Big Changes Are Coming To Costco In 2024

new food new leadership and new policies get ready Costco faithful because big changes are headed to The Big Box store in 2024 if you're a fan of the Costco bakery then you know that new arrivals there are a big deal and there's not just one baked newcomer ready to be eaten there are three the first is a roasted garlic Parmesan bread loaf it's sinfully soft on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside with real chunks of garlic scattered throughout the second new bakery item is the triple chocolate cream pie which consists of graham cracker crust layers of brownie whipped cream and shaved chocolate curls to create a rich Unforgettable flavor and the final new baked beauty is the cookies and cream mini cake a cupcake like chocolate dessert smothered in a thick layer of frosting that might just remind you of Oreos be warned though that they come in packs of six so be prepared to Institute some self-control if you don't want to finish them all in one sitting everyone who shops at Costco is familiar with the process of pulling their wallets out of their pockets before hitting the front door and flashing the photos of their smiling faces on their membership cards since shopping at Costco is a member's only privilege this is obviously an important step in the past a simple flash of the ID card has been sufficient but in 2024 Costco will be taking things a step further before granting entrance there have recently been issues with members sharing their cards with non-paying friends and family members to get them in the door so Costco is reportedly cracking down by employing scanning technology before you enter as one Shopper speculated on the Costco subreddit I've seen people with multiple carts full of food get turned away at the checkout line due to having someone else's card this could be an effort to avoid situations like that well it's unclear if this new policy has been instituted at every location we recommend being prepared in case it has been welcome to Costco I love you if you thought that the world had enough Costco already well you've got another thing coming as the company reportedly plans to expand with 31 new locations in 2024 according to the company's website those new stores will pop up in cities like Lumis California Daytona Florida and Shenzhen China the hope is that these locations will relieve overcrowding in the existing ones naturally enough customers are wondering how long long construction will take as one worker revealed on Reddit 130 days that's the contract schedule for the general contractors 75 days of which are the building siding roof and all doors I'm a project manager for the company that builds all new Costco the actual steel building part in the US Canada and some abroad but overall it's a 13-day schedule that sounds like a rather Speedy timeline so unless there are any unforeseen issues we imagine that Costco won't have any trouble meeting its expansion goals for 2024 in October 2023 Costco CEO Greg gelinck announced that he would be stepping down after 11 years on the job his successor Ron vakis has a story that many people connected with instantly he's been working for Costco for 40 years and he actually started as a forklift driver This Rags to Rich's tale of climbing the corporate ladder has inspired plenty of warm feelings about the incoming boss as his humble beginnings serve to make him appear more relatable Costco employees are surely hoping that he keeps the little guys in mind the official change in CEO took effect on January 1st 2024 jelenic will be staying on through April to serve as as an adviser and to assist vacis in the transition but many observers are waiting to see what changes might be instituted under this new regime if you've got a sweet tooth then chances are you're a big fan of churos these deep fried doughy cinnamon and sugarcoated sticks are truly a culinary gift to humankind Costco Shoppers are plenty familiar with the Chain's take on this baked tree for years their churros have been one of their most popular Bakery selections but in 2024 it's rain is coming to an end as they've reportedly been removed from the food court menu oh no it's never easy for your taste buds to say goodbye to a beloved treat but at least there's a brand new item to distract us from the sadness while the TR is sadly on its way out a new kit on the Block is arriving in the form of a double chocolate chunk cookie it's unclear if this Cookie's debut was planned specifically as a churo replacement but it'll be exciting to see what the reviews from Costco Shoppers are like the white and red tables at the Costco food court are kind of iconic but in 2024 they could be going the way of the dodo according to customers some locations have made the switch to standing only tables in their food courts and and more stores could be following suit very soon as one Shopper complained on the Costco subreddit my Costco food court replaced the tables with these monstrosities that post was from a Costco in South Korea but the United States has also reportedly seeing an increasing number of identical standing tables appear in stores as one person replied in that Reddit thread mine in Montana added a few to the already existing tables but they didn't take the seated ones away if this trend continues to spread hopefully some regular seating options will continue to be available for anyone who's physically unable to stand and eat this is one of those ideas that was birthed during the pandemic that is now likely here to stay plenty of stores eventually decide to create super versions of themselves there's Super Target for example as well as Walmart's 24-hour super center but when it comes to Costco Wholesale it's not exactly a place that needs a super sized alternate version its locations are already plenty big to begin with after all nevertheless it sounds like a super sized Costco location may very well be in the works according to Business Insider Costco has plans to erect a warehouse that's over 240,000 ft in Fresno California that would make it the company's largest location leap