Look, I love Costco as much as the next person. The deals are great, the food court is cheap, and you can basically buy anything in bulk. But let’s be honest here – shopping at Costco can be super frustrating sometimes. And I’m not talking about the store itself, really. It’s everything around the experience that makes you want to pull your hair out. After countless trips to my local warehouse, I’ve noticed some patterns that pretty much ruin what should be a simple shopping trip.
The layout changes every single time you visit
Just when you think you’ve figured out where everything is, Costco goes and moves it all around. I mean, other grocery stores might shuffle things once or twice a year, but Costco does this constantly. One week the cereal is on the left side, next week it’s disappeared to some random corner. And honestly, it’s not an accident. According to Chowhound, the store actually designs the layout to be confusing on purpose. They want you wandering around, getting disoriented, and impulse buying stuff you didn’t come for. It works, too. But that doesn’t make it any less annoying when you’re just trying to grab paper towels and get out.
The last time I went, I spent fifteen minutes looking for the coffee aisle. Fifteen minutes. It had moved three aisles over from where it was the previous week. Some people think it’s kind of like a treasure hunt, but I’m not one of those people.
Way too many people crammed into the aisles
Costco is huge. Like, warehouse huge. So why does it feel like you’re trying to navigate through a sardine can? The place gets so packed that you can barely move your cart without bumping into someone. And it’s not just busy on weekends – even weekday afternoons can be pretty crowded. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been boxed into an aisle, just standing there pretending to read a label while waiting for people to clear out. It’s claustrophobic, honestly.
There’s actually an app now that tracks how crowded your local Costco is, which tells you everything you need to know about this problem. If they had to create an app for it, you know it’s bad.
Those pushy salespeople won’t take no for an answer
You know the ones I’m talking about. The phone and internet sales reps stationed throughout the store who basically ambush you. I’ve tried being polite, I’ve tried ignoring them, and nothing really works. They just keep pushing their pitch even after you’ve said no multiple times. And the thing is, they’re third-party contractors working on commission, so I get it. Their job is to be persistent. But does anyone actually enjoy being cornered about switching phone carriers while they’re trying to buy groceries? Does anyone?
Here’s something I learned though – these salespeople are supposed to accept the first no under their contract with Costco. If they don’t back off, you can totally escalate to a manager. Not that you should have to do that, but at least it’s an option.
Checkout lines that never end
Even when the store isn’t that busy, the checkout lines are ridiculous. There are a few reasons for this. First, everyone’s buying in bulk, so each person has a cart overflowing with stuff that takes forever to scan. Second, a lot of Costco locations are understaffed at the registers because they’ve added self-checkout areas. Instead of hiring more cashiers, they just have one person overseeing a bunch of self-checkout stations. And third, customers themselves slow things down by not having their membership cards ready or fumbling with payment.
I’ve stood in line for twenty minutes before, which is basically an eternity when you’ve already spent an hour shopping. But there’s hope – Costco is rolling out Scan and Go stations at some locations, which should help speed things up. At least that’s what they’re saying.
People who block the entire aisle with their carts
This is more about other shoppers than the store itself, but it’s super annoying anyway. You’ll be trying to get down an aisle and there’s someone parked right in the middle, talking on their phone or spacing out or whatever. Their cart is diagonal, blocking both directions of traffic. And they’re completely oblivious to everyone trying to squeeze past them. One frustrated Costco member on Good Housekeeping literally begged people to just move out of the way. I mean, it’s not that hard to be aware of your surroundings, right?
And it’s not just stationary blockers either. Some people push their carts super slowly while looking at their phones, creating a moving roadblock. Just be considerate. That’s all anyone’s asking for.
The sample station chaos gets out of hand
Free samples are one of the best parts of shopping at Costco, don’t get me wrong. But some people lose their minds over them. I’ve seen customers practically trampling each other to get a tiny cup of frozen pizza bites or whatever they’re serving that day. The crowd around sample stations can get pretty intense, with people hovering and waiting for the next batch like they haven’t eaten in weeks. One customer pointed out that you could just buy a hot dog and drink for $1.50 instead of fighting for samples, and honestly that makes total sense.
The samples are great when you can actually get to them without getting elbowed in the ribs. But when there’s a mob scene happening, it’s easier to just skip it entirely. Which kind of defeats the purpose, but anyway.
Scalpers buying up everything in sight
This is a newer problem, but it’s getting worse. Scalpers have figured out they can buy up large quantities of popular items at Costco – especially trading cards like Pokemon – and then resell them online for huge markups. They create artificial scarcity so they can jack up prices. And they’re not just annoying because they buy everything out from under regular customers. They’re also rude and confrontational, according to multiple reports. There have been actual fights breaking out in stores over this stuff. Why does this keep happening?
It’s particularly bad with Pokemon cards right now, though scalpers target other limited items too. Hopefully it’s just a phase that’ll pass, but right now it’s making the shopping experience worse for everyone else.
Having to stop and show your receipt before leaving
After you’ve dealt with the changing layout, the crowds, the long checkout lines, and everything else, you finally get to leave. Except you don’t actually get to leave yet. There’s always someone at the door checking receipts. I know they’re doing their job – they’re checking for theft and making sure you weren’t double-charged. But when you’ve got a overflowing cart and you’ve already waited in line forever, having to stop again is just frustrating. Even the fastest receipt checker needs at least a minute to look over everything.
Getting into Costco is pretty smooth as long as you have your membership card ready. But leaving? That’s another story entirely. It’s basically the final annoying hurdle before you can actually get your groceries home.
The parking lot is complete madness
Before you even get inside, you have to survive the parking lot. And Costco parking lots are notorious. People drive like they’re in a demolition derby, cutting each other off and racing for spots. Then there are the shoppers who leave their carts scattered everywhere instead of returning them to the cart corral. Nothing like dodging runaway carts while trying to find a parking space. Some shoppers have started just grabbing an abandoned cart from the lot on their way in, which actually isn’t a bad strategy. At least you’re preventing it from rolling into someone’s car.
And don’t even get me started on people who park in the tire inflation area just to go shopping inside. Or the ones who fill up their gas tanks on the wrong side of their car, creating unnecessary delays. The parking lot alone can raise your blood pressure before you’ve even started shopping.
Despite all these annoyances, people still flock to Costco in huge numbers. The deals are good enough that most of us are willing to put up with the frustrations. But that doesn’t mean we can’t complain about them. Maybe if enough people speak up about these issues, some of them might actually get better. Or maybe they won’t. Either way, at least we can commiserate with fellow shoppers who understand the struggle. Because at the end of every Costco trip, you leave with great deals and a story about something that drove you absolutely crazy.
