Special Senior Hours at Costco 8:00 am to 9:00 am Monday to Saturday Starting Nov 2

Good to see this coming back Canadawide

(Although based on what we’ve seen ... some individual warehouses stayed with the program the whole time)

Costco has a loyal following of Customers ...
And during Covid 19 in the Spring a lot of that base was left out in the cold
Due to how they structured their online Grocery & Household Shopping ... what they call 2 Day Grocery Delivery
In that it isn’t available to all Postal Codes

And was also over run online via Non Members being able to buy
Thankfully, Costco listened and now Costco.ca is only available to Costco Members
(Still haven’t fixed the Postal Code issues ... but we can hope they listen / take action there too )

Also, since the Spring Outbreak ... Costco has now partnered with InstaCart across Canada
So that means home delivery for FRESH ITEMS from a local warehouse is now at least possible

But not every Cdn lives close by a Costco
Some do have to drive a distance
(Costco themselves say their draw is up to 100 Kms )
So at least some Seniors & the vulnerable
Now have somewhat safer options to shop in person

Good going Costco!

* Still hoping they change up their online 2 Day Online Grocery Postal Code Policy
So ALL CANADIANS can be served by at least that service for Covid necessities like paper products & cleaning supplies

While I whole-heartedly appreciate Costco's stepping up, what I disliked was people taking undue advantage of it during the summer.

If folks remember the HP laptop that was on sale in August, I went to my local Costco a few times to buy the laptop but returned back empty-handed. On one occasion I was there at 10:15 am, only to be told by the employee that 4 out of the 6 units were sold during the Seniors hour, the remaining 2 were sold between 9:30 am and around 10:00 am. The staff also mentioned members brought in a senior with them just to buy the laptop.

I don’t really get this whole concept. I don’t understand why seniors would go to Costco in person. However, accepting the concept, I don’t understand why they only include people who are seniors and people with physical disabilities and not people who are in an in-risk caregory (as defined by the Ministry of Health’s Covid recommendations). I wouldn’t be caught dead near a Costco, but I think people who are
Immunocomromised need it as much as people over 60.

Canoes4Fun wrote: ↑ I don’t really get this whole concept. I don’t understand why seniors would go to Costco in person. However, accepting the concept, I don’t understand why they only include people who are seniors and people with physical disabilities and not people who are in an in-risk caregory (as defined by the Ministry of Health’s Covid recommendations). I wouldn’t be caught dead near a Costco, but I think people who are
Immunocomromised need it as much as people over 60.

In regards to these Covid Hours

A Physical Disability ... DOES INCLUDE any sort of disability or vulnerability to / high risk situation

Don’t know WHY Costco changed their wording

But the accepted terminology for Specialized Hours during Covid @ Retailers is ... SENIORS & THE VULNERABLE POPULATION

** People go to Costco for the prices / deals. No matter how old or young they are
Not being able to shop @ Costco during the first Covid Wave in the Spring ... was a hardship for many
As I said in my Reply above ... things have changed
Costco has implemented various things to make it easier
But ... those measures still favour those who live in the immediate area
Senior & Vulnerable Hours ... just widen access more ... to those who live beyond “nearby”
I know folks who drive an hour to their Costco during regular times
They don’t qualify for delivery for fresh goods (too far)
So this gives them other possible options to access the things they want
Have come to rely upon as part of their membership... in a relatively safe way
For some that’s better than going without

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ In regards to these Covid Hours

A Physical Disability ... DOES INCLUDE any sort of disability or vulnerability to / high risk situation

Don’t know WHY Costco changed their wording

But the accepted terminology for Specialized Hours during Covid @ Retailers is ... SENIORS & THE VULNERABLE POPULATION

** People go to Costco for the prices / deals. No matter how old or young they are
Not being able to shop @ Costco during the first Covid Wave in the Spring ... was a hardship for many
As I said in my Reply above ... things have changed
Costco has implemented various things to make it easier
But ... those measures still favour those who live in the immediate area
Senior & Vulnerable Hours ... just widen access more ... to those who live beyond “nearby”
I know folks who drive an hour to their Costco during regular times
They don’t qualify for delivery for fresh goods (too far)
So this gives them other possible options to access the things they want
Have come to rely upon as part of their membership... in a relatively safe way
For some that’s better than going without

We will just have to agree to disagree about relying on going to Costco. I haven’t been inside a building other than a hospital and my home since mid-March as an at risk person.

We have the same argument with my MIL. She will survive a year without Costco. If she gets Covid, she and her husband probably won’t.

Canoes4Fun wrote: ↑ We will just have to agree to disagree about relying on going to Costco. I haven’t been inside a building other than a hospital and my home since mid-March as an at risk person.

We have the same argument with my MIL. She will survive a year without Costco. If she gets Covid, she and her husband probably won’t.

For the most part ... you & I are on the same page

Our in person shopping trips since March have been few & far between

Nothing until June (when Stage 2 Openings were declared in Ontario)

And even then ... it’s been to primarily for Groceries ... once every 3 weeks to a Grocery Store, once a month to Costco
Same with the Liquor Store ... once a month
And to the Hardware / Big Box Stores
Other than that ...
Once to a Bookstore
Once to a Bar
And ZERO to an eat in Restaurant

Have no plans to return to the last 3
And have already gone back to online ordering for the first 3

But I GET THE COSTCO THING
During the height of Covid in the Spring
And ordering groceries online
It was dang near impossible to get Chicken for awhile via Online Shopping thru PC+ Express
While elsewhere at Costco ... they still had plenty of “family packs” for in person shoppers

Meanwhile my options were few
I ended up having to buy PC FREE FROM Chicken Thighs & Breasts (all they had)
After going 2 weeks in a row without
The biggest difference there was cost ... I was paying about $ 10 to $ 15 MORE for this
Versus what I would have paid for a similar amount of chicken @ Costco

We weren’t happy with that
But ... we saw it as just a Covid Consequence
And saw the expense as something we could budget for

But I am sure ... there are many who could not
So see the draw for them in that situation of actually going into a Costco

More so, if they live in small towns or rurally
And their grocery options are already less than city folk

What was nice about shopping during seniors hour was that most shoppers wore masks....at least the Costco I normally shop at. The one across town had about a 50% compliance (but it wasn't during seniors hour).

sudesingh wrote: ↑ While I whole-heartedly appreciate Costco's stepping up, what I disliked was people taking undue advantage of it during the summer.

If folks remember the HP laptop that was on sale in August, I went to my local Costco a few times to buy the laptop but returned back empty-handed. On one occasion I was there at 10:15 am, only to be told by the employee that 4 out of the 6 units were sold during the Seniors hour, the remaining 2 were sold between 9:30 am and around 10:00 am. The staff also mentioned members brought in a senior with them just to buy the laptop.

Was it a regular sale or a clearance deal?

slowtyper wrote: ↑ Was it a regular sale or a clearance deal?

Like a normal sale, not clearance, but an excellent deal. I even checked with a couple of other Costco's around they were all sold out