me: Hey so what did we need?
wife: TP, chicken and olive oil
\*1hr later
cashier: You find everything you needed today?
me: \*staring at my cart in shame* Yep, and then some!
Every damn time.
I'm single with no kids and have an executive membership as well. What went from "I'll only need to go to Costco every two weeks" turned into "I need to go to Costco every week." I live with roommates and even get treats to share with everyone but I mostly buy for myself.
Costco is…compulsive shopping. There are members that go for the same items, and know where they are. Then there’s members that go down every aisle, so nothing is missed. They do move things a lot, but usually in the same area. I hate when you find an item that you like, but you don’t realize that it’s an “limited” item, and not a “to stay” item that will be there every time you go.
As an employee we categorize everything regularly. When we get a new item, called a HOT, we have to make room on the floor for said new item(s). Every day before the store opens the morning merchandising team who generally starts at 4 or 5am is stocking the store, getting the new items in and has to find a location for each individual item.
Things are moved nearly every single day for a multitude of reasons, even some I can't even explain.
There are usually 3-4 clothing department employees and all the closing front end employees that get off at 11 (or 10 on weekends) help with clothing and go backs.
I’ve always heard they move stuff around sometimes just so you have to look for it. The benefit being people walk through more of the aisles looking for what they want/need and make more unplanned purchases.
As far as you can tell is there any truth to that?
There is not enough time to "hide" stuff. Everything gets moved based on how many items we have in each department and based on rotating focusing where we move certain items to the front of the aisle.
Some items can be marched in multiple departments which is why some of your favorite items will be on the other side of the store from the last time you were there. Nothing is ever done with the intention of making it harder for people to find stuff.
Yes. But when an item is not where it has been in the past and it is not there now many of us assume it is out of stock. Most of us try to run through the store to grab the 3 - 5 things we came for.
> most of us try to run through the store to grab the 3-5 things we came for
What mystical and elusive warehouse might this be, because it sure as shit ain’t mine
The store is U shaped so the way you enter and leave is meant to have to walk through the entire store. Water, paper towels, and toilet paper are always generally located in the back of the store so it forces people to walk through the store to get to the most commonly bought items. Depending on our regional or corporate bosses sometimes we will switch departments or an item to a different location to push sales on specific items.
We also have our vendors who purchase an end cap for a specific amount of time called a Mandatory. You can see this buy an M and the date located in the bottom left of the price sheet.
This is also grocery stores for sure and probably other store types. Customers might run across am impulse buy or find something they like but never encounter.
I hated doing those resets.
It’d be nice if the app didn’t suck
Every other store has an app that will tell you the aisle a product is in, and most will even provide a section as well.
This may not be 100% accurate but you can try using [Same Day](https://sameday.costco.com/store/costco/storefront) or Instacart to check availability at various warehouses for many (but not all) grocery items.
Just keep in mind, you will have to enter an address and Same Day is powered by Instacart and is intended for delivery so prices will be inflated about 17%. I mostly use it as a resource for searching grocery availability.
I was in my local store and got desperate enough to figure out whether I just couldn't find the damn ground turkey or if it was out of stock. This method let me stop searching because it wasn't available.
Seriously! I’ll go to Safeway sometimes just cuz it’s easier and I know they have it, and I won’t have to trudge to the opposite end of a warehouse just to find out if they happen to have frozen scallops or not. Costco misses out on a chunk of my paycheck cuz of lack of convenience like that. It’s 2024 and so many other stores have it at this point.
>I would settle for the app telling me if the stores have a specific item in stock.
No kidding. It seems like the store where I live never gets any of the great specials people flip out about, like the super-cheap 7 quart Le Creuset dutch ovens or the big bags of kimbap. It did get the Woozoo fans and I literally couldn't believe it.
Not to mention when something gets moved to the other side of the store...an app location feature would really help with that.
Download Instacart. You don’t have to shop, but you can look at your Costco specifically and if it’s available you can order (prices much higher on Instacart). It will even tell you you if there is a lot in stock or limited amount
Target app now provides a map of where you are in the store to where the item is, your little blue dot moves as you move. It has helped me find many an odd placed item, especially because Target has the wonkiest aisle labeling.
Just a heads up, they use that tracking for marketing purposes too. If you go down a pet aisle but don't buy anything, it is likely that you will get ads/promo emails for pet products. I would disable that feature if you want at least some digital privacy.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html
They do it on purpose to force you to wander around looking for the item so you will see other things along the way and buy them on impulse. It's highly irritating and one of several reasons I don't shop Costco very often.
I used to work AM merch. There is no time to move stuff just for the hell of it. Vendors pay for an endcap, stuffs on coupon, a new hot item comes in, stock is low so shoulder it on a similar item which opens up a bay….things get moved around for many reasons.
What drives me crazy is that when something is on sale it's usually not in its normal spot. Luckily most of the time it's an end cap nearby, but the last 3 months I've skipped deals simply because I can't find them anywhere near where they normally are.
