Costco’s crackdown on membership sharing is now going a step further. The retailer has announced that it will be installing card scanners at the entrances to its warehouses in the coming months, which members will be required to scan before making a purchase.
Don’t have a card or are using an expired membership to get a cheap fried chicken? A member of staff at the door will direct you to the customer service desk so you can register or renew your account. And all guests must be accompanied by a valid member.
“In the coming months, member scanning devices will be deployed at the front door of your local warehouse,” the company said on its customer service website. “Once deployed, all members will be required to scan their physical or digital membership card by holding the barcode or QR code to the scanner before entering.”
The only exceptions to the access regulations are visitors to the pharmacy or people who have an appointment with an in-house optician (however, membership is required to purchase glasses or contact lenses).
Costco began experimenting with card scanners in January (instead of the long-standing practice of simply showing a card to the store clerk on duty). A post on Reddit at the time noted that after members scanned their card, a display would show the stored face for the clerk to verify. If the cardholder was obviously not the member, they could be turned away.
The use of facial scanners at the test locations did not replace photo ID verification at check-out.
Costco has taken a strong stance against membership sharing, saying in a media statement last June: “We don’t think it’s right for non-members to receive the same benefits and prices as our members. Costco can keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help cover our operating costs, so our membership fees and structures are important to us.”
Last month, Costco announced it would increase its membership price by $5, bringing the price of the basic Gold Star card to $65 per year.
