Costco Store Changes: Special Senior Hours Coming To An End

Costco’s (COST) dedicated senior hours will come to an end on April 18 as the wholesale retailer makes another change to its once-strict COVID pandemic policies.

Costco announced the move, which will affect club members 60 and older, healthcare workers, and first responders, who were able to access its stores during special hours. The predetermined hours also applied to members with disabilities and those who were immunocompromised.

Costco implemented the special senior hours in March 2020 at the height of the pandemic. It was also one of the first retailers to initiate a face mask policy for customers who entered its stores.

While Costco moved to eliminate the dedicated senior hours at its stores in April, it did provide exceptions to the policy at four locations in the U.S.

Stores in Brooklyn, New York; Culver City, California; Iwilei, Hawaii; and Westbury, New York will still hold dedicated senior hours from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, Costco said.

There was no indication why these particular stores would continue to hold the special hours nor how long these locations would offer the dedicated hours for seniors.

This is not the first time that Costco has announced that it was eliminating its senior hours. Back in July, the company was set to drop the senior hours but then reversed its decision as COVID cases and hospitalizations surged across the U.S. amid the rise of the Delta variant.

In light of the spiking COVID situation, Costco reduced its seniors from five days a week to two, with the majority of stores holding the dedicated hours prior to stores opening on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Costco’s dedicated senior hours will run through April 17 at most stores from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

As of Monday at 1:48 p.m. ET, shares of Costco were trading at $524.74, down $2.67, or 0.51%.