Book bargain hunters will be disappointed to learn of Costco’s plans Stop selling books at most of its US stores at the beginning of the year.
In January, Costco will remove the stores’ popular book section from most of its more than 600 stores in the United States.
And it will come back only during the holiday season, from September to December, and at other intermittent times, the discount store chain told publishers over the summer, according to The New York Times.
Costco told executives the change was made because stacking books on tables is laborious and must be done by hand rather than by forklift as with other products, the Times reports.
The decision has been taken as more consumers are purchasing books through online outlets such as Amazon.
However, trade news magazine Publishers Weekly reported this week that the books will remain in about 100 Costco stores nationwide.
The outlet reported that the decision to keep certain books in the store would be a departure from the store’s previous plans.
Publishing and Costco executives will also be tracking sales trends for Taylor Swift’s official Eras Tour book, which is being sold exclusively at Target starting on Black Friday, Publishers Weekly reports.
According to the magazine, if book sales continue to do well, Costco may bring back literary sections to more stores, or they may become seasonal altogether if sales decline.
Fox Business has contacted Costco for comment.
