The 6 Most Annoying Things About Shopping At Costco, Hands Down

Every single store, outlet, and warehouse has its ups and downs. To think that any place is perfect would be lying to yourself. Let's get one thing clear: I love Costco. I really, really do. I even made a point of going to one when I was visiting family in another country. The deals are great for anyone whether they're living alone, or with a family, and the consistency of its food court is hard to beat. Across the last few decades, Costco has remained a consistent customer-focused bastion in a sea of uncertain stores. It is a testament to how much I enjoy Costco and the Kirkland products that I will accept quite a few regular annoyances just to shop there.

It is perfectly natural to love something and still see its flaws. There are so many secrets that grocery stores don't want you to know, as well as predatory business practices hiding just under the surface. If you find a place you like overall it's worth putting up with some of the less savory things you notice after becoming a regular. I've been dreaming of having a Costco closer to me because if it weren't for the slightly extended drive to get to my nearest location I would probably be frequenting it twice a week.

Grocery stores don't want you to fall into a rut. If you're able to just walk in and grab only what you need they're not making as much money as they could. One way that they deal with this perceived issue is by changing up their layout on occasion. While most chains will change their store layout once or twice a year, if that, Costco is notorious for it. Just when I feel I've got a hang of the layout, suddenly everything has been moved around and I spend an extra 10 minutes wandering about and hunting for the one item I need. 

Costco makes its warehouses a little confusing by design. Not only is it a good way to generate revenue by exposing people to products they may not have otherwise purchased, but the disorientation factor leads to more impulse buying. It's the whole reason Costco constantly shuffles its aisles. While some customers have turned the rapidly changing layouts into a treasure hunt, I've never been on board. Most of the time I want to go in and get out with what I need without meeting my step count halfway through.

To be polite, I am a large individual. I am quite tall and very broad in stature. As a warehouse, Costco seems like it would cater to those more dimensionally challenged like myself. However, thanks to its well-deserved popularity, it can get jam-packed very quickly. If I'm not careful about my timing I'll find myself boxed into the cereal aisle in a blink. I've spent far too much time pretending to be really interested in a packaging label just to give the aisle a chance to clear.

Unless I develop the ability to start walking across the shelving units, it's all too easy for me to feel claustrophobic. I don't want to knock into anyone, nor do I want people pressing up against me. It's the price I pay for better prices to get sandwiched in, sardine style, every time I try and navigate a single aisle. For a store as enormous as Costco, you would assume there would be room for everyone. Since there's actually an app for tracking how crowded your local Costco is, I would say I'm not the only one who's noticed the cramped quarters. Honestly, I wish I could shop at a two-story Costco.

There are only so many polite ways to say no to someone. When dealing with phone or electronic sales people in a Costco it often feels like you run out of those polite ways quickly. I've taken to ignoring them entirely when I'm able to; otherwise, I get bombarded with sales pitches and it becomes a whole thing trying to disentangle myself from a conversation I didn't want in the first place. Pushy salespeople can ruin any experience, and when I'm already annoyed by a changed layout, rude customers, or a busy store, the last thing I want is a sales rep who doesn't understand the word 'no.' 

It's one of the most annoying things about shopping at Costco. I appreciate that these sales people are just doing their jobs; they are all getting commission and working as third-party contractors with the store. Their job just happens to be annoying. Here's a tip from someone who has had to try and politely decline offer after offer from a stiff-smiled phone rep: These third-party sellers are supposed to accept the first 'no' under their contract. If they don't, you can absolutely escalate to a manager if you have the time and patience.

A busy store means a long checkout line. One of the issues I've run into with Costco is, even when the store is not at peak hours or overly busy, the checkout lines stack up. There are several contributing factors to why the checkout is always so bogged down. First, Costco is primarily a place to buy in bulk. A lot of items means much longer times at the checkout. Whether you're a single shopper looking for the best items to buy, or a family buying enough for a week, you'll have a lot to scan at checkout.

The second issue is understaffing. Because of the prevalence of self-checkout areas, many stores have cut down the amount of cashiers. By doing so, they only need to pay one front-end operator to oversee a whole bank of self-checkout devices rather than hire individual cashiers for each station. Then the customers ... A friendly PSA: Having your Costco card ready keeps the line moving for everyone. Each moment something has to be checked or asked for is another few seconds everyone else has to wait in line. There is a glimmer of hope, however, as Costco has stated that Scan and Go stations – a faster version of a self-checkout – are being implemented in some of its stores to help assist with the long wait times. Let's hope it's coming to a store near me soon!

There is a current upward trend in Trading Card Games, or TCGs for short. It may come as a surprise to some who are not as familiar with Costco that the chain stocks TCGs; in fact, Costco is always adding new items for your shopping cart. While this may seem like a fun and novel thing for a big bargain brand like Costco to offer there have been recent issues with a specific brand of customer. Scalpers.

Scalpers buy up a large amount of an item – often tickets for upcoming concerts, or limited time items like TCGs – creating a false scarcity so they can resell their hoarded product for an enormous profit. While they are becoming an increasing issue in many places, it's getting particularly bad in Costco locations; especially with the Pokémon TCGs, as people can get passionate about almost anything. The scalpers are not only buying everything out from under everyone else, but they are also notoriously rude and love causing problems. They are often belligerent and their attitude has caused more than one fight to break out in Costco. Scalpers are one of the biggest pains in the neck to deal with at the moment. Let's hope they're a passing fad.

Everything about getting into and out of Costco seems designed to subtly annoy. When I am in a hurry and just want to get my shopping done the last thing I want to be doing is stopping for someone. Thankfully, entering a Costco is relatively hassle-free. As long as I have my Costco card ready or the app pulled up, I can usually breeze by the would-be bouncers and head into the warehouse.

Leaving is another story. Since I only make it to Costco about once or twice a month you know that I'm buying a lot. Without fail, I am stopped by the receipt checker near the door. I get that they're doing their jobs to reduce theft and also to make sure I wasn't double-charged for anything, but when I have a cart full of groceries and feel like I've already wasted a ton of time in line it gets aggravating to have to pause again. Even the most efficient receipt checker is going to have to take a minute to read over the entire purchase and all I can really do is tap my foot as I don't want to distract them from doing their job. It's easily the most frustrating regular part of my shopping experience.