Illinois Costco to Stop Selling Books Regularly—Here’s Why

Book lovers are furious over the latest news that Costco will be cutting back on selling books regularly.  What gives?!

BookTok isn't taking the news well that Costco will slowly stop selling books majority of the year.  They have good reason on why they're making this change, though.

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Starting this month, Costco said it's too "labor intensive" to stock books, and more people are buying books online anyway.  So instead of selling books year around, they'll only stock up during the last four months of the year for the holidays.

This could really impact publishers, no?

The print industry already struggles to keep up with modern times and demand of digital books, but there are so many people in the world who love a physical book in hand, get a whiff of the fresh printed pages, and to read a good story snuggled up on the couch.

What does this mean for Costco exclusive members?

Well, they'll have to start looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, members will have to wait until "gift-giving season" to see a wider selection at their local Costco stores.

“It was sort of a point of pride within the industry, that books are not just elitist, books had a really solid mass market play,” publishing industry analyst and author Thad McIlroy said. “It really meant a lot to the industry that Costco was a strong outlet, and to have it turned into just Christmas gifts, that’s not a good thing.” [usatoday]

How do you feel about this change?  Will this impact the way you shop or how often you visit Costco?