Why Reddit Has A Big Problem With Costco's Membership

During the pandemic, big-box warehouse stores like Costco saw considerable increases in sales and store memberships as customers were looking to stockpile common household goods like cleaning supplies and toilet paper, according to CNN. With over six million added members during the pandemic, the real test is how many people decide to keep their membership moving forward. With record-breaking inflation, saving money is certainly at the forefront of many people's thoughts, and cutting that membership fee might be financially beneficial.

We can only assume there is a good amount of people who have decided to keep their Costco membership active, and that some have decided to call it quits for various reasons, including lack of need, membership fees, and even the removal of a favorite fan item. As expected, service workers are often required to attempt to retain members when they desire to cancel their membership, but what happens when they take their efforts too far? Users on Reddit shared their experiences going through the Costco membership cancellation process, and the comments, 453 of them, are a bit shocking to read.

While Costco's general ethos emphasizes excellent customer service, it appears that's not the experience many members had when trying to cancel their membership. According to Reddit, the pushy sales tactics seemed far off from their everyday experience with the warehouse store.

One Reddit user posted that they has witnessed a Costco customer try to cancel a membership, and the employee was less than friendly. The OP shared that the young shopper explained they had moved back home from college and didn't plan to use it as much, and then the employee "got a bit more firm," insisting that the customer not cancel. "Finally, they reached an impasse, and she gave up and walked away," the Redditor added, concluding that they hope this isn't a sign of a company culture shift.

Another user explained that when downgrading their membership to the gold status, the whole ordeal was unpleasant. Echoing a common sentiment, they said, "This is the one area Costco has poor customer skills. It HAS to be a big money maker for them, or they would NOT invest this much sales energy." Hundreds of similar comments followed.

While membership sales are an essential part of some warehouse grocers, customers might be happier, and possibly renew their Coscto membership at a later time, if the cancellation process wasn't so unpleasant.