Costco’s 4th of July Hours Are a Patriotism Test and Americans Are Failing Miserably
Look, I get it. You woke up on the 4th of July, your neighbor’s illegal fireworks are still burning a hole in the ozone layer, you’ve got a hangover the size of a Texas brisket, and you just realized you forgot to buy the 47 pounds of potato salad required to feed your extended family. Your first instinct is to panic-swipe your phone and Google, “Is Costco open on the 4th of July?” before your mother-in-law disowns you for bringing a sad bag of chips to the cookout.
Spoiler alert, Chad: **No. Costco is not open.**
And honestly? The fact that you even have to ask makes you the villain of this story. You are the human equivalent of a Karen who shows up to a locked Target at 2 AM on Thanksgiving. The audacity is almost impressive.
Let’s break this down, because apparently, we need a PSA for the most basic American holiday. Costco, the warehouse temple of bulk mayo and $1.50 hot dog supremacy, is closed on the 4th of July. It is closed on Memorial Day. It is closed on Labor Day. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter. The only time they are open is when the ghosts of capitalism demand it. The only exception might be if they ran out of pallets of Kirkland vodka and the apocalypse was imminent. But even then, probably not.
Why? Oh, I don’t know, maybe because the company has a soul? Costco actually pays their employees a living wage. They offer benefits. They don’t scream at you to “make a ticker tape parade” out of your loyalty card. So, shocker, they also let their workers have the day off to grill brats and blow their fingers off with illegal mortars like God intended.
But the internet, being the eternal cesspool of entitled hot takes it is, goes nuclear every year. "B-b-but I NEED a 72-pack of paper towels and a rotisserie chicken that tastes like sadness and sodium RIGHT NOW!" Congrats, you’re the main character in a tragedy about poor planning. Go borrow some ketchup from your neighbor. That’s what neighborhood apps are for.
A quick scan of Reddit’s r/Costco sub (the only place where people argue about the price of hot dogs like it’s fiscal policy) reveals the annual meltdown. Every July 3rd, some user posts, “PSA: Costco is closed tomorrow. Stock up or suck it.” And every year, there are replies from people who act like they’ve been personally victimized by a CEO. “This is un-American,” one user wrote. “Costco should be open. What if I need a new grill on the 4th? What if my dip recipe calls for the specific brand of sour cream that only they sell?”
Bro. It’s a dip. You can go to a gas station. You can use plain yogurt. You will survive. The sheer entitlement of wanting a cashier to miss fireworks so you can buy a 55-gallon drum of guacamole is peak Boomer energy, and I say that while knowing full well that the Zoomer generation is also guilty of this. We’re all bad here.
Let’s talk about the real reason this debate enrages me. It’s not about Costco. It’s about the death of common sense. We live in an era where you can order a spatula from your phone and have it drone-dropped onto your lawn in 30 minutes. Yet, people refuse to plan ahead. The 4th of July happens on the same date every year. It is not a surprise. It is not a leap year anomaly. You had 365 days to buy hot dog buns. You chose to gamble. You lost.
Now you’re stuck with a pack of buns that says “12 count” but somehow only has 11, and you’re blaming capitalism. No, Dave. You are the problem.
Also, let’s address the "patriotism" angle. Some chud on Twitter inevitably argues that being closed on Independence Day is “un-American” because America is about freedom. You know what’s also American? The Fair Labor Standards Act. Workers’ rights. Unions. The fact that Costco has a union-busting reputation in some circles, sure, but on this specific holiday, they’re doing the right thing. If you think forcing someone to scan your bulk cheese while you complain about the price of gas is “freedom,” you’ve confused patriotism with convenience.
The funniest part? Costco is so predictable about this that they literally print the closure dates on a giant calendar at the entrance. They tweet it. They email it. There is no excuse. I saw a TikTok of a guy filming an empty Costco parking lot on July 4th with the caption, “WHERE IS EVERYONE???” Bro, they are at the lake. They are at a barbecue. They are not inside a warehouse buying a 48-pack of batteries. Go touch grass.
And for the record, I’m not saying you’re a bad person for wanting to shop. I’m saying you’re a bad person for wanting to shop on a day where literally every other store except CVS and the gas station is closed. Even Walmart, the soulless corporate behemoth that keeps the lights on by sheer force of tax evasion, closes early. If Walmart can give its workers a break, you can survive without a jumbo jar of pickles for 24 hours.
If you’re reading this on July 4th and you’re inside a Costco, congratulations: you have either time-traveled, broken into a warehouse, or you are a ghost haunting the rotisserie chicken zone. Because that building is locked tighter than your uncle’s wallet at the family reunion.
So here’s your AITA verdict for the year: Yes, YTA (You’re The A-Hole) if you’re mad about
Final Thoughts
As a journalist who’s covered retail operations for years, the real story here isn’t just about closures—it’s about Costco’s stubborn, almost admirable commitment to worker dignity over short-term profits. While other big-box chains fling open their doors on federal holidays to chase every last dollar, Costco’s decision to stay closed on the Fourth of July signals a quiet but powerful understanding: some days are better spent outside the fluorescent hum of a warehouse. It’s a rare, refreshing reminder that the best deal you can get on Independence Day isn’t on a pallet of hot dogs, but on the freedom to actually enjoy the holiday.