logo

Costco Wholesale Club Continues Senior Hours Indefinitely Due To Increase In Covid-19 Cases

Written By: Nathan Justice
Reviewed By: William Rivers
Published: July 12, 2020
Last updated: September 25, 2023

Costco Wholesale Club will continue to offer special operating hours for members 60 and older and vulnerable shoppers every weekday morning.

The retailer previously announced plans to reduce its senior hours to twice a week effective the week of July 13 but said on its coronavirus updates page that "due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, Costco will maintain current Special Operating Hours until further notice." The coronavirus causes the disease COVID-19.

At most clubs, the designated hour for senior shoppers, members with disabilities or immunocompromised is 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. The Costco website lists the clubs with different hours. (See exceptions below.)

Save better, spend better:  Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here

Costco started offering special hours March 24 as a twice-weekly event and quickly extended to three times a week. When clubs resumed normal hours in early May, clubs extended the hours to weekday mornings.

At the same time hours returned to normal, Costco required shoppers to wear masks. The move, which excludes children under 2, sparked outrage on social media with some threatening to not renew their memberships. And there have been several viral videos of shoppers not following the mask policy.

Coronavirus cancellations:Free Slurpee Day was canceled, Cow Appreciation Day postponed and Tax Day deals are almost non-existent

Face mask requirements:Can stores make you wear a mask? Do kids have to wear masks?

"There are a few people who don't like it, but most people do," Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti said in late May about the mask requirement.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemicgrocery stores and essential retailers started dedicating time or opening earlier for senior shoppers and other at-risk groups. As stores that were temporarily closed have reopened, some also have set aside time for vulnerable customers.

Costco has made several changes because of the pandemic including suspending returns of select items and discontinuing its popular half-sheet cakes in May

In June, Costco started bringing back free samples to a small number of its 548 U.S. locations, months after suspending sampling. Samples are now prepackaged items and kept behind plexiglass shields.

Costco senior hours and exceptions

The designated hour for senior shoppers, members with disabilities or immunocompromised is 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday at most clubs.

The following clubs are the exceptions listed at www.costco.com:

  • Los Angeles: Senior Shopping Hours are 9 to 10 a.m. daily, at locations including: Los Feliz, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills, Pacoima and Northridge.
  • Culver City, California: 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Iwilei (Honolulu), Hawaii: 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Massachusetts: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., daily.
  • Teterboro, New Jersey: 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York: 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Westbury, New York: 7 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Oregon: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Bay Area, California: Special hours are 8 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday, at the following stores: El Camino, Folsom, Fremont, Great Oaks, Modesto, Richmond, San Leandro and South San Francisco.
  • Bay Area, California: Senior hours are 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday at the following stores: Almaden, Cal Expo, Livermore, San Francisco and South Sacramento.
  • Sunnyvale, California: 9 to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Mask tirades:Target shopper wearing '$40,000 Rolex' destroys face mask display, while Costco shopper protests mask policy

Costco face mask fight:Man in viral Florida Costco video defends himself after outburst during face mask argument

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

Was this article helpful?
YesNo
Nathan Justice manages community outreach programs and forums that help many senior citizens. He completed a counseling program at the University of Maryland’s Department of Psychology.
logo
After years of living under the care of your parents and other family members, the time will arrive for you to reciprocate. At Senior Strong, you can show your loved ones just how much you value them.
642 W 28th St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 877-8342
Senior Strong © Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved