Costco did not even sell merchandise on its website until 1998, and in those days, the selection was very limited.
Sure, Costco Travel lived there, but the website was more about advertising ancillary services such as TurboTax access than about selling anything to members.
In recent years, however, Costco has offered a greatly expanded selection, and it allows members to use Instacart and Shipt to order select items directly from its warehouses.
It had also been building on that with its digital-only program, Costco Next, which lets members access items the warehouse club does not stock. It's not a new service; it has technically been around since 2017. But Costco does not promote the offering, and it's something I, and many other members, did not know about.
Now, that service has been shut down with no notice.
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Visitors to the Costco Next web page got a terse message from the company.
"Access to Costco Next store fronts is no longer available. Please refer to the list below for contact information for vendors with active return policies. For eligible returns and warranty inquiries, contact the vendor directly," the company shared.
That was followed by a long list of company names with their contact information.
A third-party marketplace like the model pioneered by Amazon, Costco Next offered an expanded selection of items that never make it into a Costco warehouse. The program, however, differed from Amazon's approach in important ways.
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Costco Next allowed the retailer to offer more merchandise, but have it shipped directly from partners. The warehouse club, however, is still careful with its merchandise, and its buyers worked with partner retailers.
Next provided a more carefully curated selection than Amazon does, because Costco remains focused on delivering value to members.
