Current:Home > NewsCostco tests new scanners to crack down on membership sharing -AssetScope
Costco tests new scanners to crack down on membership sharing
View
Date:2025-04-15 01:35:06
Costco is testing new technology that could lead to a crackdown on membership-sharing, or when people who haven't paid for an annual membership piggyback off of paying members' cards.
Generally, Costco members need only flash their membership cards at employees to gain entry to the shopping club. Memberships are non-transferable, but households can receive one extra membership card. A basic membership costs $60 annually, while the executive membership, which has perks like a 2% cash-back reward, is $120 per year.
Now, Costco is testing a strategy that could combat membership sharing: It is asking shoppers to scan their membership cards at stores' entrances. The wholesale club's latest move comes as the chain has introduced self-checkout registers, which have made it easier for these sorts of shoppers to slip through the cracks.
"A few Costco locations are scanning Costco membership cards at the entrance. This test is to match members to their cards at the door prior to shopping for an improved member experience," a Costco spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
Over the summer, Costco started asking shoppers to present photo identification along with their physical membership cards at self-checkout registers, like they're asked to do in regular checkout lanes administered by workers.
"We don't feel it's right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members," Costco said when it announced the change.
A shopper who said they were at a store in Issaquah, Washington, where the company is headquartered, posted photos of the system in action on Reddit.
A sign on the scanner reads, "You will be asked to scan your membership card before entering the warehouse" as a store worker oversees the process.
Costco operates 871 warehouses, including 600 in the United States.
- In:
- Costco
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.
veryGood! (17353)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Delta flight with maggots on plane forced to turn around
- Scientists find water on an asteroid for the first time, a hint into how Earth formed
- Ohio woman who disappeared with 5-year-old foster son she may have harmed now faces charges
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Man who stuffed three Burmese pythons in his pants sentenced in smuggling attempt
- Jury convicts Iowa police chief of lying to feds to acquire machine guns
- New York redistricting panel approves new congressional map with modest changes
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Management issues at Oregon’s Crater Lake prompt feds to consider terminating concession contract
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Hamas recruiter tells CBS News that Israel's actions in Gaza are fueling a West Bank recruiting boom
- Does 'Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans' ruffle enough feathers
- Met Gala 2024 dress code, co-chairs revealed: Bad Bunny, JLo, Zendaya set to host
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Kansas City shooting survivor says daughter saw Chiefs parade gunman firing and spinning in a circle
- A Republican plan to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin is dead
- Angelia Jolie’s Ex-Husband Jonny Lee Miller Says He Once Jumped Out of a Plane to Impress Her
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
Maui Invitational returning to Lahaina Civic Center in 2024 after deadly wildfires
Shooting on a Cheyenne, Wyoming, street kills one, injures two
Vanessa Hudgens spills on working out, winding down and waking up (including this must-have)
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Georgia House takes a step toward boosting pay for the state’s judges
16-year-old boy arrested in NYC subway shooting that killed 1 and wounded 5
Montana’s Malmstrom air base put on lockdown after active shooter report