Costco 2025-2026 Changes: VIP Hours, Coca-Cola, Scan-and-Go & Debunked Myths

Membership Benefits & Verification

• 💡 Executive members gained exclusive early shopping hours starting June 2025, offering access an hour before regular members on weekdays/Sundays and 30 minutes on Saturdays.
• ✅ All US warehouses now stay open until 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, extending shopping time for all members since June 30, 2025.
• 📌 Membership card scanners are rolling out since 2024, requiring members to scan their card for manual photo verification by an employee, enforcing the non-transferable policy.
• ⚠️ Claims of biometric facial recognition or digital-only membership are false, as Costco explicitly denies using facial recognition and continues to support physical cards.

Food Court Revitalization

• 🥤 Coca-Cola officially returned to Costco food courts on July 1, 2025, after a 12-year absence, bringing back a variety of Coke products.
• 🌭 The iconic $1.50 hot dog price is safe, confirmed by CFO Gary Miller Chip in Q3 2024, with 229 million combos sold in fiscal 2024.
• 🎟️ Membership verification is now required for food court purchases since April 8, 2024, to address member complaints about overcrowding by non-members.
• ❌ Reports of executive member food court discounts or the return of senior-only shopping hours are false, as the 2% executive reward excludes food courts, and senior hours ended permanently in April 2022.

New Shopping Technologies

• 🚀 Scan-and-Go checkout technology is being successfully piloted in 27 stores, allowing customers to scan items with their phone, pay via app, and exit by scanning a QR code, aiming for a 30% reduction in checkout time.
• 💳 Costco Anywhere Visa holders received upgrades on January 19, 2025, including a jump to 5% cash back at Costco gas stations and a new 4% back on electric vehicle charging purchases.

E-commerce & Digital Improvements

• 🌐 The website and app now offer password-free login via passkey (biometrics/PIN) and a personalized product recommendation hub based on browsing history and purchases.
• 📈 Costco's e-commerce sales grew 18.9% year-over-year in Q4 FY2024, reaching $19.6 billion, though it still represents only 7% of total sales, emphasizing the continued importance of the warehouse experience.
• 🔍 Real-time online inventory updates are available on the website, while the app's local store inventory feature has a 30-minute delay.

Addressing Online Misinformation

• 🚫 Claims about a new smart inventory tracking system or an 8% reduction in product selection are unverified by official sources.
• ❌ The idea of a virtual waiting room system to prevent bots from buying limited deals also lacks any evidence from official announcements or filings.