An entire section will disappear from every Costco store across the US within weeks

Costco shoppers are about to see an entire section disappear from every store.

From January, the wholesaler will stop selling books all year round.

The company announced the change in June, throwing in the towel on its long-running battle with Amazon over book sales.

The retailer had been battling the tech giant since it started selling books online in 1995.

This means that after the holidays, customers will see the layout of the stores redesigned without a dedicated book section.

Books have already been removed from store shelves in Alaska and Hawaii, and other states will follow in January.

The retailer will now only stock books during the holiday period from September to December, with occasional sales throughout the rest of the year.

Costco argued that the move away from books is due to the personnel costs required to stock them, according to executives.

Starting in January, the wholesaler will stop stocking books year-round (pictured: A book section in a store in Illinois)

The extra labor compared to other products comes from the time it takes to post books every Tuesday as new ones come out, as well as return unsold copies to the publishers.

Given its scale, Costco often ordered tens of thousands of copies of a book they stocked.

For big bestsellers, it can have hundreds of thousands of copies per year. title.

The move comes as a blow to publishers struggling with stagnant sales as a growing number of customers buy books online from sites like Amazon.

“Costco nationwide was a great outlet for books,” said Robert Gottlieb, president of Trident Media Group. New York Times earlier this year.

“There are now fewer and fewer places to buy books in a retail environment,” he explained.

“It’s an easy place to just grab the latest in a series you’re reading or pick up a book for your kid,” Brenna Connor, director of US books at Circana told the magazine.

Given its scale, Costco often ordered tens of thousands of copies of a book it stocked (pictured: A book section in a store in California)

The retailer had been battling Amazon since the tech giant began selling books online in 1995

This comes as Costco has begun cracking down on its member policy, enforcing a card scan with identification before they are granted entry.

The retailer announced earlier this year that scanning devices will be placed in all warehouses, and they have already been spotted in a number of locations.

“If your membership card does not have a photo, please be prepared to show your valid photo ID. We encourage you to stop by the membership desk to have a photo taken for your card,” a statement from Costco read.

Those hoping to shop must now be accompanied by a member instead of just holding the card — meaning parents could no longer send their kids on a Costco trip on their own.

Previously, customers walking into their local Costco were not necessarily stopped by an employee to check if they were a member.

The wholesaler also raised its member rates in September for the first time in seven years.

The standard membership increased by $5, taking it away $60 to $65 per year.