the contiguous United States, Costco has already removed book tables in certain parts of the country, like Hawaii and Alaska.
Are books gone for good?
Avid readers, worry not. Costco’s books section isn’t completely gone. While most stores will no longer carry books year-round, you’ll still be able to shop for books at Costco during the holiday season. The retailer aims to carry books from September through December each year. Still, if you can’t wait almost a full year to buy books at Costco, you’re going to want to stock up now!
And remember, you might even find a few books here and there throughout the year—it’s just not guaranteed. Books are still one of the best things to buy at Costco whenever you can find them.
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Sources:
- New York Times: “Costco Plans to Stop Selling Books Year-Round”
- Fox Business: “Costco will stop selling popular item year-round in January in most U.S. stores: reports”
