Recently, there was a lot of buzz about Costco strictly checking membership cards. Some people in the comments said that Costco didn’t check at all, while others said that Costco checked very strictly and even had punishment measures.
Everyone had their own opinions.
Just when everyone couldn’t come to a conclusion, some brave netizens stepped forward to risk their own safety and find out the answer.
Last week, a TikTok blogger named @etiennenajman became the “first person to eat the crab”.
To verify whether Costco really checks or not, he specifically brought his mother’s membership card to Costco for shopping.
Throughout the shopping process, he remained calm and composed.
It wasn’t until he checked out that he calmly took out his “ultimate weapon” – a wig.
To impersonate his mother in the photo, @etiennenajman intentionally wore the same wig as his mother and then went to the self-checkout to start the checkout process.
During the checkout process, @etiennenajman deliberately looked around to see if any staff would check him.
However, to his disappointment, no one checked him during the entire checkout process, and even his strange behavior did not attract the attention of the staff.
Watching @etiennenajman’s funny and ridiculous appearance, many netizens burst into laughter and joked that he had done something stupid.
@etiennenajman’s failed attempt made many netizens laugh and mock that if Costco says they will check, it’s just for show, not for real.
However, just when many people believed it to be true, another blogger @profitplug’s experience made people wonder if Costco was really serious about this!?
Around the same time, @profitplug’s mother was permanently banned from purchasing at Costco stores because she used her husband’s membership card.
According to @profitplug, his mother recently used his father’s membership card for self-checkout at Costco.
As soon as she scanned the card, the staff rushed over and began asking for identification and membership qualifications.
After confirming that the membership card did not belong to her, the staff told her that she could no longer shop at that store in the future.
Before this incident, his mother had never been restricted in any way while shopping at Costco.
Why is there such a huge difference in treatment between two Costco stores? Is it because Costco intentionally targeted @profitplug’s mother?
It turns out that being warned and banned from Costco is now becoming the norm.
Some people have said that it may vary from location to location. For example, they were always asked in New York but not in Texas after moving there.
There are also reports of staff only questioning Asian customers:Many American netizens on Twitter have been complaining about Costco’s strict membership policy. It seems that many people have been asked questions like:
“They are too strict. I went to buy daily necessities with my mom, who has a membership card, but I don’t. They wouldn’t let me pay for her.”
“My friend’s mom was critically ill, and she brought her mom’s card, but they refused to let her in.”
“This always happens at my Costco. They check the card, and if it’s not yours, they take it away and tell you that the cardholder needs to get a new one.”
“I just experienced this too. They said I looked like a minor.”
“Hey bro, a few hours ago I went to Costco using my dad’s card, but they told me I couldn’t use it anymore. When I tried to use the self-checkout, I felt like a criminal. They not only asked for my ID, but also almost searched me before I left. Sam’s Club doesn’t do that! It’s even worse when you encounter staff with face blindness… they don’t believe the photo on the card is you and won’t let you buy anything. Even gift cards will soon be subject to strict scrutiny, according to my aunt who is a supervisor at Costco. Of course, Costco does allow one card to be used by multiple people, but only for the higher-tier black card members. Even if you live together, you can’t use the same card if someone else has already used the other spot.”
Costco’s strict regulations have angered many netizens:
They do not allow you to share a membership card with someone who lives at the same address, which is crazy.
I don’t understand why every member of a family needs their own membership card, even if they are shopping for the whole family?
I don’t understand why they are so worried, because if my mom doesn’t want to go shopping, I can help her and still use her money.
They should allow all people with the same address to share the card, because there are six people in my family who shop at Costco, but only two have membership cards.
Why is Costco cracking down on membership cards?
In fact, Costco has had this policy all along, but they have recently started enforcing it more strictly.
Since Costco introduced self-checkout, many people have borrowed other people’s membership cards to shop and check out at Costco. This kind of misuse of membership cards has harmed the company’s interests.
Costco said in a statement: “We believe that non-members receiving the same benefits and prices as members is not right.”
Currently, Costco has about 119,000 cardholders who can choose to purchase items in-store by paying an annual fee of $60 for a regular white card or $120 for an executive black card.
This membership model is crucial to Costco’s business.
By charging membership fees, the company can increase its profits and offset operating expenses, ultimately lowering product prices and winning in the retail industry with low prices.
The company stated, “Costco hopes to keep prices as low as possible, and membership fees are important to us.”
Any changes in membership growth or renewal rates could harm Costco’s profits and force it to raise product prices.
In summary, Costco hopes to encourage more consumers to become members by strictly enforcing membership card policies, increase revenue, and avoid raising prices to make up for profits during these difficult times.
However, for many consumers who are already used to the convenience, this sudden strict policy is too inconvenient.
Previously, some netizens joked on Reddit that Costco’s ID photos were useless because no one checked them. I wonder how they are doing now…
Some angry netizens have even turned against Sam’s Club.
Sam’s Club is cheaper, has a wider variety, and allows anyone to use your membership.
To be honest, Sam’s Club is better.
Hahaha, maybe Sam’s Club didn’t expect this.
With all the trouble Costco is causing, Sam’s Club will probably benefit in the end!