A cherished tradition among many Costco members is sitting down to enjoy a quick but tasty meal at the retailer’s food courts before or after a shopping trip. However, in the future, some buyers may have a harder time securing a seat as the company develops a controversial new “upgrade.”

A Costco shopper took to Reddit this week to share that his local warehouse in Visalia, California, had replaced some of the classic sit-down food court tables with new standing tables.

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“They have five high tables and about a dozen regular tables. They got rid of some regular tables to make room for these,” the buyer said. wrote. They added that they weren’t sure when the change happened because they hadn’t visited Costco in “a while.”

This isn’t the first Costco food court to make such a change. Customers have also reported spotting the new high tables in warehouses of New Jersey, Minnesota, Montana, South Korea, JapanAnd Canada– and many are unhappy with the change. Shoppers’ dissatisfaction with the high tables was particularly clear in the new Reddit discussion about the Visalia warehouse.

“These are the worst. No one in our warehouse uses them and they just collect the empty cups and napkins. 0/10 would not recommend,” one Costco shopper commented

“No, I don’t immediately like this development,” said another wrote.

A common buyer complaint with tables is that they much prefer to sit while enjoying their food, especially after a tiring shopping session. In the past, customers have also worried about the impact of the change on the elderly, children and people with disabilities who may not be able to eat comfortably at the table.

Shopper reports indicate that Costco is not completely eliminating seated tables in food courts by replacing standing tables, at least in the United States. However, reducing the number of seated tables in these food courts could potentially make it more difficult to get a seat for people who prefer or need a seat.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I love being able to relax my feet for a few minutes and eat a hot dog after spending an hour walking the aisles,” said one Reddit user. deplored.

That’s not to say all Costco shoppers are against the change. Some editors even welcomed the change and said they hoped the high tables would prevent fellow editors from lingering too long in crowded food courts.

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“I think it’s a good idea. Otherwise it takes a long time for people to leave, which leads to trolley traffic just trying to get out,” one commenter commented. wrote.

But despite these advocates, critics remain adamant about their dislike of the new food court feature.

“This is horrible,” said one Reddit user. said high tables.

Costco did not immediately respond to our questions for comment on the reasons for the change, shoppers’ reaction and whether other food courts should receive standing tables in the future.

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Zoe Strozewski