Shoppers largely love shopping at Costco. Until they have to leave.
For years, members heaped praise on the grocer’s low prices and generous return policy — it’s consistently ranked among the best grocery stores in consumer ratings.
But shoppers continue to groan about the long checkout lines. That may change with a new tech rollout.
Costco’s CEO, Ron Vachris, confirmed in the company’s Thursday earnings call that it’s working on a scan-and-go style feature to save time.
‘We found that digital really enhances the speed of checkout, and so we are really working hard on the digital membership card usage,’ he said on the company’s earnings call.
‘We’ve also engaged in some scan-and-go, done by Costco.’
The CEO’s tech tease sounds a lot like what Sam’s Club has been doing for years, Business Insider reported.
Instead of waiting in line at the registers, Costco is hoping the tech launch will let customers scan barcodes with their phones while walking through the store.
Costco members love the grocery store, but have complained about the store’s self-checkout policies
Then, when shoppers have picked up all of their products, they can show the full list of products in their cart to a team member stationed near the exits.
The Costco employee would approve the mobile transaction after verifying the items in the shopping cart match the scanned barcodes.
Sam’s Club shoppers started using early iterations of the technology all the way back in 2013.
The company, which is owned by Walmart, has added continual tech updates to the quick scanning tool.
In 2021, the brand added a Scan & Ship feature that lets shoppers tap into delivery models for larger products.
Shoppers can also access a wider array of products through the feature, including trims and colors that are available at nearby warehouses and stores.
‘I freaking love scan and go,’ one happy Sam’s Club shopper said in a Reddit post.
‘I rarely have to do more than say “thanks you have a nice day, too,” as I leave.’
Ron Vachris, Costco’s CEO, said the company is launching new tech that will make the self-checkout experience faster
Costco shoppers have complained that the company’s register policies are cumbersome and lead to long lines
Costco has reported bumper earnings throughout the year
It comes as Costco has been on a hot sales streak.
The company just reported a net income of $1.90 billion over the past three months, an 8 percent increase over last year.
The same period in 2024 netted $1.68 billion.
Costco has been working to build out its scale throughout the US: it announced plans to open 29 new American warehouses in 2025.
This comes despite the brand’s now-higher membership fees. In September, Vachris announced that Costco was increasing annual fees for the first time in seven years.
But to shoppers, the one-time increase hasn’t impacted their love for the brand.
Costco has been cutting prices on several essential products, like olive oil, butter, and car fuel, to keep its good will.
Still, the company is facing some headwinds.
On the Thursday earnings call, Costco’s executives said the brand is facing pressure as President Donald Trump continues to raise the potential of increased tariffs.
Costco’s stock dropped on Thursday following on the news, before rising around 4 percent on Friday.
