Costco is testing out a new system for entering stores
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.
Makes sense, Costco makes its money from the memberships, not selling you stuff at wholesale prices after you've got one
Does it? What I get in rewards from shopping and refueling there more than makes up for my membership.
The money you're saving doesn't necessarily have to have any relation to the profit they make.
Last year 72% of their profit was membership fees
Impressive. I wouldn't have guessed.
Yes, but most users don’t. That’s where they make their money.
I don't know about that. Everyone I know that has a membership gets enough rewards to pay for it. It's really not that hard, especially if you drive to work and fuel using their much cheaper gasoline.
That’s still just anecdotal. The vast majority of Costco memberships don’t, whether you know them personally or not.
Of course it's anecdotal, the burden of proof is yours.
No it’s not. Someone else already provided membership cost and revenue data. You’re the one arguing it’s not true because you and “everyone you know” don’t have the same experience.
My costco card has my photo on it. Is that not a thing everywhere?
It is where I am as well, plus if you download the app you can bring up your ID card their as well, and it has the same photo on that as well.
A bit belated, but it occurred to me that maybe the card for a second family member doesn’t have a photo, or still has the main member’s photo. I always assumed that the second person would have to get their photo taken for the card but since I’ve never borrowed a card, and don’t have a second user, I wouldn’t know.
My partner and I are on an account together. We are not married, different last names. We both have cards with our names and photos.
Nope, during COVID they stopped taking or checking photos. They've had to spend the last few months getting everyone to get a new card now.
Oh you are right, that’s a very good point, I never thought about them skipping the photos because of masks.
My Costco photo is 20 years old and looks nothing like me anymore, but when I asked for a new photo they said no. So obviously they aren't looking closely at pictures.
Same. The last time they took my photo was when I got a Costco Amex card in... I think 2005? They don't even take Amex anymore, LOL.
One of the last times I was in, I was asked for my photo ID and Costco membership card no less than 5 times by employees. I literally got asked while I was in an isle looking at items. I've never had this happen before and made me honestly a bit irritated having to constantly pull my ID out of my wallet. This policy needs to chill.
Aisle*
The Costco isles are more exclusive.
Bulk water priced tho...
Aisle be back!
Damn I so gotta use my friends account on instacart? But I like holding the product and seeing what I'm buying.
I share my Sam's Club with my gf and her family. They share their Costco with us and just walk by or shop online.
Instacart lets anyone order from Costco and Sam's without a membership... You just have to pay overinflated Instacart prices and be cool with the fact that you're exploiting someone's labor.
Yea but you can also connect the membership to your instacart account.
Just tell them to fuck off.
You can’t. They are a private, membership-only business. If you tell them to fuck off, they can escort you out and disable your membership.
You CAN still say it, just with consequences.
Fair enough. OP did not say “tell them to fuck off and keep shopping”. 🤣
Or tell them to talk to one of the employees that already checked your card. That's excessive and can't be good for business.
Fuck off, then.
Yeah exactly, people are so afraid of confrontation these days, you can tell people to fuck off and they generally will.
And then they can tell you to fuck off, because it's their store.
I’m sure they would try but if you’ve already shown the damn member card they can eat shit.
It's literally their property, it doesn't matter if you have a membership card, they can kick you off their property for any reason or no reason.
You don't have an inherent right to shop at Costco.
About time. Doors are such an overrated method of entry.
edit: nevermind, read the article
You're right. Hatches are where it's at these days. Those people advocating the window entry methods are just weird and smelly.
Genius comment. I'm literally lolling
Semi-related fun fact that I like to share; Costco doesn’t require membership for alcohol or pharmacy purchases.
Used to be food court too, but I believe they stopped that in 2020 ish
There are a few costcos in socal with outdoor food courts. I’m nearly certain there’s no membership required to use them. I may be wrong though, it’s been a while.
Both my local SoCal Costco's have outdoor food courts. You have to scan your card at them. One has a table with self serve kiosks for ordering too, then you queue up to get your food handed to you.
Yeah, it seems like they're cracking down. The only one I know of that has an outdoor food court is the one in Kauai. The last time I was in town it was closed for renovations, which sucks because on a trip out there I usually hit up the food court a couple of times for a quick cheap meal for the family. My guess was that they're going to either move it inside, or add some kind of thing to verify your membership.
