When Does Costco Restock Its Shelves?

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Ahh, Costco. Not just a grocery store, but an institution. While Costco members love saving money on bulk pantry essentials like canned goods, beans, and cereal, they also appreciate the quality of the products stocked by the warehouse retailer. Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is a big reason for the chain's success, as these goods meet, and often exceed, the quality expectations of their name-brand counterparts. Some customers even try to visit the store precisely when new inventory is stocked, which is easier said than done in most cases. We tried to pin down the store's exact restock schedule, and here's what we uncovered. 

According to social media, many locations replenish their stock each night. As explained by a Redditor, "They stock every day, and trucks arrive daily with pallets of goods." On Quora, a self-described Costco staffer claimed that goods are restocked on a nightly basis. "Night merch crew starts [restocking] in the back aisles," the poster explained, "Morning merch [restocking] starts about 3–4 am." Thanks to the weekend rush, many Costco locations also restock their shelves on Monday. As a customer on Reddit put it, "I used to go Monday night, but they were still stocking from the weekend blowout. [An employee] told me the store is fully stocked by Tuesday."

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When it comes to logistics practices, Costco's depots are a crucial component of its receiving and distribution operations. These locations are independent of Costco warehouses and aren't primarily used for product storage. Instead, depots are used for a shipping practice known as cross-docking, which entails taking items from a delivery truck and immediately transferring them to another truck for shipping. 

This process could explain why it's so hard to pinpoint specific restocking days and times at Costco locations. The Reddit commenter who claimed stock comes in daily also said, "[The] only people that know what exactly a warehouse is getting are the people ordering at the regional offices." The person went on to state, "Even then, they can change anything they want up to the minute before it gets to the depots." Costco is a store with plenty of unique features, from the chain's membership model to its love for loss leaders like the rotisserie chicken and the famed $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. The distinct inventory and restocking process appears to be another facet that sets the retailer apart.