Costco Wholesale — Local services in Bellingham

Costco #1216 (where we obtained our business membership) has always been our favorite place to shop since 2003. It has been a five star store in our hearts until what happened to us today, April 14, 2022. My husband and I were very excited to enjoy the last 'senior hour' day (both born in 1955) at Costco. We used the self-check a lot because it is faster so we would be on time for our business. Usually if the staff saw us with several big items like 25lb rice, 9lb+ packs of chicken, and a case of 6-3qt oil, one of them would check these items for us first using their hand scanner, we would scan the smaller items ourselves. When we went to the self-check stand today with four packs of chicken and a case of oil. A female staff was cleaning it (her name is Brianna, I went back into the store just to get her name). She walked away when seeing us. When my husband waved for help, she came to us, but didn't scan the items, instead, she started rebuking us "This is a self check out. See the tray here (pointing at it), you suppose to check each item and put them here. I'm going to do it for you only this time. Next time you do it yourself." We were utterly shocked and dumbfounded at what we were hearing. My husband even wasn't sure what she had said, so he asked "pardon me?" and she repeated the same words. At that moment we thought Costco had changed their service, no more help to customers, no matter how big and heavy the items were, we got to do it by ourselves. Whatever the reason there is, Brianna should not have treated us like she did today. She could calmly say ' we changed our way of service, and no longer scan for you.' We had some unpleasant experience with one of the floor staff before, but never been so humiliated and scolded like we were a couple of old fools. That staff member I mentioned above was a male, looked like he was a head person, a leader of some sort. He was Filipino maybe, or Chinese with dark complexion. I once asked him where to find an item. He started to walk away as he was talking, I didn't even get what he said. I thought he was in a hurry to attend something. Then there was another occasion, he looked so annoyed and irritated. I never asked him again even when he walked right by me and I was looking for a staff for help. I hate to play the 'Race' card. But what Brianna did to us today really made us think: if we were a white couple, would she treat us so bad? What did she gain from this? being hailed as winner, a hero? Are you proud of yourself? A word of advice: you leave you bias attitude at home while working at Costco, or you will cost Costcos' good reputation. You earned them one star today but you lost...

If I could give the Costco Food Court in Bellingham a 0 rating, I absolutely would without hesitation. My recent visit to this establishment left me deeply unsatisfied and frustrated beyond measure. My ordeal began when I called in at 7:10 pm to place an order. Despite being provided with an ETA of 8 o'clock, I arrived at the store at 7:53 pm to pay for my item, only to be met with utter incompetence and disregard for customer service. The staff member who took payment blatantly ignored my presence, leaving me standing there waiting on the order. After 30 minutes of waiting, I inquired about my order and was met with annoyance from the staff. Instead of providing a straightforward update, I was given the dismissive response of "it will be 10 more minutes or do you want a manager instead?" The lack of accountability and professionalism was glaringly evident throughout this entire interaction. This was not the first time I experienced such negligence from this establishment. On a previous occasion, they failed to fulfill my order despite ample notice and ended up causing me significant inconvenience and lateness to an event. It's unacceptable for a business to repeatedly make such egregious errors without consequence. The most disappointing aspect of my visit was the indifferent attitude displayed by the staff. It was evident that there's a severe lack of training and supervision in place, resulting in an overall disregard for customer needs and satisfaction. Overall, my experience at the Costco Food Court in Bellingham was nothing short of a nightmare. The lack of care and accountability demonstrated by the staff is inexcusable. I urge the management to take immediate action to address these issues and implement measures to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future.

I was even advised to have a supervisor place my order on my next visit, which speaks volumes about the lack of trust in the competence of the regular staff. I cannot in good conscience recommend others to subject themselves to the same frustration and disappointment that I endured.

In the midst of this ordeal, Socorro (I might had her name wrong, it was a Spanish, lovely lady) stood out like a beacon of empathy. Despite the general lack of concern exhibited by her colleagues, she took the time to listen to my grievances and promptly refunded the money I had paid. Her genuine sympathy was a stark contrast to the indifference displayed by the rest...

Review: Disappointing and Uncomfortable Experience at Costco Bellingham, WA – May 21, 2025

This Costco has generally been one of the better locations I’ve visited, and I hold Costco’s customer service to a high standard. However, my recent visit left me disappointed, caught off guard, and frankly, shocked.

I visited the Bellingham, WA location on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at around 10 AM for a return. I was standing in line ahead of a woman, and when it was her turn to step up, she did so. Out of nowhere, the employee named " CHARLES " working at the returns counter shouted, “ARE YOU TWO TOGETHER?” I replied, “Who, us? No, not at all,” and he abruptly responded with attitude, saying, “WELL THEN I NEED YOU TO BACK UP. GIVE HER SOME SPACE.”

I was taken aback. I wasn’t even standing close — there was at least 3 feet of space between us, and the woman herself didn’t seem bothered. I immediately felt uncomfortable, unsafe, and even scared by the tone and volume used in a very public setting. I calmly responded, explaining that I wasn’t too close and that the woman had no issue — she was finishing up her return.

To my disbelief, the employee began arguing with me. When it came time for me to make my return, I was shocked when he said, “I’M NOT TAKING YOU. You can wait for the next employee.” This was not only rude and unprofessional, but also embarrassing, as it unfolded in front of a line of other members.

I expressed that I wanted to speak to a manager, and as I turned to do so, I saw the employee walk off — possibly toward management — but unfortunately, I was in a rush and couldn’t stay to escalate the situation.

I’m sharing this experience not to shame, but to inform Costco management and fellow customers that this incident was unacceptable. I felt disrespected, embarrassed, and dismissed in a place where I usually feel welcome.

Costco prides itself on customer satisfaction, and I sincerely hope this message reaches the management team at this location, and potentially Costco corporate, as I intend to follow up there as well. Customers should feel safe, respected, and valued — never the opposite.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it leads to reflection and improvement.

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