We are several months into the Covid 19
pandemic now and life is starting to get back to a new normal with businesses
slowly and carefully reopening globally we have all been affected by the
pandemic in many ways and Costco is no different so let's look at ten ways
Costco has been affected by the pandemic part two I will buy you a Costco
rotisserie chicken salt food court and free samples are back but it's free so I
will continue to chew that's right while around 20% of Costco food courts started
reopening around April 30th on a recent conference call Costco's CFO announced
that customers can expect almost all of Costco food courts to be open once again
by mid-june that's great news for any of us who've been missing out on favorites
like the chicken baked pizza slices hot dogs or desserts like Froyo and twisted
churros all this deliciousness will once again be available at your Costco food
court but that's not all even more great news was announced on the very same
conference call Costco is also rolling out its famous free food samples once
again having to be set aside for obvious reasons the free samples at Costco are
truly part of the experience and one of the things a lot of shoppers look
forward to most on their trips to Costco stay tuned for details but as of right
now plans are for free samples to be back inside of many Costco locations
also around mid June this is obviously great news not only for Costco customers
but for anyone who is looking forward to life returning back to some form of
normal employees also have limits on purchases quarantine rules brought
everybody wait it can be great being a Costco employee and that has a lot to do
with the perks that come with the job in the past a Costco employee had first
dibs at purchasing products during store off hours but during the pandemic Costco
employees had to adhere to the same rules
and limits that apply to customers despite what some people may think
employees did not receive special privileges finally going to be just like
everybody else I don't want to be like everybody else
they too were not able to purchase certain items if they were out of stock
nor were they able to get first pick or hoard certain items like sanitizing
wipes before the store opened to members many employees also did not receive
their special employee discounts during the pandemic and had to pay full price
because of shortages employees also didn't know when certain items that were
in high demand were going to be restocked an employee reported that they
really don't know when toilet paper wipes or other items are coming in so
please stop asking about them under normal circumstances they would have
knowledge of deliveries but now because of the pandemic they cannot be sure
another Costco employee also debunked a common misconception that extra stock is
being kept in the back but that is not the case to avoid disappointment before
trekking out to Costco it is recommended to call the store in advance to inquire
about the availability of high demand products masks are mandatory as of may
force it became mandatory to wear a mask while shopping at Costco in the US the
facemask policy is mandatory and goes into effect for all customers and
employees with exceptions granted only for those under two years of age or
members who have a health condition that prevents them from wearing a mask the
Costco website indicates that the use of a face covering should not be seen as a
substitute for social distancing stand a miry social distancing rules are still
in order while on Costco premises lack of a face mask can have you banned from
entering the store gloves are not mandatory but you are asked to still
disinfect your hands with hand sanitizer before and train the stores ok
look how clean I am sure do look like a shriveled raisin carts are wiped clean
and active touching and smelling of food and putting it back is forbidden Costco
is still actively working towards limiting any physical contact between
employee and member employees still prefer card payment as opposed to cash
and you will have to pack your own bags oh that's tough but fair
employees are exhausted from the corporate offices to the warehouse
stores the last few months have been excruciating for many Costco employees
to protect its consumers and employees Costco ramped up its sanitization
procedures in all its stores to make it safer for everyone everything clean
everything new this included wiping down all of its carts and washing floors
counters and shelves daily 1 Costco employee was quoted as saying that it
has been exhausting with the constant cleaning wiping down and restocking of
shelves they've never seen the shelves so bare and empty even though they
constantly restock non-stop they concluded by stating how demanding both
mentally and physically the job has been over the last while Costco has been
trying to weather a storm of unprecedented consumer demand during the
pandemic aside from all the physical work it has been mentally trying and
employees have been very fearful of getting sick please everyone stay away
some employees have tested positive for the virus and have had to stay off from
work leaving the remaining employees to pick up the pieces these employees have
been left to contend with numerous issues such as nasty customers constant
demands for items and long hours at least for now
the panic shopping seems to have decreased but you will always get one or
two customers that are still in a frenzy more than usual nasty customers very
well I would like to speak to a manager it seems the pandemic has brought out
the best and worst in people and Costco customers are not immune Americans are
tired of the lockdown and the months of confinement they are eager to get back
to a normal life in some u.s. states people have taken to
protesting their right to return to business as usual since the announcement
of States slowly reopening some people have been dead set on returning to their
old habits since this is not safe or possible people are acting out when
being met with restrictions you're acting like a little kid no I'm not some
are getting downright aggressive says a Costco employee who has had their share
of nasty customers to contend with this employee describes how they are always
the ones who rush about everywhere pushing people out of the way to grab
