Talia Lakritz/Business Insider
A big perk is coming to Costco’s higher-priced membership tier.
The warehouse club said it would begin allowing Executive Members in the US to shop an hour earlier than standard members starting June 30, according to an email to employees seen by Business Insider.
“Our Executive Members are our most loyal members, and we want to reward them for their commitment to Costco,” the email said.
Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Executive Members were previously offered extended shopping hours at some locations, but the perk was phased out in recent years, Costco Insider reported.
The company also said in the email that Executive members would start receiving a $10 monthly credit for Instacart orders and $150 worth of other benefits and savings on Costco services.
Costco’s higher-priced membership comes with several benefits, including 2% rewards on purchases.
Slightly fewer than half of Costco members are Executive-tier, which costs twice as much as the standard $65-a-year level, called Gold Star. Executive Members account for more than 73% of the company’s total sales, according to the company.
Improving the attractiveness of the Executive upgrade could help Costco boost membership fee revenue and drive higher sales. It might also alleviate traffic that has been a challenge for some stores.
Costco has also been testing earlier hours at its gas stations for all members. The company said during its May earnings call that the impact on sales has been positive so far.
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