Wife who says her husband goes to Costco “more than once a week” throws him a surprise birthday party at the food court. (Emma Blevins via Storyful)
The next time customers shop at Costco, they may encounter membership card readers at the store’s doors.
The company’s customer service website states that in the coming months, “scanners will be deployed at the front door of your local warehouse.”
“Once deployed, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by holding the barcode or QR code to the scanner before entering. Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member to enter,” says Costco.
The Costco logo is seen on the outside of a store in Richmond, California on July 11. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
FOX Business has reached out to the warehouse retailer for comment.
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This comes after reports emerged in January that Costco had been testing membership card scanning devices at some locations.
In early March, Richard Galanti, Costco’s then-CFO, told analysts and investors during a quarterly earnings call that Costco “is actually doing some testing on that as well, scanning and verifying your card when you enter the store.”
Electronic scanners for membership cards had already been used in the UK “for a number of years”, he noted at the time.
Costco is the first company to increase its sales from zero to three billion dollars in less than six years. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Costco CEO Ron Vachris recently discussed the membership card scanners the company is testing in May.
He said the devices would “speed up our registers significantly as we will receive all scans and memberships will be verified at the front door.”
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Costco states on its website that “only Costco members may purchase items from the retailer.” The company has 880 warehouses in 14 countries.
A customer shows her Costco Wholesale membership card as she enters a Costco Wholesale store in Niles, Illinois on March 8, 2002. (Tim Boyle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Other recent membership-related moves Costco has made include requiring customers to show their membership card at self-checkout and requiring membership to use its food courts, as FOX Business previously reported.
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According to the company’s most recent count, about 133.9 million people had a Costco membership card at the end of the third quarter.
According to the company, membership fees generated more than $3.3 million in revenue for Costco in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2024.
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP. | 810.30 | -6.58 |
-0.81% |
