Costco shoppers are about to see an entire section disappear from all stores.

From January, the wholesaler will stop stocking books all year round.

The company announced the change in June, throwing in the towel in its long-standing battle with Amazon over book sales.

The retailer had been battling the tech giant since it started selling books online in 1995.

It means that after the holidays, shoppers will see the layout of the stores again, without a dedicated book section.

Books have already been removed from store shelves in Alaska and Hawaii, and other states will follow suit in January.

The retailer will now only stock books during the holiday season from September to December, with occasional sales throughout the rest of the year.

Costco claimed the switch away from books is due to the labor costs required to keep them in stock, executives said.

From January, the wholesaler will no longer stock books year-round (photo: a book department in a store in Illinois)

The extra labor compared to other products comes from the time it takes to finish books as new ones are released every Tuesday, and to return unsold copies to publishers.

Given its size, Costco often ordered tens of thousands of copies of a book it had in stock.

For major bestsellers it could contain hundreds of thousands of copies per title.

The move comes as a blow to publishers who are struggling with stagnant sales as more and more customers buy books online on sites like Amazon.

“Costco was a major outlet for books nationwide,” Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident Media Group, told The New York Times earlier this year.

“There are fewer and fewer places now where you can buy books in a retail environment,” he explained.

“It’s an easy place to just grab the latest from a series you’re reading or buy a book for your child,” Brenna Connor, Circana’s director of U.S. books, told me.

Given its size, Costco would often order tens of thousands of copies of a book it had in stock (Photo: A book department in a California store)

The retailer has been in a battle with Amazon since the tech giant started selling books online in 1995

This is because Costco has started cracking down on its membership policies and enforcing a card scan with identification before granting access.

The retailer announced earlier this year that scanning equipment would be installed in all warehouses, and these have already been spotted in a number of locations.

‘Additionally, if your membership card does not have a photo, please be sure to show your valid photo ID. We encourage you to stop by the membership desk to have a photo taken for your card,” a statement from Costco said.

Those who want to shop now have to be accompanied by a member instead of just holding the card — meaning parents can no longer send their kids on a Costco run alone.

Previously, customers walking into their local Costco wouldn’t necessarily be stopped by an employee to check if they were members.

The wholesaler also increased its membership prices in September, for the first time in seven years.

Standard membership increased by $5 $60 to $65 per year.