Costco doing away with senior hours

[audreyh1]

Does Costco have the option to self scan as you put items into your cart? Sam’s Club and BJ’s have that feature in their apps. It is far better than traditional self scan.

No, the items have to go on the surface that weighs them. Only the employees with wands can leave them in your cart. And they are fast.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

Does Costco have the option to self scan as you put items into your cart? Sam’s Club and BJ’s have that feature in their apps. It is far better than traditional self scan.

Scan and go. Now I don’t care what time I go to Sam’s. I went the Sunday before thanksgiving and it was packed. I picked up a few things- scanned and no line out the door.
Just can’t by booze that way. But I can order it for pick up. [emoji23]

 

[cyber888]

I think I'm going to Costco tomorrow Tuesday morning - not too many people during weekdays. Weekends and Fridays are liked packed sardines inside Costco and too many cars in the parking lot.

 

[Amethyst]

Haven't joined Costco, which is an 80-mile drive, but I visit BJs every couple of months for a big order. They asked me not to use self-checkout for big orders, but I'd really prefer it, because I organize my cart carefully and the checker has no way to duplicate my organization. So I go out to my car with a mishmash that I have to sort out during loading.

The checkers used to wand the cart, and I always thought they were very good at it - I made an effort to have the price codes facing up and out - but about 2 years ago, the store manager made a rule that customers must put everything on the belt. I was informed that this was because checkers sometimes missed items in carts.

 

[jazz4cash]

Haven't joined Costco, which is an 80-mile drive, but I visit BJs every couple of months for a big order. They asked me not to use self-checkout for big orders, but I'd really prefer it, because I organize my cart carefully and the checker has no way to duplicate my organization. So I go out to my car with a mishmash that I have to sort out during loading.

The checkers used to wand the cart, and I always thought they were very good at it - I made an effort to have the price codes facing up and out - but about 2 years ago, the store manager made a rule that customers must put everything on the belt. I was informed that this was because checkers sometimes missed items in carts.

Yeah, I don't see how they could efficiently wand a packed cart. I don't think I've seen that around here. When we do a big shop we take soft coolers into the store to scan and load as we go. Actually, DW eschews the scan and go so that's on me. Much easier to transfer from cart to car also. Individual items are handled only once until we get home.

 

[Koolau]

Like all Costco registers, the self-check registers require you to wand/swipe your membership number to start the checkout process. Always been that way.

True, but it doesn't prevent you from using someone else's Costco card. THAT wrinkle requires a human - so far.

 

[audreyh1]

I forgot that the regular Costco card has a photo ID on the back, assuming that the cashier checks. But a major wrinkle comes in when you try to pay for a purchase under a different credit card name. They disallow that. DH once swiped his card to start the process, and they wouldn’t allow me to pay with my VISA even though we are co-members.

 

[Montecfo]

Here in Virginia, there is no liquor at Costco , since we have state owned stores. Friends that shop in DC tell me they have some fabulous prices/values.

As far as senior hours, never used them. Too many old people.

 

[Pellice]

I sure do miss senior hours, at Costco and elsewhere. The lack of crowds, restriction of numbers of people per cart (I know it's a family fun time, but they do crowd the aisles), fully stocked shelves, fast checkout, and just general quiet was great and more than made up for the lack of samples. Most of the grocery stores I frequented had senior hours but did not enforce.

I suspect that late afternoon is now the best time, but it doesn't fit my shopping style. I haven't yet found a consistently good time. If you hit it just after opening, it can be good, but if delayed even 20 minutes, it fills up.

 

[Koolau]

I sure do miss senior hours, at Costco and elsewhere. The lack of crowds, restriction of numbers of people per cart (I know it's a family fun time, but they do crowd the aisles), fully stocked shelves, fast checkout, and just general quiet was great and more than made up for the lack of samples. Most of the grocery stores I frequented had senior hours but did not enforce.

I suspect that late afternoon is now the best time, but it doesn't fit my shopping style. I haven't yet found a consistently good time. If you hit it just after opening, it can be good, but if delayed even 20 minutes, it fills up.

I suppose the reason our senior hours seemed little different than regular hours (other than all old people) is that Honolulu Costco stores (both of them) are often the busiest Costco stores in the nation. Now that we have no Covid restrictions, it is difficult (especially at Christmas) to find a parking place - even at the far-out edges of the lots. Sams/Walmart and Home Depot or Lowes are very similar. YMMV

 

[Spock]

Senior hours were great as the food sample carts and their associated congestion points weren't set up yet. No kids was also a major plus.

