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.

    • Sarmyth@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Yeah, they don’t care. They want everyone buying to have a membership, as it’s been for decades. This isn’t some new crazy way they’re screwing people. It’s making sure the rules their members agreed to are followed.

      • Sagifurius@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        I’m sick of being treated like a shoplifter at their store, and now they’re doubling down. They can fuck off at this point.

        • Sarmyth@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Well, now you just sound like you wanna shoplift! 😆

          Seriously, though, what does this have to do with shoplifting? It’s like you’re making up excuses to be mad. Just say you don’t wanna pay and leave it at that. No excuses are needed.

          • Sagifurius@lemm.ee
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            10 months ago

            You think it’s normal to have your ID checked against your card, at the entrance, at the till, and then have your receipt checked as you leave? Our grandpas’ generation wouldn’t have stood for it, and I’ve come to agree.

            • Sarmyth@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              They sure did. The damn company was founded by my grandfather’s generation. How much shit are you gonna talk out your ass today?

              • Sagifurius@lemm.ee
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                10 months ago

                Where I come from, you don’t count money in front of people, and you just told me how young you are. You wouldn’t remember things like this being an active insult.

                • Sarmyth@lemmy.world
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                  10 months ago

                  Turns out you think everyone had kids at the same ages. You’ve just reiterated how foolish you are. Just stop jumping to conclusions. Talking down to someone because you think you are older than them is also a sign of desperation.

                  To assume just aging somehow makes your opinions right. All you did is not die. Congrats. The news is full of wrong people older than us.

    • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Why is this a problem for you? In the UK, they scan your card at the entrance, and it affects my day in absolutely no way whatsoever.

      What’s wrong with a business wanting only paying members to enter the members only shop?

      Why does scanning your card make you feel like a shoplifter?’ (Sorry, i read your chat with the other person in this thread)

      This is such an odd take to me.

      • Sagifurius@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Their entire model is based on assuming everyone is probably a thief, and I’ve just had it. That receipt checking of everyone as they leave is bad enough, and my last (literally last, i decided not to go back, wasn’t going to renew and just now realized it would have expired in December) trip there, the woman held everyone up by meticulously counting and comparing every single item in everyone’s cart. took 15 minutes to leave with goods i had paid for, finally just said fuck it and left while they screamed at me like fucking morons. “Touch me and see what happens”. Aside from that, I don’t want my movements documented and recorded by a card reader, for example, this whole incident, no I don’t want people actively trying to fuck with me know who I was.

            • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              No seriously, you are getting mad at a shop (a private business) that has its own rules to protect its own stock (Probably based on their experience of past issues), its your choice to shop there or not. I appreciate that you dont like the idea of being tracked (although not wanting to use a bank card due to worries about tracking you is a bit strange. I assume you have a mobile phone of some description, or a computer or laptop maybe? What about a satnav or a car built after 2010? If so you are being tracked anyway) But getting mad at them because their rules exclude your ideals is way over the top. Your custom would be lovely but i dont think they really care about one person who rather shop somewhere else than scan a membership card at the door.

              Tbh you walkkng away from the recipt checker as they shout after you just makes you sound like an impatient and entitled brat.

              Sorry but im trying to be understanding but the more i read of what you say here the more and more i find myself being unable to sympathise.

              I guess i dont blame costco for being protective of its stock, i blame the people who tried to steal and made them paranoid and protective about it. Whereas you seem to blame the shop and claim its because you dont want anykne knowing what you are doing when, frankly, no one cares.

              • Sagifurius@lemm.ee
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                10 months ago

                I paid for the goods. They are mine. The want to waste a half hour of my time acting like I’m shoplifting, they no longer deserve my money. Not many other businesses actively treat you like a thief so blatantly

                • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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                  10 months ago

                  I’ve never waited more than 5 minutes in line to have my receipt checked at costco. Also, what most businesses do is not any of costco’s concern. And i have never felt like im being treated like a thief.

                  The entitlement is all over your comment. “I paid for them, They are mine” “no longer deserve my money” “waste half an hour of my time”

                  What a karen.

    • TardisBeaker@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Because you can’t give your card, which has your picture on it, to anyone you want? That really doesn’t make sense. How many people do you think your membership, that you pay for, should cover? I doubt you actually had one bc this will literally only affect people who don’t have memberships.