Costco Is Cracking Down on This Policy
Are you guilty of this?
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Costco is known for its amazing deals on everything from office supplies to groceries to furniture. Another thing it’s known for? It’s membership policy. To get those amazing deals, only cardholders can shop at the store. That means that if your name doesn’t match the name on the card, you’re really not supposed to be shopping. And whoever’s name is on the card must be the person paying.
Of course, sometimes shoppers occasionally fudge the rules and lend out their card to a friend or family member. But that not-so-strict membership sharing is coming to an end as many Costco shoppers are reporting much more diligent membership verification on their recent trips.
In a Reddit Costco thread on the issue, some users reported a potential reason for the crackdown. Reddit user Jlmiles1972 said, “I got checked in Cincinnati, OH. Employee apologized and said they had to check because apparently there is a TikTok showing how to shop at Costco without a membership. They had to crackdown. Understandable.”
Some Reddit posters credit the crackdown to more of a restructuring following more lax membership checking during Covid and at self-checkout counters. And Costco members don’t seem too upset about Costco following its own policy more closely. Per Reddit user OrphanedJawa, “I myself would rather see this and get non members to sign up than see an increase in membership fees to cover the losses. Costco rarely makes money on the items they sell but do from the memberships.”
Some Costco members feel the bigger issue is that the policy crackdown is resulting in more questioning from employees, even if customers are not sharing cards. Reddit user BrappZanniganAgain said, “I don’t care about them checking my member ID. I care about them falsely accusing me of card sharing because they don’t require yearly photo updates.”
Per Costco itself, “Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the Warehouse during each visit. Keep in mind that purchasing items is exclusive to Costco members. If you’re the Primary Member or Account Manager, you can assign your free household card to one other person in your home.”
Next time your shopping at the mega-store, be sure you have your card with you.
