Costco shopper's ‘life hack’ sounds really smart — until people realized it’s a problem for workers

Every retailer, including Costco, has perks for customers and its own set of rules, and shoppers always come up with hacks to save up more. Although a consumer may only aim to squeeze out a good deal, it could end up making a worker's life miserable. That is what one TikTok creator did, and the internet did not take it well. Knot Kinky HairTies (@knotkinkyhairties) shared a video of her walking down empty aisles at Costco as the store neared its closing time. She thought it was a good way to shop without worrying about big crowds.

In the video, the creator can be seen arriving at the store and getting a cart full of items right when the store is about to close (8 pm). The text overlay on the video read, “Life Hack: Costco @ 8 pm is a vibe and they don’t kick you out when they close.” As per a report in The Mary Sue, the video has received 69,000 views. Customers and employees took to the comments section to express their disappointment.

“As a former retail worker: we don’t kick you out because we can’t, but we hate it 💀 people wanna go home after their shift,” one user commented. “100% but I’ve worked in places that make you go around and tell customers to go to the checkout and have to put out warnings over the speaker about closing time!” the creator replied. She also had a reply to a comment calling her actions disrespectful.

“Totally agree! I was out 3 minutes until close, but it was nice not being bothered with “closing in 5 etc,” she wrote. “8 pm is fine, but if they’re closed at 9, you should respect that and not stay after close or encourage others to. They’re tired, their shift has ended, and they want to go home. There are no other shoppers at that time for a reason,” another user commented. Clearly, her hack wasn't appreciated.

Surely, a store has to force the customers out after a certain time, but Costco perhaps gives its shoppers a bit more leeway with that. Employees are not fans of this policy, as they’re the ones having to work longer. A discussion on Reddit about the same had unfolded many years ago. “I was at Costco last night and left around 5:55 (warehouse closes at 6.) I saw people still going in, some even grabbing carts, which made me wonder how they handle closing,” one user had written.

“They dim the lights, and this is usually a cue to customers that it's time to go,” one person commented. “The door people should be informing people that come in right before closing of the time the store closes, so the members should be aware they’re limited on shopping time. They dim the lights. There is no announcement over a speaker to tell members it’s time to go. They do a “sweep” where they have employees starting at the back of the store and working their way up front. If they come across any members, they see if they can help them find what they’re looking for and let them know we’re closed,” added another.

For more of such content, follow @knotkinkyhairties on TikTok.

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