Bizarro world: I went to Costco at 9 a.m. during new store hours and it was bliss

I visited Costco on a recent Saturday at 9 a.m., when it opened earlier for Executive members.

I had anticipated a somewhat simpler buying experience. I was shocked to see that the warehouse was almost entirely empty of people; instead of hundreds of people squeezing along the aisles, I noticed maybe two or three dozen other customers.

Rockstar parking was the beginning of my journey into the world of bizarro. An employee, free from customers, pushes a dry mop that is five feet broad across the aisles. There are so few people that I have left my shopping cart alone in the middle of the aisle on multiple occasions in order to retrieve forgotten things from another area of the store. Additionally, there are no lineups at the weekend checkout lanes, which are always packed.

I was in and out with almost $300 worth of goods in twenty minutes. I couldn’t stop thinking about the unusual encounter the whole way home.

Costco’s 634 locations across the country, including 13 in Oregon, changed their opening hours on June 30 to 9 a.m., seven days a week, which caused this significant shift. However, the benefit is only available to the almost 50% of clients who have Executive memberships, which are twice as expensive as Gold Star and Business memberships. Executive members can now shop an hour earlier on Sundays through Fridays and 30 minutes earlier on Saturdays than the other chain members in exchange for the more money.

When I asked other customers about their impressions, they were also ecstatic.

According to Aloha resident Jan Gibson, this is a breeze. It’s as if I don’t need to keep an eye on my destination.

“We arrived five minutes after they opened, and we’re leaving fifteen minutes later,” Beaverton resident Ryan McNamara said.

Ryan’s wife, Kate McNamara, said, “One errand done, already.” The time was 9:20 a.m.

The descriptors “beautiful” and “calm,” which aren’t typically associated with a warehouse club shopping experience, were used by a Hawaiian couple visiting family in Beaverton.

“I didn’t have to fight for a parking space,” said another customer who had purchased an Executive membership the day before for $130 and received a promotional $40 store credit with the purchase.

This is how every morning has been since the new Executive member hours were implemented, according to the clerk who rang up my goods. But at ten in the morning, he exclaimed, “Kaboom!” while his hands imitated an explosion.

An staffer at the Tigard Costco informed me that there are a few more customers there first thing on weekends, even though the Aloha Costco felt almost empty at nine in the morning. In the first half hour, he guessed that between 100 and 150 people passed through the doors.

Additionally, an employee at the Tigard Costco claims that the shop serves free food samples beginning at 9 a.m., even though I didn’t notice any on the morning I visited the Aloha Costco.

I will point out that early access has a higher cost and might not be worth it for certain customers if this all seems like one big free advertisement for Costco’s Executive membership. Annual dues for Standard Gold Star and Business members exceed $65 annually. In addition to receiving additional incentives like 2% back on their purchases, executive members pay double that, or $130. The rebate can be applied to future purchases at the store.

Last September, all three membership classes saw a $5–$10 increase, which slightly irritated some customers. However, according to Costco, the number of members was still up roughly 7% over the previous year. Additionally, the business situated in Issaquah, Washington, says that it was the first hike in membership fees in seven years.

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There has been some dissatisfaction among the masses of public members awaiting admission due to the early access hours. Some people were unaware that only Executive members were subject to the increased hours. At nine in the morning, I noticed a woman at the door looking agitated after she scanned her Gold Star membership card and was turned away by a staff member. Those waiting in line at 9:30 a.m. appeared a little bored and nervous.

Notably, most stores now open earlier than they did in the past due to the new hours. However, the change equates to later opening hours for non-executive members at a few sites, such as the Clackamas and Eugene branches. In the past, these stores were accessible to all members six days a week at 9 a.m. Those who are not Executive members must now wait until 9:30 or 10 a.m. to begin their shopping.

This is also the situation at some of the chain’s California locations, according to reports from Costco Insider and other media outlets.

Costco boasts over 900 locations throughout more than a dozen nations, along with over 76 million members who have paid for memberships.

They are essential to the company’s success: According to data from the company’s annual report, memberships account for over 65% of the chain’s about $7.4 billion in yearly revenues.

In the end, the corporation makes more money from the more costly Executive memberships. The higher level membership is paid for by roughly 46% of members globally. Additionally, they purchase more, making up 73% of total sales.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the company’s annual report mentions expanding memberships—particularly Executive memberships—as a core principle.

And Costco obviously wants to do that by offering an extra benefit: the ability to shop early.

Consumer-focused topics, personal finance, and politics are all covered by reporter Aimee Green. You may contact her via Bluesky, agreen@oregonian.com, or 503-294-5119.

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