Why Costco is so popular among the Amish, according to super fans who spent 7 years visiting over 200 locations around the world

• With over 850 locations around the world, Costco has amassed a diverse fanbase of shoppers.
• Authors who spent 7 years researching Costco say the store is particularly beloved by the Amish.

With over 850 locations worldwide, it's fair to say that Costco has amassed a diverse range of shoppers.

Among the different communities it caters to are the Amish, according to David and Susan Schwartz, a couple who spent seven years visiting over 200 Costco's around the globe.

The Schwartz', who recently published a book on the findings of their Costco adventures called "The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z," told Insider that during the seven years they spent researching their book, they visited the wholesaler's location in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and witnessed firsthand how beloved Costco is among Amish people, a distinctive Christian subculture known for rejecting the use of modern technology such as cars, television, and electricity.

"We went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is the center of Amish country in the United States, and the Amish love Costco," David said.

One reason the couple says Amish people love Costco is because the stores where a large Amish community resides, like the one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, cater to their preferred mode of transport: horse and buggy.

"There is a shed in the parking lot for them to park their horses and buggies, and it's just fantastic," David said.

Their book contains illustrations of the shed, Susan added. Videos of it have also been shared on TikTok over the years, seemingly fascinated with the unique parking accommodation.

Besides catering to their parking needs, the couple says Amish people love Costco because they can buy in bulk.

"They have large families and they're looking for ways to save money and they're looking for quality goods," he said of the Amish. "Costco provides a very convenient way for buying large quantities for large Amish families."

From the years they spent researching Costco, the Schwartz' say it's not just Amish people who have a particular fondness for Costco.

"They're responsive to the needs of their neighborhoods," David said of Costco, citing the company's efforts to accommodate Orthodox Jewish and Muslim communities in the US with halal and kosher products.

However, a sticking point among Jewish and Muslim communities in the US may very well be the wholesaler's signature beef hot dogs, which have been sold in Costco food halls for $1.50 with a soda since 1985, as they are neither halal nor kosher.

According to Mashed, the hot dogs were originally kosher. When the item was first sold in stores, Costco partnered with Hebrew National.

That changed in 2009 when Costco switched to selling non-kosher hot dogs manufactured by Kirkland, sparking backlash from fans of Hebrew National's staple kosher hot dogs.