A COSTCO customer was furious after a new checkout policy change left her unable to pay for her items.
The retailer decided to make the recent frustrating move to crack down on membership card sharing.
Now only the customer whose face appears on the membership card can purchase items from Costco.
One shopper begged the retail giant to fix the way it alerts people to the changes.
“@Costco if you change your policy and don’t allow a party member to pay [because] their name is not on the membership card [my mom & I went in together, her name is on the membership card & I pay] so this needs to be known at the door,” said the furious buyer he wrote in X.
“Not after purchasing [one hour] at checkout.”
CHANGES TO THE MEMBERSHIP CARD
In January, Costco made major membership change to restrict card sharing, per ABC affiliate WABC.
“We don’t think it’s right for non-members to receive the same benefits and prices as our members,” Costco said, according to the outlet.
Now, when entering a store, you must show your membership card to an employee to make purchases — barcodes and photos are not valid, according to the company website.
Your photo must be clear and clear so employees can confirm it is you.
If your photo is not on the card, only passports or government-issued photo identification will allow you to enter the store.
The company also states that membership cards are non-transferable.
However, Costco will give an extra card to a second person in the member’s family.
To obtain the card, the family member must prove that they live at the same address as the main member.
Anyone with a membership card can also bring up to two guests to the retailer at a time.
Costco has increased the security of its coveted membership cards after sharing went crazy during the pandemic and especially since the retailer expanded its self-checkout, according to WABC.
COSTCO MEMBERSHIP TYPES
Here are the membership types on Costo:
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
- $120 annual membership fee ($60 base fee + $60 upgrade fee plus sales tax)
- Includes a free domestic card
- Valid at all Costco stores worldwide
- Earn an annual 2% reward on eligible Costco purchases (terms and conditions apply)
- Enjoy additional benefits and greater savings on Costco services
- Access extra perks on select Costco Travel products
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
- $60.00 annual membership fee (plus sales tax)
- Includes a free domestic card
- Additional affiliate cardholders can be added for $60 each (plus sales tax)
- Valid at all Costco stores worldwide
- Eligible for purchases intended for resale
- Business Members are required to provide Costco with required resale information
GOLD STAR ASSOCIATION
- Annual Membership Fee: $60.00 (plus sales tax)
- Includes a free domestic card
- Valid at all Costco stores worldwide
You can sign up for any of these associations at Costco.com/Join-Costco.
They also experimented with members having to scan their membership cards at the store entrance rather than showing them to employees, the outlet reported.
MORE COMPLAINTS
The recent policy change wasn’t the only complaint among customers.
One shopper posted on Facebook about being a new member of the store and having trouble paying.
“I went to Costco for the first time today. I shopped for about an hour and got to the register to pay for my items, when I tried to pay with my Discover card I was told they don’t accept Discover cards,” they wrote.
“I tried to pay with my American Express card and was told they don’t accept American Express.”
However, what they discovered is that Costco only excludes Visa cards because of an agreement it made with the company that allows it to pay lower merchant fees.
“I then decided to use my bank card,” she continued.
“Which is a Visa card. But I needed to know the PIN number. It’s a new card and I don’t know the PIN number.
“So frustrated that I said, ‘I think you have to put everything back.'”
The shopper luckily found someone in line who helped her.
Another shopper was furious after an employee told a member’s wife to download the Costco app.
Customers insisted on knowing why this was a new company requirement and asked to speak to a manager.
Their interaction was awkward and led to tension between the workers and the manager, never receiving a clear answer as to why it was necessary to download an app.
However, other customers recalled having a similar experience at the retailer.
The US Sun has reached out to Costco for comment.
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