Costco to do something it only does 7 times a year

There are a few key things Costco does to set itself apart from other retailers.

Perhaps the most obvious one is that Costco charges a membership fee to walk in the door.

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But Costco also takes a different approach to customer service than its competitors.

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For one thing, Costco has one of the most generous return policies in all of retail. With few exceptions, members can bring back a Costco purchase at any time for any reason and get their money back if a product doesn’t meet their expectations.

Not only does Costco stand behind its products, but it also stands behind its memberships. This means members who feel they’re not getting great value can get their membership fees refunded, too.

Costco expands certain hours to meet customers’ needs

Costco hours can vary by location. But for the most part, the warehouse club opens its doors between 9 and 10 a.m. and closes around 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

On weekends, Costco’s hours are more limited — especially on Sundays.

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After hearing customers say that they wanted longer weekday hours, Costco obliged to a large degree. While it hasn’t changed operating hours for its actual warehouse club stores, it recently extended its gas station hours to be more accommodating.

Now, most Costco gas stations open at 6 in the morning on weekdays and remain open until 10 at night. This change is especially helpful to daily commuters who want to fill up their cars before heading to work.

Costco’s weekend gas station hours were expanded as well.

Costco rarely closes, but it does happen

The nice thing about holiday weekends is that working folks get an extra day to run errands and take care of things they normally wouldn’t have time for during the week.

But Costco members looking to shop on Memorial Day may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

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Costco only closes its warehouse club stores seven times during the year. But one of those seven occasions is Memorial Day, which means customers won’t be able to shop this coming Monday.

The other holidays Costco closes for are:

• New Year’s Day
• Easter Sunday
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

While Costco understands that members may not be happy about its upcoming closure, it’s not just customers Costco aims to please.

Costco also makes a point to take care of its employees. The company does this through competitive wages and a generous benefits package that includes paid time off.

Costco knows that the key to offering great customer service is to train and retain great staff members. So it’s willing to close up shop a few times a year to keep workers happy.

Despite the inconvenience of not being open on Memorial Day, most members would agree that Costco makes up for it in other ways.

More retail:

• Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customers
• Target makes a change that might scare Walmart, Costco
• Top investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brand
• Walmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers

Besides, Costco warehouses get notoriously crowded on weekends, to the point where it can be unpleasant to shop there. It’s fair to say that Memorial Day wouldn’t be the best time to set foot in a Costco store, anyway.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.

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