The Clever Reason Costco Is Constantly Moving Products Around

A quick trip to Costco is never quite the same as any trip you've made in the past. The item location you were sure of has most likely changed, leaving you to circle the aisle with your giant cart, hunting. Meanwhile, you're likely to see a new product, or maybe one you'd loved and forgotten about, and oh, hey — holiday decor! This situation is not the result of shelf stocking gone wild, it's a deliberate strategy employed by Costco designed to expose you to more items during your shopping trip.

Gazing upward, you'll observe a lack of signs in the aisles, and there are no maps or directions to guide your way through the maze of products. Costco's approach is intentional: Encourage shoppers to meander through the aisles to scan the shelves, stumbling upon unexpected treasures that might find their way into their carts, ultimately boosting their total spent amount and potentially finding a new favorite item.

Rest assured, the fresh and frozen foods are at least in the same place, but strategically located at the rear of the store, requiring you to navigate past numerous enticing impulse items and sample kiosks. Picking up that famously inexpensive Costco roast chicken might mean coming home with a cookbook or two, or a pair of new jeans. Costco dubs the central part of the store "the racetrack," and one tip we can offer is that following the racetrack will bring you to all of the major store sections. Opting to cut through the middle of the racetrack exposes you to even more unplanned items, of course.

Costco is also constantly rotating seasonal items into stock and replacing items that don't sell well or have been discontinued, and that also changes where items are stocked. So no matter what's on your shopping list, schedule a few extra minutes to navigate the store wisely because we can guarantee new treasures will be strategically placed for you to find!