Here's Who Gets To Shop At Costco Earlier With This New Membership Perk

One of the few annoying things about shopping at Costco is just how crazy the store is, especially on weekends. But if you have a higher level membership, that problem is about to be avoidable. One quirk of the warehouse store's business model is that most Costco locations have hours that are much more limited than competing big box stores and grocery chains. Most locations don't open until 10 A.M. and close as early as six on weekends. There are good reasons for this: The limited hours cut down on overhead costs that help make the store's famous bargains possible, and as a company that is known for its admirable commitment to treating its employees well, limited hours also help them have a healthy work-life balance. The downside is that when Costco is open, it's packed. So in an effort to relieve some of that pressure, and maybe get more people paying more for a pricier membership, Costco will be allowing its Executive-level members to start shopping an hour early.

The new early shopping hours will start on June 30, according to a company email that was seen by Costco Insider. This means that on Sunday through Friday, Executive members will get one hour of crowd-free shopping from nine to 10 A.M. On Saturdays, when stores usually open at 9:30, these members will get in a half-hour earlier. The other Costco memberships, like Gold Star and the business level, will still be limited to normal hours.

The extended shopping hours were actually offered to Executive members in the past, but the program had been phased out years ago. This relaunching of the perk comes as Costco is reconsidering some of its business operations in the face of problems with overcrowding and traffic. The company recently extended the hours that its gas stations are open to help alleviate the problem as well.

By opening to high-level members an hour early, not only would those members enjoy less crowded stores, but other members would also hopefully see shorter lines during the normal business hours as well. This could lessen the problem of the best time to shop at Costco being when most working people can't actually make it to the store.

The Executive membership at Costco is currently priced at $130 per year, compared to $65 for Gold Star. While this jump in price may not be worth it to some just to get in the store early, the higher-level also offers other discounts and 2% cash back on Costco purchases. That means if you spend $3,250 a year at Costco, or more, the executive membership pays for itself, compared to Gold Star. Considering how much fans love Costco, that level of spending isn't unusual. So if you're already dropping your money at the warehouse, now might be the time to take the plunge on a higher-tier membership.