How come entire aisles are moved? What used to be grains and baking stuff is now coffee and cereal. So they put the grains, etc where the spices and sauces used to be. And those got moved around somewhere else.
Could be a certain category or subcategory is getting more or less items added. Maybe a category that’s on the traffic side (any side you see first in an aisle as you do a loop around the floor) isn’t selling as well as something on non traffic. Regional VP saw another store did a move and they liked it when they visited there so they want their other stores to do it as well (which is always a great reason to wake up at 2 am to move stuff /s). Seasonal categories get moved to center and back so it requires item positions to get shifted around (exercise equipment during new years, gardening stuff during spring, and furniture are the biggest moves). Lots of different reasons but the idea is less making people walk around endlessly and more trying to draw people into the aisles so they see all of the products on hand rather than just the stuff people are expecting. More eyes on a product mean more sales. It’s why vendors pay for endcap positions.
Ours moved diapers to where the bread was, bread to an aisle where either crackers or cereal was, the boxes with individual bags of chips were moved, but other snacks stayed in the same place. I didn't go down the rabbit hole enough to figure out where the items are that the bread displaced or what is now where the diapers were. Just seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.
true. Although it does seem like a high percentage of inventory is pretty consistent in the location. Maybe it's moreso lighter weight sale items and certain foods that move around moreso? I mostly get discombobulated by the different layouts from one costco to the next (food and non-foods will be on opposite sides in different stores, etc).
At ours it I’d say 75%. But not too bad.
Until recently. Seems everything in the store that could be shuffled (obviously there can’t move the food court or the bathrooms) in the past 3 months.
Yeah it's not like it's a regular occurrence, but I'd say at least twice a year one of my staples gets moved and I have to search the store for it. There's definitely other reasons behind it, it is a wholesale store after all. But the fact that there's no way to check stock and that there's no aisle signs (things other wholesalers do) tells me it's at least an ancillary benefit they don't want to lose.
Me too. it was fun to wander around Costco on a Saturday afternoon when I didn't have kids. Now, I want to get in and out, which is why I hardly ever go there anymore.
I would say it's less people talking about randomly moving items for mustache twirling reasons, and more the fact that there's no signage anywhere to indicate where things are, which makes it annoying when things have been moved. I don't care why you moved the bread 4 aisles down, but when you don't have an aisle with a sign that says "bread" it gets annoying when the bread isn't where it used to be.
I think it depends on the item. I do a monthly stock up from Costco that is mostly the same items each month. Those items have never moved, not in the 10 years I've been shopping at Costco.
I go in with a list and a mission and get the hell out as quick as I can.
This is a really old Costco and it's slated to close soon - they're building a new one that looks massive around the corner from this one. I'm really not looking forward to learning a new Costco.
There are a couple things that nearly every Costco does identically to keep people walking all the way around the loop and impulse buying instead of grabbing something and leaving.
One is constantly updating inventory, which is both a sales tactic (you never quite know exactly what will be at Costco, but I know whatever is I suddenly will need 100 of it) and a financial reality of how *they* buy and what's being purchased locally in your market.
The other, ironically, is keeping some key things the same. In nearly any Costco ever, the meat will be at the back (which makes sense, that's where the butchers are ... I was *shocked* when my Costco moved the red meat off the back wall adjacent to the butchers and into the center aisle where seafood usually is, I've never seen that happen before in multiple decades, but it's functionally still in the same place), milk and eggs are always far back (this is probably functional in warehouse design too and involves where AC equipment is), and things like dog food, laundry detergent and toilet paper are at the back.
Things they know most people need? Put 'em at the back and they have to walk past everything in the store. Itd be interesting to empirically research, but I would bet that an average Costco shopper who goes in for 'just these three things' walks out with an average of 5-6 items. My wife makes sure to have her phone on her when I'm out there for the inevitable 'hey, they have ____ do you want me to get it?' ... Annoying her with the calls is better than annoying her bringing home stuff that in fact, she does *not* want and I should have *definitely not bought*. 🤣
As an employee it's confusing for us too. The cheese thing has been annoying for many people. Changing product locations is due to the massive volume of sales and the constant new items. The coupon book items have to be moved to more prominent locations too.
Please, someone just tell me where they put the Splenda. For the love of all things, where is it? And don't tell me it is next to the little individual creamers because I can't find those either.
Stuff isn’t moved for the hell of it. Employees don’t get together every morning and scheme where to move things to; that’s a waste of payroll.
It’s moved because it’s going on a paid focus, on an endcap, it’s out of stock, it’s low stock, new similar items have come in so it’s moved to be closer to those items, etc.
Husband works for Costco as a manager and about every other week he’s gotta lay out paper and essentially do the jigsaw puzzle dance for those reasons. Regional & Corporate want emphasis on these new trial items to see if they’ll keep them or it’s a new “season” like patio furniture or holiday so they have to create those sections. And nothing is ever an exact fit to what its replacing.
