Costco might stop selling popular item and Canadian stores could be next

Costco members with a voracious appetite for reading may be out of luck in 2025 as the big-box retailer will reportedly stop selling books all year round.

According to a June report from The New York Times, Costco will no longer sell books on the regular starting January 2025 and instead make them available only between September and December for the holiday shopping period in the U.S.

The New York Times report said four major publishing executives were told about Costco's plans, and the changes could be tied to the labour needed to stock books.

That's because books require staff to place them by hand and can't be put out on pallets like other items at the store. The report adds that there is also a "constant turnaround" time for books as new ones come in on Tuesday and copies that don't sell must be returned, which results in "more work" for staff.

Publishers expressed concern about how this could impact sales, as Costco often orders thousands of copies if a book is popular enough.

While this change is expected across the U.S., Costco Canada hasn't made any official announcement on the matter, and we have reached out to the company for more information.

Aside from this potential bummer for bookworms, Costco made other significant changes to its customer experience this year.

In September, the retailer hiked up its annual membership fees for the first time in years and implemented membership card scanners at some stores.

The membership fee increase, which applies to members in the U.S. and Canada, came into effect on September 1, 2024.