frogging ahead of its current number one in Salt Lake City Utah which sits at 235,000 ft only a portion of this massive location will actually be open to standard Shoppers as a chunk of the building is expected to be dedicated to commercial customers only but if you're a devoted Costco Shopper chances are you won't be able to resist strolling through a super sized version at least once in your life Costco has historically raised its rates for annual membership fees every five or so years its most recent increase occurred back in 201 17 which suggests that we're overdue for the next increase while no official word has been definitively announced yet about this topic it's still a good idea to be prepared and in fact Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard galente stated in a September 2023 earnings call that a rise in membership prices was a matter of when not if galante explained that with consistent renewal rates and new membership sign on having remained strong in recent years the company hasn't felt any rush to change anything for some time this has undoubtedly been a blessing for many Shoppers who have been dealing with inflation however gante seems to be aware that Costco can't keep up this delay forever and will ultimately need to do what it has to do to remain profitable Costco said that they're waiting for inflation to moderate before it raises raises raises its fees uh and now that inflation is moderating one reality of 21st century business is that having a well-functioning app can play a large part in your success it can make or break the customer experience sometimes determining whether or not Shoppers want to return to your store at all despite all this Costco has been surprisingly lacking in the app department for years however there has been progress as CFO Richard galante noted in the company's 2023 fourth quarter earnings call with the improvements made thus far over the past year our app store rating has gone from a dismal 2.3 stars to currently 4.7 Stars unique visitors to the site are up 40% year-over-year and the Costco app installs are up 46% year-over-year so all in all progress is being made intore search engines digital membership cards and the ability to create an inapp shopping list are some of the features that have been added to the Costco app that likely contributed to that improved rating well this is a huge Improvement Costco has no plans to rest on its Laurels the company will be working on further developments in its technological sector and plenty of Shoppers are surely ready to see what new and exciting features will soon pop up on the app the discussion of wages and raises can be a touchy subject they might leave one person very happy while another ends up disgruntled and it's clearly no different at Costco as one recent post on the Costco subreddit noted so it's official all new hires will get a dollar increase in pay an hour anyone higher than the first two steps gets nothing the seemingly odd call for a paycheck raise for only brand new employees has led to numerous opinions from Costco workers some staff members believe that the policy is likely an attempt at motivating new hirers to stick around longer they also point out that seasoned employees earn much more than someone who's just starting out at the warehouse other veteran workers however maintain that rewarding those who haven't proven themselves yet is unfair to those who have already been around for a while either way it appears that this change is definitely happening whether the staff at large supports it or not in the era of social media Tik Tok can serve as one of the most important sources for news about cost Whenever there are any hot finds or popular new products in the warehouse you better believe someone will record the evidence and share it with the internet and a certain hot new product in particular is quickly becoming a viral grocery treasure were you the ones who said we needed the virus video I said a viral video Frank bbo kimchi and cheese rice balls appear to have made a low-key entrance in some select International Costco warehouses in late 2023 by January 2024 they had circulated to various locations across the US and have quickly blown up in popularity while trending on platforms like Tik Tok YouTube and Reddit these microwavable rice based balls filled with bubbling mozzarella cheese have become an undeniable must try and you can certainly hop on the viral bandwagon yourself assuming that your local Costco carries these kimchi Creations if they're not on your local shelves yet we advise patients considering their sudden immense popularity we predict that they'll be circulating throughout more and more stores in the near future breakfast is famously the most important meal of the day so it's important to kick things off in the morning with something both filling and delicious with that in mind mind it's always a good idea to kiss those super sugary empty calorie cereals goodbye and instead pour something healthier into your bowls alas there haven't always been that many great options in The Breakfast aisle thankfully magic spoon now exists it's a celebrated sugar-free brand of keto friendly cereal packed with 14 g of protein Pur Bowl but alas like a lot of other health food options magic spoon has previously only been available in smaller boxes and basically impossible to find in large containers fortunately Costco is swooping in to do what they do best with the dawning of a new year Magic spoon is now available in extra- large 14 o boxes at the warehouse so now your Healthy fruity rings can last longer than just one day at some stores the cereal appears to be packaged as two 7 outs boxes in one container but either way you're getting double what you would at your local Target for close to the same price Costco has done it again with their New Year's resolutions and loyal Shoppers are surely eager to reap the [Music] benefits

Channel: Mashed

Views: 1,392,826

Keywords: mashed, Costco, Shopping, Grocery, 2024

Id: mb9wiZsLlA0

Length: 9min 56sec (596 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 24 2024