In addition to dropping senior hours they're starting to require emptying the cart onto the checkout register belt. For years we have always load the cart so all barcodes are visible and can be hit with the scan gun. Every time the checker has thanked us for it and we sail through. Then a couple of visits ago the checker says everything has to be unloaded from the cart: "we're not doing c*vid protocols any more". So I unload... and the checker-helper puts 3/4 of it back in the cart before the checker starts scanning our order...

No idea if they do this on self-checkout. Since they won't give me a scan gun I won't use self-checkout at costco.

 

[tutan]

Self checkout for me unless I am buying alcohol. Quite a few times there used to be someone waiting next to the cashier who tried to upsell me the executive membership after I was done paying and ready to leave. Those guys don't seem to hover over the self checkout registers.

 

[RunningBum]

Self checkout for me unless I am buying alcohol. Quite a few times there used to be someone waiting next to the cashier who tried to upsell me the executive membership after I was done paying and ready to leave. Those guys don't seem to hover over the self checkout registers.

I've never seen that at any Costco I've been to. It's actually risk free as you can get back the part of executive you didn't recover with the 2% back, but it does mean a trip to the membership desk. I went back to the regular membership this year.

I almost always use the self-checkout at grocery stores, since it's often faster and they rarely bag it like I want them to. Costco checkers are unbelievably fast though, and they don't bag it anyway, so I usually go to them. I never thought about making the UPC code visible so I can make it go even faster next time!

 

[audreyh1]

Senior hours were great as the food sample carts and their associated congestion points weren't set up yet. No kids was also a major plus.

It is true - you can really tell on Fridays when the samples are out at Costco that a bunch of seniors come by for grazing mid day. The snacking population swells during snowbird season ha ha.

 

[Scrapr]

True, but it doesn't prevent you from using someone else's Costco card. THAT wrinkle requires a human - so far.

I did that. My partner & I had separate accounts. We were joining households. My card expired first so I let it lapse. She had herdaughtersBF as the 2nd person on her card. It took a few months to get that sorted. So I used her card to get in & then scan on self check out....sometimes regular check out. Then use my Visa card to pay. No problems. I did return an item and got through the process. Associate gave me a quizical look as we ended the transaction. They always put it back on the card you paid with

 

[brett]

Seniors hours and business member hours have been a thing of the past at our Costco stores for as long as I can remember.

They did have seniors hours for a time during covid but no more.

Hardly a big issue. Just pick your times. We always go during off hours....no issues whatsoever.

We mostly do self scan. Shorter lines and we seldom have much.

We tend to be glass half full people.

 

[TrvlBug]

Our checkers love it and always thank us when we leave the bar code up for them to check...with the exception of one checker . He gets annoyed when you don't put all the items on the belt and scolds you. I and others avoid him.

The self checkouts are always busy with a line. I think it's just as fast for me to use the regular checkout lines as I seldom have so many items that I can't do one layer.

This time of year and especially as we get closer to Christmas, you'd be hard pressed to find a parking spot. That's one of the reasons I shop when they first open or within the first hour. By 11am you'll have people waiting for your spot.

 

[Spock]

I was (am) dumb enough that I stopped in to Costco on the day before Thanksgiving to pick up one thing (I was out of Mt Dew and refuse to pay grocery store prices for something I should probably give up anyway).
Employees were bringing out pumpkin pies by the pallet load and not keeping up. Seemed like every cart would have 3-7 pumpkin pies. Seemed like entire families including out to their 3rd cousins were all in there trying to pickup everything for a Thanksgiving meal and were getting mad because apparently Costco doesn't carry a pre-made cranberry salad.

 

[Koolau]

I did that. My partner & I had separate accounts. We were joining households. My card expired first so I let it lapse. She had herdaughtersBF as the 2nd person on her card. It took a few months to get that sorted. So I used her card to get in & then scan on self check out....sometimes regular check out. Then use my Visa card to pay. No problems. I did return an item and got through the process. Associate gave me a quizical look as we ended the transaction. They always put it back on the card you paid with

Heh, heh, today, as I entered the self check-out at Costco, the Costco employee asked me "if I had my Costco card" (I knew she wanted to see it to be certain I hadn't "borrowed" it from someone else.) But I was in a bad mood and simply said "I always have my card." Just then, a kiosk opened up and I walked to it and began checking out. Nothing more was said. It felt good!