Bad news if you’re mooching off of someone else’s Costco membership: The retail giant is cracking down.

When you enter Costco, you need to show your membership card to an employee to shop. Costco membership cards are non-transferable, but the company allows members to give a second household card to one other person in their home. Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the club during each visit, the company stipulates.

But Costco has noticed that non-members have been sneaking in with membership cards that don’t belong to them — particularly since Costco expanded self-checkout.

Costco recently started asking for shoppers’ membership cards along with a photo ID at the self-checkout registers, the same policy as regular checkout lanes, to crack down. “We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members,” Costco said in announcing the change.

And now, Costco is testing out a system that requires members to scan their membership cards at the store entrance — instead of just flashing the card to employees. Shoppers have spotted the new scanners at a store in Washington State and posted photos on Reddit.

  • @krush_groove
    link
    510 months ago

    Costco UK has been scanning cards for months, we don’t have self checkout, though.

    • Cosmic Cleric
      link
      310 months ago

      Costco UK has been scanning cards for months

      In the US it’s still visual verification by an employee, as stated in the article.

      • @krush_groove
        link
        110 months ago

        Just providing some extra info, not refuting anything in the article…

        • Cosmic Cleric
          link
          010 months ago

          Just providing some extra info, not refuting anything in the article…

          Just noting the differences on each side of the Pond.

    • CashewNut 🏴󠁢󠁥󠁧󠁿
      link
      -510 months ago

      When did we get them in the UK?

      Do we have to import every fucking brain dead piece of bullshit from that shit hole country.

      • @Telodzrum
        link
        110 months ago

        Don’t talk about Wales like that.