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Costco is set to remove its year-round book section from hundreds of stores, but there’s a possibility it could make a comeback, according to reports.
Costco members know the sight of a table covered in books for toddlers, kids and adults, but starting in January 2025, Costco’s famous table of books will no longer be found at hundreds of the wholesaler’s locations, according to reporting from Yahoo Finance and Fox Business.
Book sections from 500 of Costco’s 600 stores will be removed, according to Yahoo Finance.
Instead of selling the books year-round, shoppers may now only spot them at Costco during the holiday season, from September to December, the New York Times reported in June.
Costco did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Sunday.
Why is Costco removing its book section?
The company previously said it is removing the section because stocking the books is too labor intensive, the New York Times reported.
The change also comes at a time when readers are turning to Amazon to buy their books instead of visiting brick-and-mortar stores, like Barnes and Noble, Target or Costco, according to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights published in April.
Around 71% of people in the U.S. surveyed said they had purchased a book from the online retailer.
Will Costco bring back its book section?
The book section can make a comeback, but it depends on how people decide to shop.
Costco said that if sales at stores where the book section remains do well, then it could return to stores, Yahoo Finance reported. But, if they do poorly, more stores could lose their book sections.
Are people reading less?
Around 51.5% of American adults surveyed said they have read at least one book in the last year, according to a survey conducted by Test Prep Insight.
However, a survey published by the Pew Research Center in January 2022 found that 75% of American adults said they read a book in the last 12 months.
Over 51% of men said they were non-readers, according to TPI, while nearly 46% of women said they hadn’t read.
Print books are also more popular than e-books and audio books, according to TPI. However, audiobooks have seen a surge in popularity.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
