COSTCO shoppers are canceling their subscriptions as the store takes extra steps to prevent them from sharing store cards.
One of the most popular benefits of a Costco membership is that it comes with two domestic cards.
Even the basic membership offers two cards so people can take turns shopping without dragging the other person with them.
However, Costco has been cracking down on membership sharing, leaving many people under extra scrutiny.
A customer canceled his membership after his wife was told she couldn’t use her card in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“My wife and I are members, but the card has my name on it. She called the whole cart and asked, ‘Is your husband with you? he wrote in a Facebook post.
“Uhhh, she’s on the bill too. I’ve never had any problems before.”
He decided to cancel his membership due to the question.
“Well, go put everything away yourself; we’re done here,” he said, referring to the cart full of groceries that his wife was unable to buy.
Another shopper explained that she abandoned a $150 purchase after being stopped by an employee in a similar manner.
One of her friends was a Costco member and recently broke her leg.
She decided to go shopping with her to help maneuver the cart and carry heavier items.
When they reached the register, she wanted to go one step further and pay for her purchases.
“I really wanted to help my friend as she broke her leg and has a lot of medical bills at the moment. We both bought a few things and I wanted to pay for most of it,” she said.
However, the cashier informed her that her friend would have to pay because she was a member.
“I would never be able to become a member there if that’s how they play. Their politics are absolutely terrible. Why does it matter where they make their profits? It’s money for their business. Take my money,” she protested in a Facebook post.
“So I went to Sam’s Club to buy my own stuff. My poor friend walked out with the three items she could afford. Unbelievable.”
Costco Membership Sharing Guidelines
Costco has strict rules for subscription usage that shoppers must follow and has been cracking down on violators in recent years.
- Core Member Usage: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. It is not allowed to share it for purchases, as the photo on the card must correspond to the person using it.
- Domestic Card: Each Prime Member can add one free Household Cardholder who lives at the same address. That person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
- Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per Costco visit. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by a member.
- Authorized cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who does not reside at your address. They will receive their own card and will be able to make purchases independently.
Credit: Costco
EXTRA CHECKS
In 2023, then-CFO Richard Galanti revealed that member share began to increase with the expansion of self-checkout.
“Since expanding our self-service checkout, we have noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them,” a company statement said.
“We don’t think it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and prices as our members.”
Galanti admitted that there is only a small percentage of members who share their cards, but with a company as large as Costco, those numbers add up quickly.
“But when you’re dealing with millions of transactions, even a very small percentage is something you’d want to correct,” he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Costco also introduced ID scanners at the entrance of select stores, and shoppers didn’t like it.
Some savvy shoppers have identified a new checkout feature that is “better than self-checkout.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