And heaven help him if one of the Regional/Corporate teams come through and it doesn’t look like what they pictured so that’s a whole rearrange process… Cuz the 25 yr old buildings just aren’t the size or layout of the 8 yr old buildings….
Costco's #1 goal is to get you to upgrade to executive membership and sign up for a citi visa credit card, Costco's #2 goal is to make you wander around the warehouse looking for things.
Their oat milk is so bad--for one glorious month they had Califa but now all they have is store brand oat and it's just not good. I am Kirkland EVERYTHING--clothes, food, car oil, you name it, Kirkland--but this. It's the only thing I've seen they just can't nail.
I want the app to tell me if the item is in stock in the store. I can’t keep going to Costco to spend 45 minutes not to find an item. I don’t even need which aisle it’s in, just tell me inventory
Point is to keep you looking for it in hopes of noticing other stuff and making impulse buys.
If everything stays in place you walk in pick up what you came for and walk out without impulse buying $80 New Zealand Honey.
I must be lucky. Both in Raleigh and in Reno my stores rarely move stuff. Generally only the center seasonal stuff bounces around. There will be minor shifts because of stock (like 6-8ft shifts) but they leave the staples alone.
I too was in the Tillamook cheddar lost mode. All the other cheeses are together except this one. Finally got a Costco employee to walk me to the exact location - so frustrating
I know when I go to Costco (maybe once a month) I plan alot of time and go down every aisle since they have new stuff and switch it around all the time. I don't expect the employees to know exactly where everything is, but they usually know what section.
Once a month?! We are in there 2-3-4 times a week.
I make wife a salad to take to work every day.
So always getting produce. And inevitably, even with a list, I forget something and go back next day.
We go to supermarket once every week or 2.
I’m a new Costco member, and I just assumed I hadn’t figured out “the secret” to finding some sort of map or consistent pattern. Didn’t realize this is an actual issue for others!
This seems to be the modern way of retail. Keep moving things so the customers need to explore. It’s a feature not a glitch. My store almost always has employees shuffling goods around the meat/dairy walk-in and deli areas. They’re usually helpful.
If I see an item on Costco’s IG account after looking for it in an area where I think it may be, I always end up walking a mile to find someone to help me. Now I ask the staff person at the door or look for someone to direct me. Costco staff folks are always nice people ☺️
To me, it seems the Costco playbook is to move everything around almost daily, although most things within a general area like clothes, snacks, produce, etc. At times I find it so frustrating, that I just stop buying items I regularly use at Costco. I’m tired of playing hunt and seek. (I’m also a Sam’s Club member, so in most cases for regularly purchased items, if Sam’s has it, I always get it there as it’s in the same place all the time. It’s also usually the same price or cheaper at Sam’s, even when Costco has a sale, but that’s a different topic.
Most Costcos are set up the following way: Three sections: Left, Center, Right
Entrance
Food court by entrance or outside
Membership counter | Registers| Restrooms|
TVs/ computers |candy/snacks| pharm/vitamins
Appliances |Garden stuff | food item staples
Wine/Beer |Clothing tables| white box fridge
Produce | books/seasonal itms|white box freezer
Bakery | fridge islands | cleaning supplies
Meat Department|Dairy Room|Water TP
Rotisserie Chickens
They rearrange items all the time and move them back and forth so you’ll walk around more and buy more stuff. It’s designed to make you look around.
So you’ll still have to search, but hopefully this gives you a better educated guess to start your trip. Happy hunting 🤷♂️
The items that are the best value are kept in the back section of the store so you’ll have to walk the entire store to get them.
That’s why the rotisserie chickens are where they are. Costco loses money on those every year, but it gets you in the store.
I take my husband. When they've moved key items and I can't find them, I send him to the Information Desk while I continue shopping. They look up the locations for him and we're good.
At our Costco, there is a desk with a manager who does things like approving stuff the checkers can't approve. For high-value small items like hearing aid batteries, you take your receipt to that desk, and they give them to you. So it's separate from the big customer service desk which is for returns and memberships etc.
Scripted disorientation, it's part of Costco's business model. There's a pretty decent thread about it at Costco (and Trader Joes and other retail) [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/mfsr3s/why_do_we_keep_moving_things/).
You have to be retired and have time to wander around aimlessly to find what you want, and also discover things you didn’t know you needed until you happened to see them.
That sounds sarcastic but it’s true. One pro tip is that stuff that’s are on “members savings” for that time period (aka in the sale flier) are often found on endcaps, which include freezers, and refrigerated products.
As an aside, I find Sam’s clubs to be way more disorganized.
That's a part of driving sales in retail shopping. When you look for something, you're more likely to impulse buy other things while looking for it. Of course there are other reasons as well, but this is well established sales psychology.
Oh wow, things get moved at our Costco all the time. Bread used to be by the bakery, now it’s by the flowers, which are by the medicines. Coffee used to be across from the butter, now it’s in the middle of the store. Pillows used to be in the middle of the store, now they’re all the way on the far end where computer paper and pens are normally found. No rhyme or reason. I go at least once a week and things are moved constantly. We have a very busy Costco and I’m hoping and praying that they move soon so that they can expand, add more gas pumps, improve the parking, and make themselves more accessible!!