IIRC, there are sometimes state laws that prevent them from restricting access to the food court. It depends.
My local Costco doesn't require a membership to buy from the cafeteria. You order from a computer and pay.
Is their alcohol not wholesale? I've noticed their alcohol prices aren't always the best.
It depends on the state laws. My state sets minimum prices for liquor, so you don’t save any money on vodka, whiskey, etc. by going to Costco.
My understanding is that in order to sell alcohol it needs to be available to 'the public at large'. Madison Square Garden lost its license after kicking out a lawyer for the same reason.
It's very state by state; however, in most jurisdictions my understanding is the same as yours.
Wouldn't that only apply to bottom shelf alcohol? Or is the minimum so high that it even raises the price of mid tier?
This just saves the time of having such people getting in and filling up a cart and being stopped at the register. I've never been able to mooch off someone else's membership at Costco. The membership cards have photos of the member on them and they would stop me at the register whenever my dad sent me with his and not let me actually make the purchase. And I haven't even been to Costco (outside of the food court at the one down the street since it's outside and I can get that sweet hotdog combo without needing a membership) for years.
Costco stores started adding self checkout lanes a few years ago, which means that they weren't always checking the photo at checkout anymore.
They check your card before you're allowed to use the self checkout.
It must vary from store to store. I've used self checkout at our store several times, and no human ever checks my card. I just scan it when I start checking out.
Really? Me ma and Dad use my card all the time, a few times they just had to give address.
Now if they'd just come up with a new system for parking in the parking lot...
What do you want them to create rotating carousels of underground parking? Their parking lots are already massive what more do you want.
I just always go to the farthest possible parking spot from the store cuz they are generally always open easy to get in and out of and bypass all the stupid closer to the store
If people are so annoyed by the parking situation, just plan your visits when it's not as busy. It's not that difficult, even if it might be inconvenient.
I don’t know how anyone could ever stand going to Costco on the weekends. Just don’t. That’s like voluntarily driving during rush hour when you have the option not to. Unless you work the exact hours that Costco is open, going on a weekday evening is so much better of an experience all around. Weekday mornings aren’t bad either. I would have to be truly desperate for gas or groceries to go to Costco on the weekend vs just waiting until Monday.
Agreed, people's complaints are that they're too lazy to walk. I also usually park on the furthest lane near the back. Makes it easier to quickly part and quickly leave. Same when I go to the mall or any other shop with a parking lot. Mostly everyone could use some extra steps in anyways.
Never had an issue with parking. Sure you might need to walk a bit but there's always parking.
From the article, as I didn't see this being mentioned in the OP summary...
So it seems like there's two different things going on, per the article, when you're entering the building, and when you're trying to use a self checkout machine.
Costco UK has been scanning cards for months, we don't have self checkout, though.
In the US it's still visual verification by an employee, as stated in the article.
Just providing some extra info, not refuting anything in the article...
Just noting the differences on each side of the Pond.
When did we get them in the UK?
Do we have to import every fucking brain dead piece of bullshit from that shit hole country.
Don’t talk about Wales like that.
When you enter the building I've never had anyone check if it's actually my card, they only do that at the checkout. You just need to flash the card so they can tell you have one on your way in. They check the photo and address at the checkout though. I guess people were getting by that with the self checkouts.
I'm just repeating what was said in the article.
Having said that, each and every time I've had to flash my Costco card at the employee at the front door, as it also states in the article.
I hate going to costco so many people and the suv carts.
I mean the carts are specifically designed for what they sell. Sam's and BJs are the same way. A smaller cart would be filled with just a couple items.
Cars i assume?
I think they may be referring to the carts and their size
Yes, similar to SUVs those carts could run over a small child and you wouldn’t notice.
Unlike the SUV, the small child may just end up scooped up by the lower part of the cart.
Maybe. Many do drive enormous SUVs to Costco, but Costco also has very large shopping carts.
In other words, punishing customers for a self-inflicted issue.
