Costco has a productive August
Net sales were up and tech continued to be installed
Costco reported net sales of over $19.8 billion in August, a 7.1% year-over-year increase.
In the U.S., comparable sales were 4.7% higher than a year ago in August and 6.7% better excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange.
Ecommerce sales improved 23.3% year over year.
August was also the month the warehouse retailer began installing card scanners at the entrance of all stores. The Issaquah, Wash.-based company tested the tech earlier this year with the goal of preventing card sharing with non-members.
Costco increased membership dues in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 1 for the first time since 2017. The basic membership fee is now $65 a year, an increase of $5, and Costco’s Executive Membership is $130, a bump of $10.
Membership fees pulled in $1.12 billion during the third quarter of 2024, a 7.6% increase year over year.
On the tech side, Costco continues to roll out a warehouse search inventory tool on its mobile app for certain customers.
The feature’s launch date was in June and is still in Beta testing.