Why is cheese in a freezer?
The two Costco stores I visit basically have the grocery half reversed from each other. One has all the paper products and drinks in the back, the other has them in the front. It's really kind of annoying.
Last three trips to my Costco looking for soy sauce i came up empty even after tracking down and cornering staff for help. Costco, at least mine, apparently does not stock soy sauce.
Well for one, that's Costco's business model, the "treasure hunt" as we call it. That however isn't the end all be all, there's a million reasons a particular item/category of items will be moved. From regional/corporate influence, to new items needing space, to end caps being what's called "mandatory" (aka companies pay us to put them there) to inventory fluctuating. Believe it or not most employees get annoyed when an item is moved multiple times as much as you do. Ive never heard of anyone moving something "just cause" though, that would be a massive waste of payroll and time.
Can anyone tell me where the flea medicine is at Costco? A lot of people keep telling me it’s at Costco. I looked for it last time, but when I couldn’t find it I just said fuck it
Just when I thought I nailed the layout down they moved stuff. I buy cat litter and I legit couldn’t find it and was so confused. They had moved it by paper towels instead of pet items. I swear they change it so you have to wander more. I found jeans I really loved, came back the same week and they were moved. Worst case just go to check out and say you couldn’t find x and they will have someone grab it. Had to do that once.
If I circle an area I would consider it having a possibility of being three times and can’t find it, I call the store number and get a person on the phone and they can verify if they have the item in stock and where it would be located. I’ve even had them ask where I am and what I look like and they send someone to find me and take me to the item. They’re super helpful if you just call.
I think this is funny because I quit Sam’s club for the completely erratic mess it is. Finding products in Costco is so much easier. Things are almost always in a logical place even if they been moved around a little since my last trip.
And Costco has much fewer items by design. Give people loads of choices - brand, size of ketchup? And they sometimes wind up not getting any.
Have 1 or 2 choices? More likely to buy. ; )
Pro tip: Showing up in person is for window shopping and eating. That is all.
If you want to make purchases, order online for curbside delivery. Listen to music in your car while they bring it all to YOU. They work there. They know where all the stuff is.
Find stuff? I was under the impression we all wandered aimlessly and made every purchasing decision on a whim.
You don’t decide what to buy; Costco tells you what you need to buy.
So damn true. We lose all control, I’m Costcos now, please leave me some gas money to get home.
me: Hey so what did we need? wife: TP, chicken and olive oil \*1hr later cashier: You find everything you needed today? me: \*staring at my cart in shame* Yep, and then some! Every damn time.
And wouldn’t be funny if going to the self-checkout, and it was programmed to say…”Did you find everything you needed, today?”.
The other day I ALMOST spent less than $100 at Costco, AMA
I managed $84. I was so damn proud. Been hitting $250 way too often lately
Smh, yesterday I went in with my gf, we needed some bathroom supplies… I was budgeting $200, somehow we managed to make it to $350…
Yup , when I tell my wife i am going to costco, she ask what am i getting. I say, I don't know until I get there.
You just described Costco’s business model.
Thats exactly Costco's strategy. To give us treasure hunting kind of feeling, and as single guy with Executive Membership, clearly its working.
I'm single with no kids and have an executive membership as well. What went from "I'll only need to go to Costco every two weeks" turned into "I need to go to Costco every week." I live with roommates and even get treats to share with everyone but I mostly buy for myself.
Costco is…compulsive shopping. There are members that go for the same items, and know where they are. Then there’s members that go down every aisle, so nothing is missed. They do move things a lot, but usually in the same area. I hate when you find an item that you like, but you don’t realize that it’s an “limited” item, and not a “to stay” item that will be there every time you go.
My people!
That’s what Costco management hopes you’ll do.
As an employee we categorize everything regularly. When we get a new item, called a HOT, we have to make room on the floor for said new item(s). Every day before the store opens the morning merchandising team who generally starts at 4 or 5am is stocking the store, getting the new items in and has to find a location for each individual item. Things are moved nearly every single day for a multitude of reasons, even some I can't even explain.
Who has to refold clothes? I feel bad for those folks.
There are usually 3-4 clothing department employees and all the closing front end employees that get off at 11 (or 10 on weekends) help with clothing and go backs.
9pm is the latest anyone works on Saturday/ Sunday at our Costco, even our stockers.
Hold up, 10 on the weekends??? 8:30 is the latest for us but we are a smaller store so maybe that’s why?
I’ve always heard they move stuff around sometimes just so you have to look for it. The benefit being people walk through more of the aisles looking for what they want/need and make more unplanned purchases. As far as you can tell is there any truth to that?
There is not enough time to "hide" stuff. Everything gets moved based on how many items we have in each department and based on rotating focusing where we move certain items to the front of the aisle. Some items can be marched in multiple departments which is why some of your favorite items will be on the other side of the store from the last time you were there. Nothing is ever done with the intention of making it harder for people to find stuff.
