Accessibility - Member Service Commitment

Our Mission

To continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.

Our Commitment

In fulfilling its mission, Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. (“Costco”) strives at all times to provide goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our goods and services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in similar ways as other members. We will consider their needs in order to serve them better.

Costco will establish and implement measures, policies and practices respecting barrier-free access to our goods and services. Costco will work to identify barriers and remove barriers, and prevent new barriers from being created. Costco will also ensure that access to goods or services is available by alternate means on a temporary or permanent basis where barriers cannot be removed. Any fee or charge relating to accommodating a person who is disabled by a barrier will be imposed only if Costco cannot reasonably accommodate the person otherwise.

Costco is committed to acting in a manner consistent with applicable human rights laws.

Providing Goods and Services to People With Disabilities

Costco is committed to excellence in serving all members, including people with disabilities, and to carrying out our functions and responsibilities in the following areas:

Use of Service Animals

We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public and other third parties (unless excluded by law). In the event that a service animal is otherwise excluded by law from the premises, Costco will provide the applicable member with an alternative method of obtaining, using or benefitting from its goods, services or facilities. We will also ensure that all employees are properly trained in how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.

Use of Support Persons

We are committed to welcoming people with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person. Persons with a disability who are accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter Costco’s premises with their support person. At no time will persons with a disability who are accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to their support person while on our premises. Costco does not charge fees to support persons.

Preventative and Emergency Maintenance Plan

Costco is committed to remove and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities. Preventative maintenance includes, but is not limited to:

• Parking lot attendants monitor the parking lot, including accessible parking spaces
• Greeters monitor manual and electric wheelchairs and the electric sliding doors at the entrance
• Maintenance assistants monitor the accessible washrooms
• At the end of every hour, a report is filed, listing the status of all elements verified, including accessible elements (in a predetermined checklist)
• Should maintenance be planned in advance for an accessible element, the Notice of Temporary Disruption procedure will be followed (see below for details)

Notice of Temporary Disruption

Costco will provide members with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by people facing barriers due to disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

The notice will be clearly displayed for members to see. For example, if there is a disruption in an accessible washroom, a notice will also be placed near the washrooms.

Should an employee notice that repair is needed for an accessible element during the regular preventative maintenance procedure, they are to immediately report it to an assistant warehouse manager. The assistant warehouse manager will take the action necessary to arrange for repairs as soon as practicable, and post a Notice of Temporary Disruption form viewable by the public, as per the Notice Of Temporary Disruption procedure.

Training Policy

It is our policy to provide training to employees who work at our locations, where accessible legislations apply, regarding policies, practices and procedures that affect the way goods and services are provided to people with disabilities or facing barriers due to disabilities. This training will be provided to permanent employees where accessible legislations apply as soon as practicable following the employee’s hiring or first day in a new role. Where accessible legislations apply, employees will also be trained on a yearly basis when changes are made to these policies, practices and procedures.

• What to do if a person facing a barrier due to a disability is having difficulty accessing Costco’s goods and services
• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device to address a barrier or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
• How to use equipment or devices available on Costco’s premises or otherwise provided by Costco that may help with the barrier-free provision of goods, services or facilities to a person with a disability
• An overview of Canadian accessibility legislation, and human rights legislation where applicable
• Our feedback process and the procedures to follow
• Explain accessible formats and how to fulfill requests
• Discuss emergency/safety information
• Describe how Costco.ca is accessible to all persons with disabilities
• Employment standards during recruitment
• Accommodating employees with a disability
• Design of public spaces

Training records documenting when training was done and how many employees were trained will be kept and maintained on our Learning Management System (LMS). Training records can be made available in an accessible format and/or with appropriate communication support, upon request.

Feedback Process

The ultimate goal of Costco is to meet and surpass member expectations while serving members with or facing barriers due to disabilities. We appreciate all feedback as we strive to continuously provide great member service, including feedback regarding the way Costco provides goods and services to people with disabilities. Below is our feedback process.

Accessible ways to submit feedback

• Form: Complete the feedback form located at one of our warehouse location exits
• In person: Speak to a manager at one of our warehouse locations
• Mail: Send a letter to the attention of the applicable warehouse manager
  • Warehouse addresses can be located on Costco.ca
• Phone: Call Costco Contact Centre at 1-800-463-3783 and speak to an agent
• Email: Visit Costco.ca and select our Customer Service tab

Review of feedback

• All feedback is sorted by the end of the business day and forwarded to the appropriate department for review
  • Feedback pertaining to services and goods provided for persons with a disability will be handled by the location and forwarded to the appropriate operations team to ensure compliance
• The appropriate department determines if any action is required
  • If action is required, all parties involved are informed and an explanation/response is created
  • If no action is required, a response/explanation is created

Contacting our members

Members can expect to hear back within 2 business days, unless otherwise indicated.

This document can be made available in an accessible format and/or with appropriate communication support, upon request.

For an overview on how Costco will prevent and remove barriers with disabilities, please see our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, located on Costco.ca

Modifications to This or Other Policies

We are committed to developing member service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Therefore, no changes will be made to our policies before considering barriers and potential barriers due to disability, and the impact of such changes on people with disabilities.

Any policy of Costco that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

Accessible Formats

Requests for an alternative format can be made through the same methods as our Feedback process. Additionally, Costco Wholesale employees, if required, can read any printed materials out loud to any person with a visual impairment and/or to anyone who requests assistance. When an alternative format is requested, we will work with the person experiencing the barrier to understand the specific need and make all reasonable efforts to address their needs in a manner that takes the barrier into account.