About a month ago, Costco quietly rolled out a big change one that’s flown mostly under the radar but is already making waves with its most loyal customers. For the first time in years, the warehouse giant started opening its doors one hour earlier exclusively for Executive Members.
As someone who both shops at Costco regularly and covers retail business, I had mixed feelings when I first heard the news. On the one hand, as a father of two toddlers, the idea of beating the crowds with an early morning warehouse run sounded heavenly. On the other, I knew changes like this rarely come without logistical headaches especially for the workers who make it all happen.
But after weeks of firsthand shopping, observation, and conversations with employees, the verdict is becoming clearer: Costco’s early-access strategy might just be a quiet masterstroke.
Why Executive-Only Early Hours Matter
This isn’t just a perk about convenience it’s a business strategy with layers. Executive Members represent a powerful slice of Costco’s customer base. While they pay twice the price of a standard Gold Star membership ($120 vs. $65 annually), they’re far more engaged and spend significantly more per visit.
In fact, according to the company, Executive Members make up less than half of the total membership yet they account for over 73% of total sales. That’s a huge revenue stream Costco is now rewarding with added exclusivity and convenience.
So from a business standpoint, giving Executive Members a less crowded, more premium experience makes a lot of sense especially if it encourages more Gold Star members to upgrade.
The Initial Concerns: Will It Overload the Staff?
When the change was first announced in June, some Costco workers raised serious concerns. Several employees told me that the company was not planning to increase staffing hours, even though the warehouses would now be open earlier.
“It’s going to be an absolute nightmare,” one front-end manager had warned me, worried that existing staff would be stretched too thin without enough time to fully prep the store before customers arrived.
To be fair, those concerns weren’t unfounded. Opening an hour earlier means moving everything stocking, cleaning, organizing, safety checks up by at least 60 minutes. That kind of shift can throw off a rhythm that’s been decades in the making.
A Month In: Smooth Operations and Satisfied Shoppers
But here’s the surprise: those worst-case scenarios never fully materialized.
My colleague Talia Lakritz (in New York) and I (in Wisconsin) upgraded our memberships just to test the new hours and visited multiple times across different locations. What we found was impressive.
The stores were calm. The shelves were stocked. The aisles were blissfully quiet the kind of quiet that’s practically unheard of in big-box retail, where music blares and carts clatter from the moment the doors open.
Sure, there were a few small signs that staff were still getting used to the earlier start. On one visit, a lone shopping cart filled with baked goods sat unattended, and a floor-scrubber made its rounds just as doors opened. But overall, the stores looked sharp, organized, and ready for business.
On a recent Tuesday, I showed up 10 minutes before the 9 a.m. Executive opening. A dozen fellow early birds were already lined up, coffee in hand. By 9:30, the self-checkout and two open registers were already buzzing a sign that the extra hour was translating into meaningful early-morning sales.
Operational Benefits: More Than Just Convenience
From a broader operational standpoint, these early hours might help solve one of Costco’s bigger challenges: traffic bottlenecks.
By spreading out foot traffic across a longer day, the company can ease congestion during peak hours and create a smoother shopping experience overall. And with quieter aisles, it’s not just a win for shoppers it’s a welcome shift for employees too, who can work more effectively without being overwhelmed by crowds all at once.
Not Everyone Is Happy But There’s a Fix for That
Naturally, not all Costco members are thrilled. A few Gold Star shoppers have expressed frustration that they can't enter until 10 a.m., while Executive Members enjoy a more serene shopping window. But as one employee told me with a smile, “There’s an easy solution for that.”
Indeed, the early hours are a subtle push toward upselling. And if that results in even a modest boost in Executive upgrades Costco earns more in nearly pure profit from membership fees alone.
Why This Perk Pays Off For Everyone
The best part? This isn’t just a feel-good perk. UBS retail analyst Michael Lasser noted earlier this month that the move could give Costco a financial lift this quarter and beyond. More hours mean more time to shop. And when it’s the highest-spending members doing that shopping, the revenue potential grows even further.
Costco hasn’t officially commented on the rollout, but from the looks of it, the strategy is paying off. The aisles are clean. The carts are filling up. And Executive Members myself included are getting more value for their premium membership.
Why Didn’t They Do This Sooner?
With all signs pointing to success, I can’t help but wonder why Costco didn’t roll this out years ago. The infrastructure was already there. The members were willing. And the impact, both operationally and financially, seems positive.
For busy parents like me, it means getting the grocery run done before the chaos of the day kicks in. For Costco, it’s another way to elevate its membership program while increasing customer satisfaction and shareholder value.
It’s a rare example of a retail change that makes life easier for shoppers and helps the business grow.
If you’re an Executive Member, enjoy the early quiet it’s a rare luxury in today’s world of shopping. And if you’re not? Well, there’s a line forming at the membership desk.