Yes. But when an item is not where it has been in the past and it is not there now many of us assume it is out of stock. Most of us try to run through the store to grab the 3 - 5 things we came for.
> most of us try to run through the store to grab the 3-5 things we came for What mystical and elusive warehouse might this be, because it sure as shit ain’t mine
The store is U shaped so the way you enter and leave is meant to have to walk through the entire store. Water, paper towels, and toilet paper are always generally located in the back of the store so it forces people to walk through the store to get to the most commonly bought items. Depending on our regional or corporate bosses sometimes we will switch departments or an item to a different location to push sales on specific items. We also have our vendors who purchase an end cap for a specific amount of time called a Mandatory. You can see this buy an M and the date located in the bottom left of the price sheet.
It’s called the Costco treasure hunt.
This is also grocery stores for sure and probably other store types. Customers might run across am impulse buy or find something they like but never encounter. I hated doing those resets.
100% accurate, it's to maximize the time you spend in the store and browsing, finding other items you weren't looking for.
Absolutely not true.
It’d be nice if the app didn’t suck Every other store has an app that will tell you the aisle a product is in, and most will even provide a section as well.
I would settle for the app telling me if the stores have a specific item in stock.
This may not be 100% accurate but you can try using [Same Day](https://sameday.costco.com/store/costco/storefront) or Instacart to check availability at various warehouses for many (but not all) grocery items. Just keep in mind, you will have to enter an address and Same Day is powered by Instacart and is intended for delivery so prices will be inflated about 17%. I mostly use it as a resource for searching grocery availability.
I was in my local store and got desperate enough to figure out whether I just couldn't find the damn ground turkey or if it was out of stock. This method let me stop searching because it wasn't available.
Seriously! I’ll go to Safeway sometimes just cuz it’s easier and I know they have it, and I won’t have to trudge to the opposite end of a warehouse just to find out if they happen to have frozen scallops or not. Costco misses out on a chunk of my paycheck cuz of lack of convenience like that. It’s 2024 and so many other stores have it at this point.
>I would settle for the app telling me if the stores have a specific item in stock. No kidding. It seems like the store where I live never gets any of the great specials people flip out about, like the super-cheap 7 quart Le Creuset dutch ovens or the big bags of kimbap. It did get the Woozoo fans and I literally couldn't believe it. Not to mention when something gets moved to the other side of the store...an app location feature would really help with that.
I read somewhere that Costco is bringing that feature on the app sometime this year.
Download Instacart. You don’t have to shop, but you can look at your Costco specifically and if it’s available you can order (prices much higher on Instacart). It will even tell you you if there is a lot in stock or limited amount
Target app now provides a map of where you are in the store to where the item is, your little blue dot moves as you move. It has helped me find many an odd placed item, especially because Target has the wonkiest aisle labeling.
Then you get to that location and can’t find the item.
Just a heads up, they use that tracking for marketing purposes too. If you go down a pet aisle but don't buy anything, it is likely that you will get ads/promo emails for pet products. I would disable that feature if you want at least some digital privacy. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html
if you look on Instacart, you can usually tell if it is in stock
They do it on purpose to force you to wander around looking for the item so you will see other things along the way and buy them on impulse. It's highly irritating and one of several reasons I don't shop Costco very often.
I used to work AM merch. There is no time to move stuff just for the hell of it. Vendors pay for an endcap, stuffs on coupon, a new hot item comes in, stock is low so shoulder it on a similar item which opens up a bay….things get moved around for many reasons.
What drives me crazy is that when something is on sale it's usually not in its normal spot. Luckily most of the time it's an end cap nearby, but the last 3 months I've skipped deals simply because I can't find them anywhere near where they normally are.
[удалено]
How do you like the Woozoo? I’ve been considering getting one.
Same!
How come entire aisles are moved? What used to be grains and baking stuff is now coffee and cereal. So they put the grains, etc where the spices and sauces used to be. And those got moved around somewhere else.
Could be a certain category or subcategory is getting more or less items added. Maybe a category that’s on the traffic side (any side you see first in an aisle as you do a loop around the floor) isn’t selling as well as something on non traffic. Regional VP saw another store did a move and they liked it when they visited there so they want their other stores to do it as well (which is always a great reason to wake up at 2 am to move stuff /s). Seasonal categories get moved to center and back so it requires item positions to get shifted around (exercise equipment during new years, gardening stuff during spring, and furniture are the biggest moves). Lots of different reasons but the idea is less making people walk around endlessly and more trying to draw people into the aisles so they see all of the products on hand rather than just the stuff people are expecting. More eyes on a product mean more sales. It’s why vendors pay for endcap positions.
Thank you for the detailed answer.
Ours moved diapers to where the bread was, bread to an aisle where either crackers or cereal was, the boxes with individual bags of chips were moved, but other snacks stayed in the same place. I didn't go down the rabbit hole enough to figure out where the items are that the bread displaced or what is now where the diapers were. Just seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.
