Michigan Costco Stores May Soon Pull Popular Item From Shelves

The change will impact 85% of Costco stores across the country.

While I can't say I'm entirely surprised, I still don't like this news. One of Costco's signature displays will soon be absent from nearly 500 of the retailer's 600 U.S. locations.

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Can they just do that? Simply eliminate an entire department of their own store?! How rude.

According to several news reports from sources like Yahoo Finance and the Battle Creek Enquirer, beginning in the new year Costco stores across the country will remove their famous "table of books" display, in addition to removing their year-round book section altogether.

So, Nobody Reads Anymore?

The New York Times was reporting on this story as early as June 2024. Initial reports suggested the retailer blamed the on-going labor shortage as the logic behind eliminating their book section as restocking the department was too labor intensive.

The rise in the popularity of e-books, tablets, and audiobooks, as well as competition from convenient online retailers like Amazon can also be blamed for the change in consumer's spending habits.

Funny, remember how Amazon originally started as an online bookstore? Today founder Jeff Bezos is the 2nd wealthiest person in the world.

Is This Change Permanent?

I happen to be a person who just cannot get into e-books or Kindles or even books on tape. I prefer physical books; so sue me! Are physical book people like myself just left to fend for ourselves?

Costco reps claim the book displays may return temporarily during next holiday shopping season, or permanently, depending on shoppers' spending habits.