things not respecting social distancing or are upset that they have to pack
their own bags when it comes to conforming to rules there is always one
king of the Cove idiots as some employees like to call them the ones
who've turned into big jerks when met with opposition they are the ones not
respecting anything or anyone including the store clerks and other customers
they are the ones putting everyone else's safety at peril Costco has found
a remedy for any customer who basically refuses to obey by the rules they can
ban access to the premises to any member who does not comply by wearing a mask
and respecting social distancing and staff demands employees are permitted to
go as far as removing or taking away cards full of food from members and
having them dismissed from the warehouse promise me one thing I never see your
face again back to regular hours at the beginning of May Costco warehouses also
announced that they would be returning to regular hours of operation the return
to regular hours also includes the gas pumps in addition the company updated
its special operating hours for members over the age of 60 some Costco
warehouses will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday for
members ages 60 and older and for members with disabilities that's good
news only members who meet this criteria will be able to shop during these hours
guests who accompany elderly parents will not be admitted in Steve
oh the pharmacy will be open as usual during these hours Costco is still
limiting the amount of people who can enter the store at any given time
this means that lineups outside may still be prevalent especially during
peak hours consult your local store hours before heading out as these hours
differ from state to state least everything is back to normal
reopening of service centers in March Costco not only reduced its store hours
it also had no choice but to cut out certain services that were deemed
non-essential don't you get it we don't need you anymore the departments
affected and which remain closed to date are the optical center and the hearing
aid travel jewelry and floral departments as of May we are seeing the
slow reopening of certain departments the car and tire Center is open for
business and the optical department should be reopening at certain outlets
however refills of contact lenses or purchases of sunglasses can be done
online amazing what we can do as computers these days Costco does
recommend that shoppers purchase all items that are deemed non-essential
through their website for delivery Costco's online store has also seen an
increase in sales and may mark a new way of doing business in the future that is
convenient and safe with date membership limit as of March many us Costco
warehouses implemented a two-person limit per membership to enter the store
always - there are no more oh yes this was initiated to keep the number of
people in a store to a minimum especially at the beginning when people
were still in panic buying mode over the months the numbers of customers started
to ebb as more people either shopped online or stayed away altogether I've
got going in there people were also discouraged by long lineups employees
also noticed more shoppers coming alone as of May 15th you are now allowed to
come in with another family member and kids Costco considers itself a family
warehouse and promotes itself as such they could not keep these restrictions
forever without jeopardizing some of its Berbice maybe we could shop somewhere
else it is also difficult and costly for some families to find a babysitter just
to do some shopping attendance limits may have worked
short-term but will not long term as we all try to find a new normal
restrictions limits and returns whoa slow down honey
oh limit after months into the pandemic the same restrictions and limits still
apply at all the Costco warehouses Costco is still limiting the amount of
people who enter their store but are now allowing families to enter together
especially if you have small children social distancing measures are still in
place and you must stand six feet apart and follow the arrows and designated
signs there is still a no return policy and limits to the amount of purchases on
certain items such as toilet paper paper towels sanitizing wipes water rice and
Lysol I hold that which all kind covers and first responders still have priority
access to the stores and do not need to wait in line a new restriction since the
beginning of May are the limits imposed on the purchase of meat this is due to
the nationwide coronavirus outbreak at meat processing plants fresh meat is now
temporarily limited to three items of beef poultry and pork products per
customer Costco is allowing members to use their own reusable shopping bags as
long as they pack the bags themselves unless prohibited by local mandates
pushed oysters Vivid reduction in sales and demand look lady whatever you're
selling I ain't buying yo in the first few weeks of the pandemic due to massive
panic buying Costco saw a sharp increase in sales but as time went by with the
stay at home orders and social distancing restrictions Costco saw
reduced shopper traffic in the months that followed even with both purchases
of cleaning supplies aisles of frozen entrees and super-sized packs of toilet
paper Costco is feeling squeezed by the pandemic I'm getting really worried here
me too however the company did see a nearly 88
percent rise in its e-commerce sales during the month of April this will
serve Costco well one normalcy returns and its members who
have now become more accustomed to ordering online may stick to it with
online shopping and overnight delivery I can get anything I want the demand for
certain items has also diminished customers are no longer stocking up on
massive amounts of brand-name products instead members are purchasing more
generic products and increasingly experimenting with alternatives the
question is are in store brands like Costco Kirkland signature products seen
a temporary surge driven by consumers because they have already bought the
things they need or are they finally experiencing the direct impact of a
coronavirus trend that could ultimately impact all sectors tap that screen for
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