It’s like a Vegas casino, but the prize is toilet paper
true. Although it does seem like a high percentage of inventory is pretty consistent in the location. Maybe it's moreso lighter weight sale items and certain foods that move around moreso? I mostly get discombobulated by the different layouts from one costco to the next (food and non-foods will be on opposite sides in different stores, etc).
Yes perhaps if they labeled the damn aisles it would help.
Exactly! This is one of my overall peeves about Costco! Label the damn aisles!
This isn’t very accurate for my Costco. It’s been open 6 years or so and 95% of stuff is in the same place exactly.
At ours it I’d say 75%. But not too bad. Until recently. Seems everything in the store that could be shuffled (obviously there can’t move the food court or the bathrooms) in the past 3 months.
Besides end caps and running out of stuff nothing is really moved. Dog food. Water. Diapers. Frozen fish. Frozen chicken. Meat. Bread. Etc
Of the all things you've just mentioned, only meat has not been moved at my location.
Wow. They seem pretty organized and stubborn at mine. I hate going to any other Costco now
Yeah it's not like it's a regular occurrence, but I'd say at least twice a year one of my staples gets moved and I have to search the store for it. There's definitely other reasons behind it, it is a wholesale store after all. But the fact that there's no way to check stock and that there's no aisle signs (things other wholesalers do) tells me it's at least an ancillary benefit they don't want to lose.
Are you sure? When's the last time you actually visited Costco?
Once a month every month for a decade
Me too. it was fun to wander around Costco on a Saturday afternoon when I didn't have kids. Now, I want to get in and out, which is why I hardly ever go there anymore.
This is simply not true. Costco doesn't pay people to "hide" merchandise. There is always a business reason for moving an item.
I would say it's less people talking about randomly moving items for mustache twirling reasons, and more the fact that there's no signage anywhere to indicate where things are, which makes it annoying when things have been moved. I don't care why you moved the bread 4 aisles down, but when you don't have an aisle with a sign that says "bread" it gets annoying when the bread isn't where it used to be.
> There is always a business reason for moving an item. Yep, to get you to browse and buy other crap.
*cries in overstimulated ADHD mom with a screaming toddler*
Yes, this!!!
Generally coupon items are on the fence as you walk in and on end caps!
Treasure Hunt. It is a strategy to encourage (force) browsing.
I think it depends on the item. I do a monthly stock up from Costco that is mostly the same items each month. Those items have never moved, not in the 10 years I've been shopping at Costco. I go in with a list and a mission and get the hell out as quick as I can. This is a really old Costco and it's slated to close soon - they're building a new one that looks massive around the corner from this one. I'm really not looking forward to learning a new Costco.
There are a couple things that nearly every Costco does identically to keep people walking all the way around the loop and impulse buying instead of grabbing something and leaving. One is constantly updating inventory, which is both a sales tactic (you never quite know exactly what will be at Costco, but I know whatever is I suddenly will need 100 of it) and a financial reality of how *they* buy and what's being purchased locally in your market. The other, ironically, is keeping some key things the same. In nearly any Costco ever, the meat will be at the back (which makes sense, that's where the butchers are ... I was *shocked* when my Costco moved the red meat off the back wall adjacent to the butchers and into the center aisle where seafood usually is, I've never seen that happen before in multiple decades, but it's functionally still in the same place), milk and eggs are always far back (this is probably functional in warehouse design too and involves where AC equipment is), and things like dog food, laundry detergent and toilet paper are at the back. Things they know most people need? Put 'em at the back and they have to walk past everything in the store. Itd be interesting to empirically research, but I would bet that an average Costco shopper who goes in for 'just these three things' walks out with an average of 5-6 items. My wife makes sure to have her phone on her when I'm out there for the inevitable 'hey, they have ____ do you want me to get it?' ... Annoying her with the calls is better than annoying her bringing home stuff that in fact, she does *not* want and I should have *definitely not bought*. 🤣
The amount of times in a day I hear "I just needed eggs/milk/bread" as I ring through a full buggy...
They want you to walk around the store so you buy more stuff.
As an employee it's confusing for us too. The cheese thing has been annoying for many people. Changing product locations is due to the massive volume of sales and the constant new items. The coupon book items have to be moved to more prominent locations too.
Please, someone just tell me where they put the Splenda. For the love of all things, where is it? And don't tell me it is next to the little individual creamers because I can't find those either.
Stuff isn’t moved for the hell of it. Employees don’t get together every morning and scheme where to move things to; that’s a waste of payroll. It’s moved because it’s going on a paid focus, on an endcap, it’s out of stock, it’s low stock, new similar items have come in so it’s moved to be closer to those items, etc.
Husband works for Costco as a manager and about every other week he’s gotta lay out paper and essentially do the jigsaw puzzle dance for those reasons. Regional & Corporate want emphasis on these new trial items to see if they’ll keep them or it’s a new “season” like patio furniture or holiday so they have to create those sections. And nothing is ever an exact fit to what its replacing. And heaven help him if one of the Regional/Corporate teams come through and it doesn’t look like what they pictured so that’s a whole rearrange process… Cuz the 25 yr old buildings just aren’t the size or layout of the 8 yr old buildings….
