Costco is in my top of mind when thinking about going to the supermarket. It’s also my first option when I need, for example, camping or having a picnic, changing my car’s tires or even when needing some fuel (you can actually access to nice prices in Costco’s gas stations, with your membership). I can say I’m a satisfied costumer, but, from time to time, there are some things that I have to complain about with the company.
And a complaint is not just a catharsis you make when feel frustrated with bad service or low quality products, but also an obligation for me and you as costumers. Because when transmitting your thoughts to Costco, you help them improve. I can assure you this chain has a great costumer service, and they do listen to you.
The top 3 complaints from Costco costumers
We must be clear about this: bulk shopping is not for anyone. Some people don’t know how to handle the system and end with tons of products they will not be able to eat fast enough. Even though, Costco is one of the leading chains: it made over $70 billion in net sales just last quarter—an astonishing 17.5% increase in comparison to just one year ago. So, its large-size bulks method works and lots of people are willing to buy there.
But, it’s also imperfect as anything in life, because behind those walls there are people, and people make mistakes, am I right? And those mistakes become into complaints. For example, people sometimes feel upset with some pushy salespeople. In a Reddit thread, the top voted comments said that costumers are not happy with some associates that are not that helpful, or that don’t treat them in a good manner. Most of Costco members just want to get in, shop, and go home. “I’m sick of all the salespeople. Solar, cell phones, weird Traeger dudes. It ruins the experience,” wrote another clearly angry Reddit user.
Another top-rated complaint in forums like Reddit, or Facebook pages, go about the website and how many problems it has sometimes. A Redditor said that the app “is a surprisingly bad app for a major company” the size of Costco. Meanwhile, another post stating, “Stock info on the website!!!” has collected over 400 upvotes. Directly under that comment, another Redditor added, “How about the website and app just not be hot garbage.”
Other people were talking about how slow and not-user-friendly the website was: there are remarks about how rigid and not visually attractive, or how it looks like an old website from 10 years ago.
Now, about that bulk shopping thing: yes, Costco was created thinking about selling in large, big bulks to offer costumers lowers prices regarding the volume. But, there are things that some members don’t want to buy in larger amounts: for example, doughnuts or bagels. I mean, yeah, you can purchase a large bag of bagels and freeze the ones you are not eating right now, but some people are not used to this practice or just don’t like frozen bread. “Let me buy just 1 bag of bagels!”, one Redditor said, and other replied: “I just want 1 box of muffins!”.