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For many longtime customers, the consistency of Costco's purchasing experience is one of what brings them back. After all, the warehouse retailer made the headlines for his tireless devotion to maintain the favorite offers for fans on Catering area articles And roast chickens become strong for decades - without the intention of updating them. But like all companies, some adjustments are necessary to help draw new customers or manage results. Read the rest to find out more about the changes that Costco brings this fall and how they will affect you.

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Like free samples, the catering area is undoubtedly one of the places softer than Costco fans have for the store. But while certain menu elements and their prices have remained unchanged for decades, recent developments show that the food zone is not immune to updates.

In a photo published on Reddit last month, a buyer stressed that their location seemed to have The seats removed from its dining room , leaving only high tables for guests.

"So, with this horrible configuration, no children (or people under 4 feet high) can use the tables," wrote the user. "I had to support one step ahead of the crossbar and balance my toddler on my knees so that she can eat her ice, not an easy task. Some families sat on the floor along the rear wall but were quickly distant by a director. "

Although the store in question seems to be a warehouse in South Korea, other customers responded to the image with their own stories. A User in Montana Added that their location had "added a few to the already existing tables. But they did not remove the seated".

However, fans of the catering area may not have too much to fear. According to Julie Ramhold ,, Consumer analyst With Dealnews.com, the limited number of locations probably means that the internet tumult could have been premature.

"This is something that will vary madly from one location to another," she said Better life . "My local costco always has the same seats as before the pandemic, which simply requires that these stories are anecdotal."

Ramhold points out that the locations that have gone to standing tables only for a while would likely bring seats to make sure that more members are comfortable when dinner in club.

"Although it is a good idea to provide constructive criticism when you can, there is no guarantee that this kind of decisions are the end of all," she said. "The chances are good that many are temporary if you even see them."

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Even if most buyers know Costco for his somewhat timeless warehouse shopping experience, the retailer still maintains an online shopping option filled with Clean discounts . But during a recent call for results, Costco CFO Richard Galanti said the company had seen the whole 0.8% digital sales underpants compared to last year, including a 5% decrease In large tickets such as electronics, jewelry and equipment.

But the store does not take the new beds. Instead, the company seems to embarrass its window online.

"As I discussed when calling results in the last quarter, when I said that we were in the first rounds of our digital mobile transformation efforts, progress is underway," said Galanti. "In terms of recent additions and upgrades, we have recently redesigned the account page and the digital membership card", as well as the RETILLING OF THE WEBSITE to include a more search bar important.

And there have been other new features added. "We recently opened an optical digital store where you can practically try glasses, then order them with pickup glasses," he said during the call.

Even if the warehouse retailer moves part of his online goal, some customers still speculate that the website could be a Second remote priority . In a recent reddit thread discussing Costco's online presence, some have blamed a Increasingly competitive market .

"I do not believe that their objective is to be a power plant and to send unique items," wrote a user. "Costco's strength is to move loose pallets and minimum general costs, no shipping of individual controls. Amazon has covered this."

Part of this could be the dependence of the retailer with regard to marketing in store. "Costco still wants you in the warehouse for 5 chickens and collect items you did not think you need before you see them. This does not translate well online," speculated the user.

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And it is not only the costco website that saw a fine setting. Buyers can also note that their smartphones play a more important role in their next warehouse trip, thanks to other upgrades that will soon be published. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"There are continuous improvements in our Costco application, offering Warehouse purchasing tools to our customers such as digital membership card, shopping lists, visualization of warehouse savings, Seeing gas prices since there is a service station, "said Galanti during the gains call.

He even referred to another significant change: "And soon you can seek the inventory of the warehouse and scan the bars codes of the application."

Even if the store still plans to deploy more additions, it seems that some of Costco's digital renovations are already well received by customers.

"With the improvements made so far in the past year, our rating of the App Store has gone from 2.3 stars lamentable to 4.7 stars," said Galanti. "Visitors unique on the site increased by 40% from one year to the next, and the installations of the Costco application increased by 46% from one year to the next. So, on the whole, progress is underway. "

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Costco is distinguished from most other large retailers by invoicing its customers a Annual membership fees To shop there. A number of regular Gold Star members currently costs $ 60 per year, while executive membership took place for $ 120 per year since the last price increase in the store in 2017, the New York Post reports . But during the company's winning call, Galanti made the headlines when he announced that another price leap was a "question of when, not so".

When would it take effect? Similar to previous cases where the idea of hiking membership fees was discussed, the financial director has danced around any concrete detail.

"We cannot really tell you if it is in our plans or not. We will let you know when we know," he said. "We feel good, it goes without saying, with regard to all the attributes of the loyalty and growth of the members ... So you know, stay listening. We will keep you informed. But it is not It's not much that I can tell you. "

It is not exactly a secret that the cost of everything seems to increase lately. But experts say that even if Costco is again in the news for this kind of deployment suggesting, the truth is that it is not a surprise.

"The membership programs will largely increase the prices at some point in their lifespan, so it is something to be expected in general," explains Ramhold. "However, [Galanti] said on several occasions that an increase in rates will arrive at some point: there is simply no final delay on the moment when this happens."

"It was a standard costco report during the last profits updates, so there is no reason to panic an increase yet," she said Better life .

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Costco also offers services such as travel insurance and cobbled credit cards. But last month, the retailer announced that he would start to offer its members in the 50 states access to virtual medical care thanks to a new partnership with Online health care market .

"The quality, the high value and the low price are for which the Costco brand is known", " David Goldhill , the co-founder and CEO of SESAME, said in a press release on September 25 announcing the move. "Regarding health care, SESAME also offers high quality and high value - and a low price which will be appreciated by Costco members with regard to their own care."

Thanks to the partnership, COSTCO members will have access to virtual primary care for only $ 29, to health checks with a standard laboratory panel and follow -up for $ 72, and virtual mental health therapy for $ 79.

Although the last addition may seem to be another advantage to pay Costco members, the warehouse retailer is not the only company to plunge his toe in the booming field of the boom in remote health care . Competitors like Walmart already offer clinics to customers in stores, while Amazon offers remote access to third -party suppliers, reports CBS News. For this reason, experts see it as a potential decision to keep dedicated customers.

"TV has existed for some time, but it has definitely gained popularity and accessibility during the pandemic," explains Ramhold. "The fact that Costco is on board by offering virtual visits to members at super reasonable prices is very encouraging to see."

She emphasizes that even those who have excellent advantages through their workplace may see that they are missing in certain areas such as mental health, which makes the idea of paying for an even more attractive annual subscription.

"And as more and more young people are looking at freelancers for the freedom to live and work where they want, options like Costco's this one is a huge improvement compared to other options," said Ramhold.

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