By Jonathan H. Kantor
Publication Date: 2025-11-19 03:15:00
If you work at Costco or happen to have walked by one of their computers and wondered if you’ve traveled back in time, you’re not alone. It’s not only a phenomenon at Costco, as Home Depot and many companies around the United States continue to use IBM computers developed in the 1980s to manage their businesses. Seeing as it’s the 2020s and the 1980s ended decades ago, this seems strange. There are far more advanced systems readily available; some are sold in stores that use old IBM models.
While strange to see, there’s actually a very good reason Costco and others use antiquated computers from the Cold War, even if it’s not immediately obvious. Costco sells plenty of great gadgets and PCs, but for years, the company has relied on the IBM AS/400…