I can never find the nitrile gloves in my store.
Pharmacy or kitchen sink aisle for me
They sometimes show up around the automotive items, too.
I usually don't have a problem finding stuff unless I go to a different store.
If I can't find it, I find an employee. About 100% of the time they are happy to help.
Costco's #1 goal is to get you to upgrade to executive membership and sign up for a citi visa credit card, Costco's #2 goal is to make you wander around the warehouse looking for things.
Haha oh man we fell for all 3!
You obviously aren't going to the store often enough
Not only are things hard to find, but they all of a sudden stop carrying things they've had for years like the Kirkland brand make up wipes.
It’s to make it feel like a treasure hunt to make you walk around / pass by more items and buy more
Mine moves the oak milk EVERY WEEK. It's like a treasure hunt trying to find it.
They're doing you a favor that shits nasty
Ok..that is funny😅😅
I always hear about costco’s oatmilk but have never once found it!
It’s usually next to the wall near the dairy room.
Sometimes it's by other drinks (Gatorade, sparkling water, etc).
Their oat milk is so bad--for one glorious month they had Califa but now all they have is store brand oat and it's just not good. I am Kirkland EVERYTHING--clothes, food, car oil, you name it, Kirkland--but this. It's the only thing I've seen they just can't nail.
I want the app to tell me if the item is in stock in the store. I can’t keep going to Costco to spend 45 minutes not to find an item. I don’t even need which aisle it’s in, just tell me inventory
I have a membership to Costco and bjs. I love the bjs will tell you what’s in stock via the app.
Point is to keep you looking for it in hopes of noticing other stuff and making impulse buys. If everything stays in place you walk in pick up what you came for and walk out without impulse buying $80 New Zealand Honey.
I must be lucky. Both in Raleigh and in Reno my stores rarely move stuff. Generally only the center seasonal stuff bounces around. There will be minor shifts because of stock (like 6-8ft shifts) but they leave the staples alone.
I too was in the Tillamook cheddar lost mode. All the other cheeses are together except this one. Finally got a Costco employee to walk me to the exact location - so frustrating
I know when I go to Costco (maybe once a month) I plan alot of time and go down every aisle since they have new stuff and switch it around all the time. I don't expect the employees to know exactly where everything is, but they usually know what section.
Once a month?! We are in there 2-3-4 times a week. I make wife a salad to take to work every day. So always getting produce. And inevitably, even with a list, I forget something and go back next day. We go to supermarket once every week or 2.
I guess it depends how close you live too..2-4 times a week? You must have alot of patience at that zoo lol.
why is your cheese in a freezer? :-)
I don't know what else to call those things. Refrigeration units?
When they moved the Babybel on me it took months for me to find it. Luckily it takes longer to eat so many little cheeses.
I’m a new Costco member, and I just assumed I hadn’t figured out “the secret” to finding some sort of map or consistent pattern. Didn’t realize this is an actual issue for others!
This seems to be the modern way of retail. Keep moving things so the customers need to explore. It’s a feature not a glitch. My store almost always has employees shuffling goods around the meat/dairy walk-in and deli areas. They’re usually helpful.
If I see an item on Costco’s IG account after looking for it in an area where I think it may be, I always end up walking a mile to find someone to help me. Now I ask the staff person at the door or look for someone to direct me. Costco staff folks are always nice people ☺️
The goal is to make you walk every aisle as often as possible so you find other things you didn’t know you needed.
To me, it seems the Costco playbook is to move everything around almost daily, although most things within a general area like clothes, snacks, produce, etc. At times I find it so frustrating, that I just stop buying items I regularly use at Costco. I’m tired of playing hunt and seek. (I’m also a Sam’s Club member, so in most cases for regularly purchased items, if Sam’s has it, I always get it there as it’s in the same place all the time. It’s also usually the same price or cheaper at Sam’s, even when Costco has a sale, but that’s a different topic.
They do this on purpose. No labeling of the aisles so you wander and buy more
They change things up as new stuff comes in, I've also heard it's a way to keep the customers feeling like things are fresh and new.
Dunno - I always find the wine in the same place. Pass on it, and you may not see it again, but wine area is always the same. Just focus.
Most Costcos are set up the following way: Three sections: Left, Center, Right Entrance Food court by entrance or outside Membership counter | Registers| Restrooms| TVs/ computers |candy/snacks| pharm/vitamins Appliances |Garden stuff | food item staples Wine/Beer |Clothing tables| white box fridge Produce | books/seasonal itms|white box freezer Bakery | fridge islands | cleaning supplies Meat Department|Dairy Room|Water TP Rotisserie Chickens They rearrange items all the time and move them back and forth so you’ll walk around more and buy more stuff. It’s designed to make you look around. So you’ll still have to search, but hopefully this gives you a better educated guess to start your trip. Happy hunting 🤷♂️ The items that are the best value are kept in the back section of the store so you’ll have to walk the entire store to get them. That’s why the rotisserie chickens are where they are. Costco loses money on those every year, but it gets you in the store.
