It's a known fact that Costco members are passionate about certain items, from the $1.50 hot dogs at the food court to the coveted rotisserie chickens. So, when the wholesaler makes a change, it's likely to ruffle some feathers. The latest concern is over Costco's book section. As The New York Times reported in June, Costco will stop regularly selling books at stores across the U.S. starting in Jan. 2025. The change will affect 500 of Costco's 600 warehouses, according to Fox Business.
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According to Publisher's Weekly, 100 warehouses will continue to sell books year-round, while the others will only sell them during the holidays (September through December annually).
The announcement came from Costco executives, who spoke anonymously with the NYT in June when the change was "a confidential business matter" that hadn't been announced to the public.
Per the executives, stocking books is labor intensive, and employees have to put books out by hand (as opposed to using a pallet). There is also a revolving door of books, with Costco receiving new shipments weekly and returning those that don't sell, according to the NYT.
Costco started pulling back on books back in 2022 when it removed books from warehouses in Hawaii and Alaska, Best Life previously reported. At the time, the change was cited as a blow to local retailers. With the upcoming change affecting even more locations, the NYT pointed out the negative effect it may have on publishing houses, especially in a world where we do so much online shopping.
But even though many readers buy books through online retailers like Amazon, several Costco members were disheartened by the news and took to social media to share their disappointment.
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"@Costco dumping #books from their shelves because someone actually has to 'work' to put them out? What a travesty!!! Going back to #samsclub!!!" one X user wrote.
Another added, "Costco rakes in so much money daily, they can afford to be a little more kind to a loyal public that loves to read, especially older people and the children's books."
Others were more "sad" and "bummed" about the news.
"I've always bought books at Costco, so this bums me out," an X user wrote, while another called the change the "end of an era."
"I buy books there every couple of weeks at minimum," a Redditor wrote in a thread discussing the change in June. "They don’t always have the best titles but they usually have new releases that I want to read. This news makes me sad."
Some weren't as incensed by Costco's impending news. When discussing the change on Reddit, some encouraged members to head to their public library or local bookstore instead.
Echoing this sentiment on X, another user argued, "We need more bookstores, not more books at Costco."
Best Life reached out to Costco for comment and will update the story when we hear back.