How is it punishing customers? The rest of the article suggests it may improve things
How can it possibly speed up things at entry? They're going to be checking IDs like a bouncer at a club. I can imagine it speeding up checkout only if they stop requiring card scanning at that time too, and/or massive amounts of people are doing this today.
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?
They won’t have to show IDs at checkout since the ID would already be confirmed at the door, I’m guessing…
Hahahaha no it will be both
Why would it need to be both? The cards have the member’s picture on them. A single confirmation is enough.
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?!
What a strange reaction lol
I just hate digging out my costco card when im not in the process of an actual transaction
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.
There's a lady at the door of the Hacks Cross store in Memphis that is absolutely relentless about seeing and reading the values on membership cards as people enter the store. I feel sure that she used to be a living legend at the highway patrol before she retired and took this job.
She’s playing Papers Please irl
Glory to Arstotzka.
They started this here months ago. My wife kept her maiden name when we got married. I'm sure you can figure out why our 2 hour customer service call ended in cancellation. FUCK Costco
In a decade you’re the first person I’ve ever met who had a problem with Costco.
Meh, I cancelled for similar reasons. They have tilted over to being way too aggressive about the card shit and it's gotten annoying. Plus, I don't think a lot of the deals are actually very good these days.
Did you not bother to get your wife her own card?
My wife never changed her name, but she's got her own card under her name, on my membership.
We tried to get me one, but we had issues getting the marriage certificate promptly, and customer service really wanted me to pay for my own account.
That makes zero sense. You don't have to be married to get the household card, just have to live in the same house.
Exactly! They did a great job ignoring that and talking us out of the membership. All I really miss are the muffins.
Trebuchets.
My local started this months ago. At self checkout they ask to see the photo on the back of your membership card to verify you're the same person. No secondary ID, and not sure what the point of that would be anyway. Counterfeit member cards?
I wonder if that brings changes to the membership tiers. I pay more for Executive membership to get 2% cashback, but if they will not scan my membership on the checkout how would they know how much I've spent?
You’ll still have to scan at checkout, the POS system will only work for booze and pharmacy without a valid membership
They’ve been doing this here in southern AZ since I became a member like 5 years ago lol
Honestly, I've been considering just cancelling my Costco membership. Sam's Club let's you scan as you shop, check out on your phone, and walk out. If Costco let you do that, it would help cut down on this greatly.
Only let two phones be registered at a time and that's your ID. Or have different tiers for solo, duo, or family with different price tiers. If you get a new phone, you have to invalidate your old registration. Have TOTP or one-time QR codes generated in the app for when you check out in line or at the gas station. Let the old people still have cards, but you check their ID every time. If someone forgets their card, let them look it up by phone number and present an ID to prove they are that member. Could even give $10 off a membership for going digital or an extra 60 days of membership if you go all-digital to incentivize it. When someone goes digital, flag their card barcode as no longer active in the system if someone tries to use it.
If you go digital, you get to scan n go and walk right out. Someone scans a QR code of your receipt as you leave like they do at Sam's Club. Sam's Club even let's you scan a gas pump with your phone and it will already program in a credit card of your choice, tie that pump to your membership, and give you a digital receipt. Totally paperless and basically zero contact.
Yawn. Costco > Sam's club (ew, Walmart) for treating employees, plus Kirkland brand is the best store-name brand. Btw you can have a digital card on Costco app. I'm not even sure what your reason was for canceling, and for some reason I read your whole comment twice
The one place where Sam’s beats Costco is its scan and go app. You literally scan the barcodes of the items you want to purchase as you shop, check out in the app and walk out the door. Never have to speak to anyone or wait in the checkout line.
I could understand how this would appeal to someone with extreme social anxiety or someone really pressed for time, but in reality I don't care for this at all. I'll wait in line for 2-5 minutes or scan it myself at self checkout if I'm really pressed for time for some reason
When I buy huge , heavy items , it’s real nice to not try to find the barcodes on 40lb packs of cat litter and cases of water.
This. I choose Costco for many reasons. I don't care what others like about Sam's bc I'm not going to give money to that company.
While I agree that I wouldn’t move to Sam’s on ethical grounds I don’t like Costco’s approach on this.