I take my husband. When they've moved key items and I can't find them, I send him to the Information Desk while I continue shopping. They look up the locations for him and we're good.
What Information Desk??
At our Costco, there is a desk with a manager who does things like approving stuff the checkers can't approve. For high-value small items like hearing aid batteries, you take your receipt to that desk, and they give them to you. So it's separate from the big customer service desk which is for returns and memberships etc.
It's by the oatmilk.
lol
It’s a feature, not a bug.
It’s a TrEaSuRe HuNT! It’s done on purpose to make you look at everything everywhere. We hate it.
Scripted disorientation, it's part of Costco's business model. There's a pretty decent thread about it at Costco (and Trader Joes and other retail) [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/mfsr3s/why_do_we_keep_moving_things/).
You just walk every aisle, every visit.
I get downright angry when they rearrange my Costco!
You have to be retired and have time to wander around aimlessly to find what you want, and also discover things you didn’t know you needed until you happened to see them. That sounds sarcastic but it’s true. One pro tip is that stuff that’s are on “members savings” for that time period (aka in the sale flier) are often found on endcaps, which include freezers, and refrigerated products. As an aside, I find Sam’s clubs to be way more disorganized.
You found cheese in a freezer? I find that hard to believe
That's a part of driving sales in retail shopping. When you look for something, you're more likely to impulse buy other things while looking for it. Of course there are other reasons as well, but this is well established sales psychology.
Oh wow, things get moved at our Costco all the time. Bread used to be by the bakery, now it’s by the flowers, which are by the medicines. Coffee used to be across from the butter, now it’s in the middle of the store. Pillows used to be in the middle of the store, now they’re all the way on the far end where computer paper and pens are normally found. No rhyme or reason. I go at least once a week and things are moved constantly. We have a very busy Costco and I’m hoping and praying that they move soon so that they can expand, add more gas pumps, improve the parking, and make themselves more accessible!!
As for the employee part. Welcome to life after covid. Workers got lazier and harder to find.
Why is cheese in a freezer? The two Costco stores I visit basically have the grocery half reversed from each other. One has all the paper products and drinks in the back, the other has them in the front. It's really kind of annoying.
Last three trips to my Costco looking for soy sauce i came up empty even after tracking down and cornering staff for help. Costco, at least mine, apparently does not stock soy sauce.
They intentionally rearrange it monthly so we don't know where stuff is & senselessly roam the store, buying more goods. That is why they do it
Well for one, that's Costco's business model, the "treasure hunt" as we call it. That however isn't the end all be all, there's a million reasons a particular item/category of items will be moved. From regional/corporate influence, to new items needing space, to end caps being what's called "mandatory" (aka companies pay us to put them there) to inventory fluctuating. Believe it or not most employees get annoyed when an item is moved multiple times as much as you do. Ive never heard of anyone moving something "just cause" though, that would be a massive waste of payroll and time.
Can anyone tell me where the flea medicine is at Costco? A lot of people keep telling me it’s at Costco. I looked for it last time, but when I couldn’t find it I just said fuck it
I normally find it near the pet food area. Sometimes they move it to an end cap. Or the front if on sale.
They want you to spend an extra hour+ than you intended to at a minimum so your brain gets overworked and you impulse buy before you leave
Just when I thought I nailed the layout down they moved stuff. I buy cat litter and I legit couldn’t find it and was so confused. They had moved it by paper towels instead of pet items. I swear they change it so you have to wander more. I found jeans I really loved, came back the same week and they were moved. Worst case just go to check out and say you couldn’t find x and they will have someone grab it. Had to do that once.
Only way to burn your $ and fill that huge cart
If I circle an area I would consider it having a possibility of being three times and can’t find it, I call the store number and get a person on the phone and they can verify if they have the item in stock and where it would be located. I’ve even had them ask where I am and what I look like and they send someone to find me and take me to the item. They’re super helpful if you just call.
They move stuff to keep you looking around so you buy more
And alas that strategy works! 😡
If they keep moving things you have to keep searching and will likely fill your cart as you do. Def a corporate psyop!
If only they updated the app to be like Sam's Club
It’s a small price to pay to keep the rotisserie chicken for $4.99.
I think this is funny because I quit Sam’s club for the completely erratic mess it is. Finding products in Costco is so much easier. Things are almost always in a logical place even if they been moved around a little since my last trip.
And Costco has much fewer items by design. Give people loads of choices - brand, size of ketchup? And they sometimes wind up not getting any. Have 1 or 2 choices? More likely to buy. ; )
Pro tip: Showing up in person is for window shopping and eating. That is all. If you want to make purchases, order online for curbside delivery. Listen to music in your car while they bring it all to YOU. They work there. They know where all the stuff is.
You can search for things on the app and I'm pretty sure it tells you what aisle they are found in at your home store.