Costco is Testing a New System to Keep Non-Members Out
A new system could very likely be coming to Minnesota Costcos soon. They've been testing it in other states and it's another measure to make sure non-members can't shop at Costco.
Costco Cracking Down on Membership Sharing
Costco has been cracking down on membership sharing for over half a year now. I went to Costco back in June 2023 and when I was checking out they looked at the picture on the membership card.
Well, I was using my husband's card at the time. Usually, I use self-checkout so it didn't matter but even when I went through the regular checkout lanes no one had beef with me using his card.
That day, though, they let me know that from now on he needed to be with me if I were to be using his card. That's when the crackdown started.
ICYMI: Costco Cracks Down on Membership Sharing
Now, even if you're going to the self-checkout at Costco, there's always an employee there checking the photo on your membership card before you can go to the register.
But you know where they've never checked your picture? At the entrance.
Costco's Membership Crackdown Headaches
I've always thought it was odd that I could just flash the membership card real quick when I walk into the store but then when you have a cart full of stuff is when they decide to be sticklers about it.
I've heard from plenty of people that they'll see someone with a bunch of items at checkout and they get turned away because they're using someone else's membership.
I understand wanting to stick to your policy and not allow people to get away with sharing a membership but it would limit a lot of headaches and save a lot of time if this was just checked at the entrance.
And that's exactly what Costco is testing now.
Costco's Latest Membership Crackdown
There are some stores, including one in Washington thanks to a Reddit post, where they're testing scanning membership cards before you can enter the store. That makes way more sense to me!
In the picture, you only see one scanner but the original poster confirms in the comments that there were two scanners there. Of course, that would be in hopes of making sure it doesn't get backed up at the entrance.
The thought then, according to WBZ News, is that membership cards would not have to be checked when you get to the checkout. I'd assume the card would still have to be scanned but no one will need to stand at the self-checkouts just to check people's pictures.
When is it coming to Minnesota Costcos? I'm not sure, but I would think this test would go well and we'll be seeing membership scanning at the entrance to Costco soon.
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