We pay for our membership. Adding hassle or making it less convenient as paying members just pushes me towards cancelling and using someone else’s membership instead.
I’m in the minority for sure though because we only use Costco for a handful of things on a pretty regular cadence (sparkling water, pet food, paper products etc.). We probably just slightly save more than the membership cost in a year.
I fully support Costco protecting their business model but at the end of the day it’s a subscription service and adding barriers to access will push us away.
This is an odd take to me. You acknowledge that you pay for the membership and yet you’re against them enforcing the very benefits that you, as a member, are paying for and then your “solution” to that is to cancel your membership and do the same thing that they’re attempting to curb *specifically for their members *.
This is, to me, akin to someone paying for a gym membership and then cancelling said membership when the gym enforces not letting people in who haven’t paid to use the facilities. Aren’t you paying specifically for the gym staff to enforce who is allowed to come in and use the facilities?
I’m not against them enforcing it, just that their enforcement makes my experience worse. I’m not negatively impacted by this problem they’re trying to fix until their fixes make my experience worse.
I also think it’s naive to believe there’s no financial motivation and they’re only doing it because it’s unfair to their paying members.
Your gym analogy is also a false equivalence. The Costco membership gets you their product guarantee/return policy and the opportunity to purchase things at a cheaper price than elsewhere. Joe Schmo letting his neighbor use his membership doesn’t hurt me in any way, it only hurts Costco.
What I’m saying is actually similar to what has happened, and is happening, in media regarding DRM and various attempts to secure content.
You’re only saying that because they’re insulating you from the effect of this happening. If Costco had to raise rates because people were sharing memberships and members didn’t want that enforced, you’d complain about that too. Again, it’s odd to me that you’re complaining about them protecting the very benefits that you’re paying for which others are not. Unless you have some magic way to prevent non-members from using benefits that doesn’t affect members, your demands are unreasonable.
The gym analogy isn’t a false equivalence. If Joe Schmo lets his neighbor use your membership, it does affect you and it does so in the same way as it does at the gym - more traffic, less access to product, more upkeep, etc. and none of which they’re paying for but you are. I don’t understand why you’re ignoring the ways this affects you simply because this also affects you.
DRM is a a false equivalence. This is not immaterial goods like Intellectual Property. This is physical goods at physical stores of resources that are physically limited. It’s not the same thing in any way.
I would not. If the new rates meant I'd pay more for a membership than I'd save over the course of a year I'd just not renew.
They are not protecting my benefits, they are protecting their revenue stream. I'm not sure why you and so many others don't understand that companies don't exist to provide something** for you**. They exist to extract a profit from you.
We'll have to agree to disagree on this and probably the whole situation in general because you've just re-stated the same points as in your first reply to me. You may not like my reasoning but it's not wrong. The only reason I have a Costco membership is because it is currently cheaper for me to get a few items there than it is to get them elsewhere, but just barely. When it's no longer financially beneficial to me to have a membership, or if they create a shopping experience so unpleasant that it outweighs the nominal savings we get from shopping there we will end our membership.
If that time ever comes and if the family members who have memberships now still do, then I'll just have them buy for me or I'll go as a "guest". The only difference is the inconvenience of not being able to go whenever it's convenient for me or waiting until we absolutely need something, because I'd have to go on someone else's schedule.
Just because you can't understand a logical cost/benefit rationale doesn't make it wrong. I'm not under the same illusion as you seem to be that Costco, or any business or corporation, has my best interests at heart. This is ultimately about their revenue stream; you can tell yourself otherwise but you're a fool if you think that's not a driving factor.
I understand it fine. I’m pointing out the flaw in it based on the fact that you’re complaining about paying for something that you are ok with others abusing for free. I never said that Costco wasn’t doing it for their own benefit. Happy members benefit them. People who aren’t members do not benefit them or members.
The entire point of contention is why any member would be ok with non-members using services you pay for without paying.
You really don't, though. I was not complaining, I was sharing an opinion that you seem to have taken very personally. It's not my job to police who shops at Costco, you seem to think it is yours. I can only imagine how exhausting it is being you, worried about what everyone else is doing and who's breaking the rules.
