Shopping at the popular warehouse giant, Costco is a full experience worth the cost of the annual membership fee. Competitive pricing, bulk offerings, and an affordable food court are all perks of shopping at the warehouser, making it one of, if not the favorite retailer for consumers to do their monthly restocks for the home, kitchen, garden, and just about any else you could need.
Costco members are regularly sharing tips and tricks to maximize efficiency and benefits when shopping at the warehouse. However, sometimes these tricks and hacks can go too far and if the company picks up on it, you could find yourself banned from the store and no one wants that.
Costco cracks down on membership guidelines
The warehouse retailer has previously shared that a high percentage of its sales come from membership fees which is why the company is able to offer such competitive and discounted rates when compared to its peers. As such, it comes as no surprise that the company is very serious about enforcing its membership guidelines — and customers have been known to show a mild sense of annoyance at this.
One of the more important membership guidelines is that membership cannot be shared with another person, under no circumstances. According to company policy and guidelines, a membership holder has the option to bring with them a maximum of two guests in to the store. However, these guests are not allowed to make purchases of their own. This is likely a tactic to increase membership numbers since the guests would be remiss if they passed up on the discounted deals.
Recently, a Reddit user by the name of analog_grotto shared a post that read as follows: “I was almost banned for life for bringing a friend w/o membership who wanted to score some of the bulk Ouija board packs on my card.”
Company policy clearly states that benefits and membership cards are strictly non-transferable and failure to adhere to this could result in a lifetime ban from the store. Reddit user analog_grotto’s post sparked a chain of responses from other membership holders who shared their displeasing views of this system. Some users even shared that you could be standing at checkout with your actual spouse and the company would still prevent you from using each other’s cards.
Another growing concern for the company is the self-checkout counter. It appears that previously, shoppers would use someone else’s membership card when using self-checkout. To prevent this sharing of memberships, employees are now checking membership cards at the entrance, as well as at the self-checkout counters before shoppers can begin scanning their products.
The company is of the belief that its guidelines for membership use is not extreme in the slightest and customers should have no problem adhering to them. Whilst the repercussions of these membership scams are rather extreme, customers should not be too surprised if they end up with a lifetime ban from the store for breaking these rules.
Hacks and tricks that won’t get you banned
Instead of getting mixed up in membership ploys, rather try some of these hacks to better your warehouse shopping experience.
It is no hidden fact that inventory in the store is constantly shifted around making it tricky to find the items you need. To aid this, you should download the Costco app and use the map to maximize time efficiency. Along with special digital offers, the app will also have your membership card stored on it so you no longer have to waste time digging around your bag or wallet for the card.
Another tip is to focus your shopping on the sides of the store rather than the center. The seasonal or specialty items are usually kept in the center as most of the foot traffic is concentrated there — meaning these items and displays are meant to catch your attention even if you did not necessarily need it.
Lastly, be sure to stop by the free sample stations as many times as you want since there is no limit per customer.