Costco is completing its crackdown on membership cards, requiring customers to scan in upon entering the store, rather than as they check out.
Having tested scanning tech at various locations starting earlier this year, the warehouse retailer will bring member ID scanners to all warehouses, the company said in a customer message posted to its website Thursday.
“Over the coming months, membership scanning devices will be used at the entrance door of your local warehouse,” Costco said. “Once deployed, prior to entering, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by placing the barcode or QR Code against the scanner. Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member for entry.”
Members whose picture is not on their card will be asked to show a photo ID, and Costco encouraged members to get their photo taken for their card.
The policy is not completely new; it’s designed to tighten up customer compliance with existing policy. Netflix instituted similar controls last year to prevent password-sharing.
Until now, the routine has been for shoppers to flash their cards and get a nod from an attendant while sauntering in, then scanning the card as they check out.
The crackdown started last year when the company expanded its self-service checkout area and discovered a number of nonmember shoppers using other people’s cards, Costco told Axios in June 2023, noting that membership fees are what help keep prices low.
In April of this year, Costco began requiring people eating in its outdoor food courts to show their membership cards.
The human doorway greeters will still be on hand, Costco said, with the scanners ensuring that the staff is speaking to an actual, paying member.
The move comes right after Costco’s first rate increase in seven years, having held membership fees steady throughout the pandemic and a period of inflation.
With News Wire Services