I do not care if Costco stops people from using memberships that aren't theirs except in the context of my experience shopping there. If the measures they take make my experience worse, then I will no longer take my business there.
There's no point continuing on with you, it's clear that you feel your perspective is the only one that's valid. I don't bang my head against a brick wall for the same reason I'm done engaging with you, it's a fruitless endeavor only serves to give me a bad experience.
I feel like you’re projecting. I never said it was your job or mine to police who shops at Costco. It’s their job and they’re doing it. I’m not worried about what everyone else is doing. I just think it’s weird that you’re willing to pay for an exclusivity that you feel should be unenforced.
I’m sorry that you can’t consider other people’s viewpoints without distorting them to be some kind of victim. That must be exhausting.
And the feeling is mutual on not continuing. You’re assuming so many things so maliciously and distorting my point that I have to wonder why…
I replied to another comment of yours that was wrong and looked through your comment history. Are you a Costco employee? You are very combative in multiple comment threads.
I have to believe you either work for Costco or have such a cult like love for them you default to shilling on their behalf.
It wasn’t wrong. You’re just misconstruing what I said.
I said this in another comment too but the fact that you think the only way someone can disagree with you is that they work for Costco is a conspiratorial hot mess. I neither work for Costco nor “have a cult-like love for them”. You just have a persecution complex.
I haven't cancelled yet. I said I was considering it.
I agree Costco selection and products are better, as well as their employee treatment. However, I have both at the moment, Sam's Club is a quarter mile from me while Costco is a 18 minute drive one way, and I can easily get in and out of Sam's Club with the Scan and Go app. That's why I'm considering whether renewing is worth it.
A app to scan like that would be amazing. Would go a long way to shortening those massive lines that make getting into and out of aisles complicated when it's busy.
Mine has always done this? You have to show your card to enter... And they do it at check out too
...along with photo ID...
Yes - at checkout at the self service - they make us show your id and your card
Huh, they haven't been doing that here... I figured that must have been the new thing. How annoying.
The cards already have a photo on them as does the app’s digital card. You only have to show Photo ID if you have a “COVID card”.
My Costco card has a grainy photo on the back, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeUXJc9PcGM#t=18m20s
Same
"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."
"The scanners also mean employees don’t need to ask customers for their membership cards at cash registers and self-checkout."
Look man - don't assume I can read. I'm like every other red blooded American that looks at a title and makes glaring assumptions and gives opinions that no one asked for. Okay?
So what happens if two friends go to Costco but only one has a membership card? Will they deny access? or, in an even better scenario, if you accompany an elderly. I used to borrow a friends card and shop at Costco time to time.
Edit: That was in Canada
Last sentence, second paragraph:
I didn't see that! thanks!
This bullshit started with self checkouts. We need to widely reject self checkout, they cost people their jobs and just create more corporate bullshit. If these corporations want to avoid shop lifting and other issues, hire staff and get rid of self checkouts. I refuse to use them and shake my head at the employees when they direct me to an open self checkout.
My closest Costco doesn't really have self check, since they always have someone there doing the scanning for you. Effectively the self check is a weird looking Express Lane that they only sometimes enforce the item limit on.
I wonder if they will take Apple ID. I haven’t carried a drivers license since my state started using them a while back.
I’m not sure why you’re being downvoted. I would love for my Costco card to be in my Apple Wallet and I would doubly love if they accepted my digital ID as I am in one of the 50 states that legally requires its acceptance.
So a family can't bring their multiple kids and the grandparents to Costco? WTF?
No if the member is there most Costcos won't care. It helps them sell more anyways. This is people going by themselves with someone else's card.
Read the article, silly. This isn't about family members, it's about non-members flashing cards that don't belong to them. x3
It sounds like they're referring more to the bit about the member being able to bring up to two guests maximum into the store. So like if I had a membership and tried to bring my partner, my brother, and my 3 kids to the store with me because I'm disabled and need help shopping at a place like Costco but I'm the only one that drives. Is that me trying to bring 2 guests into the store, or 5? I might have misread but the article really didn't make it clear what constitutes a guest. I know even if it is 5 that my partner could be the secondary cardholder and it sounds like have 2 guests too but like there are families with 5 kids. What about just the two parents and the 5 kids?
