Costco is getting rid of its special COVID-19 shopping hours for vulnerable customers, including seniors, healthcare workers, and first responders

• Costco is ending its special COVID-19 shopping hours it made available during the pandemic.
• The warehouse giant reserved special operating hours for seniors, healthcare workers, and first responders.

Costco is ending its special operating hours for customers vulnerable to COVID-19.

Sunday marks the last day the warehouse giant will reserve an hour in the mornings strictly for seniors, healthcare workers, and first responders, according to an update on its website.

Early in the pandemic, Costco set aside one hour a day solely for those customers so they could avoid larger crowds in the warehouses. In July 2020, Costco cut back the availability of the special hours to two days a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Last summer, the company announced it would get rid of the special operating hours completely before walking back that decision a few weeks later as COVID-19 cases rose.

Costco allowed members age 60 or older, pharmacists, hospital employees with a hospital ID, police officers, EMTs, and firefighters to take advantage of the special operating hours.

As part of its latest update, Costco will stop offering early shopping availability in all US and Puerto Rico locations, with the exception of four stores. Two are located in New York, one is in California, and another is in Hawaii.

"Members who do not wish to shop during regular hours are welcome to visit Costco.com for all their shopping needs," Costco wrote on its website.