Costco Membership Crack Down Coming Soon

Costco knows you’re using your friend’s membership card. To save you the embarrassment of telling you off when you’re in the checkout line, now Costco will try to catch membership moochers before they even get in the door. The retailer is implementing stricter policies and cracking down on non-members using other people’s cards by requiring shoppers to scan their membership cards to enter stores. For members with cards that don’t have a photo, Costco says to come prepared with a valid photo ID but encourages shoppers to visit the membership counter and have their photo taken. Costco’s new rule also requires guests to be accompanied by a valid cardholder to enter its stores, making it more difficult for non-members to sneak in using cards that don’t belong to them. Self-checkout machines were also affected by Costco’s crackdown. Last year, the company began requiring shoppers to present their membership card and a photo ID to use the registers. Costco’s crackdown on non-members comes after the company announced last month that it was raising its membership fees by $5 to $65 in the US and Canada – the first time since 2017. The change goes into effect on September 1.

Source: CNN