Logically you'd think kids wouldn't count, but the article kinda makes it sound like anyone whose name isn't on the membership card is a guest. I think that's where the confusion comes from.
Well that sucks. A lot. We only have a Sam's Club here, but my family buys very little in the sizes that they offer things. There's one exception which is a much bigger expense otherwise, so we borrow my wife's co-worker's card every other month, buy a few boxes, then do it again. So we are there like four times a year and maybe spend $400 total. With a membership, it would be another $50 on top of that. For going four times a year. I'm sure they'll follow Costco's lead.
I wish more places had the Scan and Go option in the app like Sam’s Club. Not having to visit a register is so nice.
Even if you just buy gas, condoms, and medicine at Costco, you'd break even quickly. Depending on your location, even just one gas stop at Costco gas saved us $60, the price of a membership.
Medicine that costs north of $130 at CVS costs $47 at Costco. Some of the stuff you can get at Costco, like berries, are half the cost as normal grocers, and usually much higher quality goo. Some, you even get an entire carton of milk free vs buying the same ultra pasturized milk at other stores. We go there and split up a Costco run by our families :)
Hell, even in college, Costco saved us students so much money. We were so hungry, haha.
You make a very good point. This thread is a Costco circle jerk apparently. Bulk addicts gonna tweak lol.
Costco treats its employees very well and they should be lauded for that, but frankly, I think the whole idea of paying a corporation for the privilege of shopping in their store is bullshit and should not be encouraged.
Meh, it depends on how much you really need to buy. We have a big household so we do genuinely save buying in bulk when we'd usually need to get at least a couple packages of whatever food to feed everyone.
Doing probably 75% of my shopping there with the 2% cash back has allowed my membership to pay for itself. And personally, knowing that they treat their employees fairly well is big draw, especially with how draining retail work can be.
So it's definitely not for everyone, but if you do actually use all of the stuff you buy, it does have decent benefits.
Sure, but why should you have to pay for the privilege of shopping there in the first place?
Because it's part of what allows them to keep costs down. If you're only going to go once or twice a year, they're losing money on you. They need a way to compensate for unprofitable shoppers, and a bit of sunk cost to keep the regulars coming back.
Still, I tallied up my last Costco trip with the equivalent of the same items at our regular grocery store and came up about $35 cheaper, that's already a decent chunk towards my membership cost and doesn't include cash back. In capitalism, that's about as close to a win-win as you can get.
Because they offer something that other stores cannot. Why do you pay for any privilege that you pay for?
No, they offer the same things other stores offer in larger quantities so the per item cost is lower. You're paying for that. Movie theaters offer something other businesses don't. Would it be acceptable for them to require you to have a movie theater membership before being allowed to buy a ticket or popcorn?
…you just admitted that you’re paying for a benefit. What are you even arguing here? If other stores do not offer larger quantities where the per item cost is lower, then that’s the benefit you’re paying for.
Movie theatres are a bad counter too. You can’t get into the movie theatre to buy popcorn without a ticket in most theatres. The ticket is your admittance in the same way the membership is.
You pay for a membership for the benefit of buying a movie ticket. What's the difference?
Some people do. AMC has a stubs rewards program that gives you discounts on tickets. Even if you don’t have that, though, you still have to buy a ticket to get into the theatre and buy popcorn and snacks. Without a ticket, you can’t get in.
Again- you have to buy a membership to buy a ticket in this scenario. Why do you keep avoiding that? Is it because you know that wouldn't be okay in pretty much any other setting but Costco and Sam's Club?
What are you talking about? In what scenario do you have to buy a membership to buy a ticket? The ticket is your membership.
Amen to that. It feels like I'm subsidizing wages. If your business needs me to pay for the merchandise AND a pass for entry you can fuck right off.
Economics of scale mean bulk purchases are cheaper. They get them much cheaper than you do when you buy there (given it'll usually be less per unit compared to other stores). This is akin to Amazon adding ads to their PAYING customer's plans or Netflix backtracking on account sharing. Corpo BS of the highest degree.
Imagine if you had to buy a McDonalds membership at $50 a year in order to buy a Big Mac...
