Bad news if you’re mooching off of someone else’s Costco membership: The retail giant is cracking down.
When you enter Costco, you need to show your membership card to an employee to shop. Costco membership cards are non-transferable, but the company allows members to give a second household card to one other person in their home. Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the club during each visit, the company stipulates.
But Costco has noticed that non-members have been sneaking in with membership cards that don’t belong to them — particularly since Costco expanded self-checkout.
Costco recently started asking for shoppers’ membership cards along with a photo ID at the self-checkout registers, the same policy as regular checkout lanes, to crack down. “We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members,” Costco said in announcing the change.
And now, Costco is testing out a system that requires members to scan their membership cards at the store entrance — instead of just flashing the card to employees. Shoppers have spotted the new scanners at a store in Washington State and posted photos on Reddit.
You’re only saying that because they’re insulating you from the effect of this happening. If Costco had to raise rates because people were sharing memberships and members didn’t want that enforced, you’d complain about that too. Again, it’s odd to me that you’re complaining about them protecting the very benefits that you’re paying for which others are not. Unless you have some magic way to prevent non-members from using benefits that doesn’t affect members, your demands are unreasonable.
The gym analogy isn’t a false equivalence. If Joe Schmo lets his neighbor use your membership, it does affect you and it does so in the same way as it does at the gym - more traffic, less access to product, more upkeep, etc. and none of which they’re paying for but you are. I don’t understand why you’re ignoring the ways this affects you simply because this also affects you.
DRM is a a false equivalence. This is not immaterial goods like Intellectual Property. This is physical goods at physical stores of resources that are physically limited. It’s not the same thing in any way.
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I understand it fine. I’m pointing out the flaw in it based on the fact that you’re complaining about paying for something that you are ok with others abusing for free. I never said that Costco wasn’t doing it for their own benefit. Happy members benefit them. People who aren’t members do not benefit them or members.
The entire point of contention is why any member would be ok with non-members using services you pay for without paying.
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I feel like you’re projecting. I never said it was your job or mine to police who shops at Costco. It’s their job and they’re doing it. I’m not worried about what everyone else is doing. I just think it’s weird that you’re willing to pay for an exclusivity that you feel should be unenforced.
I’m sorry that you can’t consider other people’s viewpoints without distorting them to be some kind of victim. That must be exhausting.
And the feeling is mutual on not continuing. You’re assuming so many things so maliciously and distorting my point that I have to wonder why…
I replied to another comment of yours that was wrong and looked through your comment history. Are you a Costco employee? You are very combative in multiple comment threads.
I have to believe you either work for Costco or have such a cult like love for them you default to shilling on their behalf.
It wasn’t wrong. You’re just misconstruing what I said.
I said this in another comment too but the fact that you think the only way someone can disagree with you is that they work for Costco is a conspiratorial hot mess. I neither work for Costco nor “have a cult-like love for them”. You just have a persecution complex.
Funny how everyone you’re arguing with in this thread is “misconstruing” your message or “being dishonest” the moment you get called out on your terrible takes.
Does Costco match 401k contributions?
Hahahahahahahahahaha! Ok 👍
Ok. You must be shill for Sam’s Club! Why else would someone be posting on here‽ /s