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.
I mean I have both Costco and Sam’s memberships both have pluses and minuses
The clothes at Costco are amazing at times Sam’s has better paper products imo (TP, Kleenex)
Costco has a better food court
Costco parking designs are maddening, everyone I’ve been to have this diagonal entrance that is awful.
I think the Costco frozen section is a bit better than Sam’s.
Cat litter is way way cheaper st Costco
I’ve gotten $500 airfare gift cards for $429. Which is like getting free $ when you need to fly anyways.
Sam’s bulk candy isle is superior.
I think the Costco pharmacy has better pricing but no drive thru and it can be extremely slow.
I keep both memberships but I recently moved away from my Sam’s so it kinda out of the way, but with the plus membership I can usually get staple items delivered for free, something Costco doesn’t really do.
I guess we’ll see if I keep them both next year.
