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.

  • Shelbyeileen@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    How does this mean that people won’t have to scan their cards and prove themselves at checkout, when they allow anyone inside for the pharmacy, optical center, and to purchase alcohol?

    • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      They won’t have to show IDs at checkout since the ID would already be confirmed at the door, I’m guessing…

        • Zoolander@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Why would it need to be both? The cards have the member’s picture on them. A single confirmation is enough.

          • Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee
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            5 months ago

            Hahahhahahaha

            Edit: have any of you ever been to Costco? Front Door: hi can i see your Costco card? Checkout line: hi can i see your Costco card? Cashier: hi can i see your Costco card?

            Haha they will just ask once right? RIGHT? RIGHT?!

          • dtc@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Costco could save a lot of money by just issuing a QR code to each paying member that they then have tattooed on their right wrist for easy scanning.