These 8 Changes Would Make Costco Perfect

No retailer is perfect. Not even Costco.

After years of indecision, I recently broke up with Sam's Club and switched my membership to Costco. Now that the first blush of infatuation has worn off, I'm like a girlfriend hoping to make "small changes" to her new partner. I recognize how inappropriate it is to try to change anyone (even a mega-corporation), but nonetheless, I've decided that the following eight changes would make my new box store darn near perfect. 

1. Start accepting manufacturer coupons

I'm certainly no couponing queen, but I do enjoy a good deal and on occasion, run into a coupon I really want to use. However, here's what Costco has to say about that: "Costco Wholesale doesn't accept general manufacturer coupons for a simple enough reason: We distribute our own offers and savings to our members by mail and at our locations on many occasions throughout the year."

For real? We can't even discuss the issue?

2. Provide free curbside pickup

It took me the longest time to get used to curbside pickup when the pandemic first hit. I felt bad for the employees shopping for me and lugging my stuff to the car. Clearly, I became spoiled somewhere along the way and realized that I sort of like sitting in my car in my oldest yoga pants and flip-flops, waiting like a hideously underdressed Marie Antoinette for someone to bring me my purchases. 

In early 2021, Costco did test out curbside pickup in three of its New Mexico stores, but alas, decided that it didn't work well enough. 

So, I'm back to putting actual pants and real shoes on to schlep through the store for the items I need. 

It's exhausting.

3. Accept more cards than just Visa in store

I have nothing against Visa, but my husband and I are currently on a quest to build up a ridiculous number of reward points on our American Express card. We pay the balance off in full every week simply so we can watch the points add up. 

That said, if you're shopping on Costco.com, you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, and Discover credit cards.

4. Bring back more items

I was recently in a Chicago-area Costco with my daughter-in-law. Her mission was to pick up six gingerbread house kits, and she was thrilled to find what she was looking for. The problem was the horde of other people also descending on those innocent gingerbread houses like a plague of locusts in Egypt. 

I (quite literally) moved far enough away to watch from a distance. It was a feeding frenzy. And that's because when certain items run out at Costco, there will be no more coming in. 

I'm not a huge fan of panic-buying.  

5. Add more variety

Because I rarely need a bag of 30 oranges or limes, I can't do all my grocery shopping at Costco alone. Large quantities of any food item are a waste when I'm just cooking for two. 

If I adored shopping, it would be one thing. However, the idea of having to hit two or more stores fills me with dread (although coffee and the promise of lunch help). 

6. Add express lanes

Once I'm done shopping, I want to pay and get out. That's rarely possible at our local Costco. For one thing, Costco does not offer express lanes for people like me who might only pick up a few items. 

According to the store's website: "At Costco, we strive to offer the best shopping experience for our members. We've found that most of our members purchase an average of sixteen items per visit, which would mean that, on average, the express aisle would be the least used of all our registers. That's why we made the decision not to include express lanes -- at least for now."

What's irritating is that Costco's reasoning makes so much business sense.  

7. Add a check-out smartphone app

Although I suspect Costco will implement it at some point, they do not currently offer scan and go. Here's how scan and go works at other retail stores: 

• You download the store app on your smartphone.
• As you place items in your cart, you scan them, and the app keeps track of the purchases.
• Once you're done shopping, you use the payment source you have securely stored on the app to pay. 
• You show the door checker the transaction on your phone on the way out, and you're good to go. 

Introducing scan and go would pretty much eliminate the need for express lanes.  

8. Improve the parking situation

I know there's little Costco can do to remedy this situation, but since I'm dreaming of things that would make the store perfect, I feel compelled to include parking. Because I work during the week, I typically hit Costco on weekends. Depending on the time of year, I can spend five or 10 minutes driving around, looking for a single parking spot. 

I'm not even picky. I'm more than happy to park in the very back and walk, but every spot is at a premium on a busy day. 

And maybe it's just me, but I always seem to be behind someone waiting for another customer to vacate their parking space. First, the customer has to unload their purchases in what appears to be slow motion. After taking what feels like an hour to return their cart to the cart corral, they slowly climb into the front seat, buckle their seatbelt, and start the car. By the time they pull out at a snail's pace, I'm ready to go home. 

Again, maybe it's just me. Parking does not seem to be an issue for the more patient among us.

I know that nothing is perfect, but because I can only think of eight things I would change about Costco, it must be pretty close.