Keep going… imagine that every Big Mac you buy now is 25% cheaper. If you buy enough Big Macs, you might save money over the course of the year. At some point, the 25% cheaper thing is going to be far more than the $50.
I swear people have no math or finance skills anymore…
You're still paying for the privilege of shopping there. I have no idea why you think that is how things should run.
I’m not paying for that. I’m paying for the benefits the membership provides.
It’s why you can use the pharmacy and buy certain items without a membership. Those aren’t benefited in the same way as the rest of the purchases you can make there.
Wrong, Costco cannot legally prevent you from using the pharmacy. All health services are available to the public by law. Alcohol too although that law is because they are issued a public license.
Can you provide an example of anything Costco makes available to the general public the same as their members when they don’t have to?
The closest I can think of is online shopping but that adds a 5% surcharge and I don’t even know if you still can do that.
Your membership is paying to be able to shop there, the advantage being the lower prices they achieve by purchasing wholesale and limiting markup, no more than 14% for regular and 15% for Kirkland I think.
Edit: I looked at your comment history. Don’t bother replying, I’m not interested in anything you have to say and I can go to a Costco if I want to be pitched on their membership.
I’m not sure what you’re arguing against. You’re just making my point for me that the membership is paying for benefits that normal non-members don’t get.
You're still paying for the privilege of shopping there. I have no idea why you think that is how things should run.
I’m not. I’m paying for the benefits they provide.
When I go shopping I pay for the goods I'm buying. Not anything else.
Yes… at a higher price than you would otherwise. That’s why you’re not paying for a membership.
I don’t see why this is so hard for you to understand.
We shop differently, I'm not here trying to convince you that you're wrong. I don't need a 400 pack of bog roll for the 2 souls in my home... I guess get over yourself?
I’m not telling you that you have to shop at Costco, my guy. Sounds like you’re the one that needs to get over yourself. The world doesn’t revolve around you. I’m just explaining why other people might choose to get a membership at Costco since you seem incapable of doing basic math.
What if I wanted to buy something from Costco without the discount?
Since you can’t buy items not in bulk, you can only buy things that don’t have that discount, as I already mentioned. The discount is the benefit you’re paying for, amongst others.
What if they didn't charge you money for the discount? Do you really think they would go out of business?
I don’t know but that’s not relevant. Since membership fees are their primary and largest source of revenue, they might.
Well, not renewing my membership, hell with this horseshit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
They sure did. The damn company was founded by my grandfather's generation. How much shit are you gonna talk out your ass today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Damn. You've got issues. Your mind is warped.
No, it's just remnants of when people had pride and manners.
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.
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
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.
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.
You saw the answer to that right here, and you wrote this anyways.
User name checks out, you do sound weirdly furious at the world.
No free trials? I literally don't know what I'm missing and if they're fine with that so am i.
If you tell them you're thinking about becoming a member & want to check it out, they will let you walk around. They'll just tell you you can't check out without a card. So yes, free trial.
Nah, gonna go sign a membership at Sam's club. Fuck Costco.
how would you control that? Is this your first free trial?
Maybe your 20th?
If you read my comment you'll see I mention they don't offer free trials. This is my 0th free trial.
I wouldn't have to manage that for a few reasons, here are 2.
1.they don't offer it
2.I don't work there
Uh. ...... Hmmm. OK. No you didn't. You said I quote "No free trials? I literally don't know what I'm missing and if they're fine with that so am i." That's a question followed by a statement.
Meaning by the way you wrote it.
1 you didn't know
2 you seem to be OK without so why care they don't?
Anyway they seem to be doing OK without you.
The free shipping on the Sam’s plus destroys the Costco mail order services.
But then you have to shop from Sam's. People choose Costco over Sam's for many reasons..
Our local Sam’s is disgusting. I was considering joining a while back during a $10 membership sale.
Everything was a mess, the employees all looked like they wanted to kill themselves, and the was a literal pile of human shit in the middle of the bathroom floor - not even in a stall or near a toilet - just a big ol dookie right in the middle of the bathroom.
Did not join. Wasn’t even worth $10 to me.
Fuck yea Sam's club unite! You're being downvoted because this thread is an advertisement.
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.
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