Costco giving first responders, medical workers 'priority access'
Those at front lines of the coronavirus pandemic can skip the wait time before entering
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Costco is giving “priority access” to customers who are first responders and medical workers, allowing them to skip to the front of the line to enter the store and, in turn, avoid long wait times amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company recently announced.
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The big-box retailer said in a Wednesday update to its website that stores will be allowing law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs and other health care workers at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis to skip the wait time before entering its stores nationwide.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP. | 743.90 | +11.46 | +1.56% |
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The priority customers must show their Costco membership cards, as well as identification proving their roles in order to be allowed the special access, the Costco update states.
People wear masks as they wait in line at Costco on April 4, 2020, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Costco has implemented other changes in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in recent weeks, such as only allowing two people per membership into the store at the time, and instituting special hours to customers with physical impairments or those over the age of 60.
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Shoppers visit a Costco Wholesale in Tigard, Ore., on Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
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Stores have also placed limits on the number of certain items each customer can purchase, and are no longer accepting returns of toilet paper, sanitizing wipes, water bottles, rice, paper towels and disinfectant spray.
Meanwhile, some states have begun limiting the kinds of products stores can sell.
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At the end of March, Vermont's Agency of Commerce and Community Development ordered "big box" stores, including Costco, to suspend the in-person sale of non-essential products.