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.

  • @KeefChief13
    link
    111 year ago

    I hate going to costco so many people and the suv carts.

    • @LifeOfChance
      link
      131 year ago

      I mean the carts are specifically designed for what they sell. Sam’s and BJs are the same way. A smaller cart would be filled with just a couple items.

    • @arin
      link
      English
      -61 year ago

      Cars i assume?

      • @Tofushopdriftin
        link
        61 year ago

        I think they may be referring to the carts and their size

        • @Custoslibera
          link
          1
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Yes, similar to SUVs those carts could run over a small child and you wouldn’t notice.

          • @AngryCommieKender
            link
            11 year ago

            Unlike the SUV, the small child may just end up scooped up by the lower part of the cart.