Costco is closing photo centers in all of its stores



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Four services will no longer be available to buyers when the centers close on February 14, including ink refills, the ability to take passport photos, photo restoration, and a personal video transfer service from VHS tapes to DVDs or USB devices.

However, Costco is not closing its online photo center. Customers can still print photos and access other perks on Costco’s website, the company said.

Costco (COST) did not immediately respond to CNN Business about the closings. But a letter obtained by a photo blog that was allegedly sent by Costco to its customers explained that “the need for printing photos has declined dramatically” since the introduction of high-quality cameras on smartphones and social media.

Once a staple in grocery stores and drugstores, photo centers are becoming more and more extinct as more people choose to share their photos online rather than print them.

This is also part of the broader changes implemented at Costco over the past year, including limiting the number of people served in its other departments, such as optical or hearing aids, due to local laws due to the pandemic. Notably, it also stopped selling its iconic demi-feuille cakes last year.

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