Costco Wholesale is installing member scanners at the entrances to all of its stores to prevent non-members from shopping in stores.
Instead of showing their cards to employees soon, Costco members will have to scan them when entering the store, the retailer said.
“In the coming months, member scanning devices will be deployed at the front door of your local warehouse. Once deployed, all members will be required to scan their physical or digital membership card before entering,” the retailer explained on its customer service page.
Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member to enter a store, Costco added.
The discounter began testing the technology earlier this year. Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti explained: more people had shared memberships since the pandemic in 2020.
The scanners also save Costco employees from having to ask customers for their membership cards at registers and self-checkouts, speeding up the check-in and check-out process, Galanti told CNN.
Dogs at reduced price only for members
Costco at the beginning of the year stricter regulations for the use of the food court to ensure that only members can take advantage of the famous $1.50 hot dogs and lemonade offer.
The retailer recently started requiring customers to show their membership card in addition to photo ID at the self-checkout counters. The company also applies this practice at regular checkouts.
“We don’t think it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and prices as our members,” Costco said at the time.
Costco said last month it was Increase in basic membership Costco has added a fee for the first time since 2017, increasing the annual fee from $60 to $65. The roughly 8 percent cost increase will take effect Sept. 1, the big-box store club said. The cost of a premium membership will rise from $120 to $130. Costco also said the maximum 2 percent annual premium for the executive membership will rise from $1,000 to $1,250.
The price change affects around 52 million memberships. Costco operates 882 warehouses, 609 of which are in the US and Puerto Rico.
