Costco Shoppers are Divided Over This Huge New Change Rolling Out at the Food Court

Costco has been undergoing some pretty major changes over the last year, some of which have directly affected the day-to-day shopping experience of the retailer's loyal membership holders. While being in the process of transitioning in a new CFO, the company has been working on new ways to continue growing the business well into the future. Between making some necessary changes to the beloved food court rules and regulations and rolling out a fresh sushi bar concept, it's safe to say that Costco is on a mission to preserve the value of their annual membership.

Lately, however, there have been a lot of rumblings surrounding the retailer's beloved food court, who has access to it and whether or not the menu is up to par with the glory days of its past. And after recent news surfaced regarding Costco’s crack down on non-members using the food court, it seems as though even more changes are on the horizon for those who frequent the popular discount eatery.

According to a post shared to the always informative Costco subreddit, a warehouse in Chicago recently removed its food court kitchen’s receipt printer, subsequently creating chaos as workers struggled to keep up with orders in a timely manner. Members who ordered food from a kiosk were required to queue up in line in order to show the workers behind the counter their receipts before the workers could begin preparing their food.

Related: Costco's Most-Anticipated Food Court Item Is Allegedly Making a Return—But There's a Catch

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“There was one sign notifying people of this change,” the author behind the post reported. “The food court worker was very stressed,” they continued, “and there were crowds of people not knowing their order was not being prepared as it has been for all of time.”

While a lot of Costco’s recent changes have been largely welcomed by its members, some changes seem to come abruptly and with no planning involved. Simply hanging a sign or two might not be the solution customers are looking for when it comes to how parts of the business operate.

“My location had like 5 signs on the 4 kiosks,” one commenter responded to offer their experience with the latest checkout process changes. “There was also always a person at the counter yelling ‘receipts show me your receipts.’ Seemed like a step down from the organized chaos it used to be,” they concluded.

In this case, it seems that the issue lies on each individual location's management and how they handle the impending changes. Proper signage and communication is key, especially when considering some Costco locations literally resemble that of a theme park in terms of foot traffic. It will be interesting to see how these new changes to the ordering process play out, but for now, all we can say is have an open mind and think the food court gods above that the prices remain as low as they are.

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