Book bargain hunters will be disappointed to learn that Costco plans to stop selling books at most U.S. stores at the beginning of the year.
In January, Costco will remove its popular book sections from most of its more than 600 U.S. stores.
The discount store chain told publishers over the summer that it would only return during the holiday season, which runs from September to December, and other intermittent periods, according to the New York Times.
The Times reported that Costco told executives that the change was made because putting books on the table is labor-intensive and must be done by hand rather than with a forklift like other products. He said he explained it.
The decision comes as more consumers are purchasing books through online retailers such as Amazon.
However, the books will be in about 100 Costco stores nationwide throughout the year, industry news publication Publishers Weekly reported this week.
The decision to keep some books in-store is a change from the store's previous plans, the newspaper reported.
According to Publishers Weekly, publishers and Costco executives are also keeping an eye on sales trends for Taylor Swift's official Ellas tour book, which will be sold exclusively at Target starting Black Friday.
According to the magazine, if book sales continue to be strong, Costco could bring back literary sections in more stores, or if sales slow, all sections could become seasonal.
FOX Business has reached out to Costco for comment.
