Say goodbye to one of our favourite perks at Costco stores… membership sharing. That’s right, Costco will no longer allow members or family members who don’t share a household to share membership benefits due to new security measures aimed at preventing unauthorized individuals from using membership benefits. Of course, like any change, it’s met with mixed reactions. While some understand it’s a way to protect members with benefits that are exclusive to them, others consider it a problem when it comes to shopping. But… what else is behind this decision? We’ll tell you below.
What is a Costco membership?
It’s a subscription program that allows users to access their stores and take advantage of very low prices on large purchases. For an annual fee ($60 for the basic membership and $120 for the executive membership with 2% cash back), you can fill your cart with everything from food to appliances. Keep in mind that you can only shop at Costco through a membership program (except in specific cases like pharmacy and gift cards), so it’s sort of like a VIP pass to shop at these department stores (and don’t worry, it pays off pretty easily!)
Why can’t memberships be shared?
After the pandemic, many platforms (including Netflix and Disney, for example) saw their subscriber numbers decline. This is mainly due to the fact that it’s much easier to share expenses and allow multiple people to share them. However, it’s clear that companies don’t care about the common good, primarily because they lose money from subscribers and members.
So, Costco employees will be checking membership cards at the register, even including scanners in some stores to verify that the customer’s face matches the photo registered to their account. This way, Costco will be able to identify if a card is being used by someone other than the cardholder, preventing outsiders from enjoying exclusive member prices and benefits.
Are there any other changes?
Another important change is that an active membership will now be required to shop at the Costco food court. Previously, anyone could access this area and purchase its iconic hot dogs or pizzas without having to be a member. With this new policy, only membership holders will be able to shop in this section.
Does it affect income that much?
Of course, let’s keep in mind that it wasn’t just one or two people taking advantage of other people’s discounts. Companies aren’t charities (especially in a capitalist system). They’re looking to make money, and if they don’t make it, they implement whatever measures they can to make it. That’s why Costco has begun implementing these changes.
Will it affect the checkout experience?
We hope not. Costco also assures that the scanner system will speed up customer entry and exit and prevent confusion and confrontations between employees and customers at the checkout. Everything looks set to improve, but they haven’t clarified whether these changes will be applied to all of their stores nationwide or if they will only test them in a few before implementing them in all of their warehouses.
Costco believes these measures are necessary to maintain the value of its subscriptions and ensure that the benefits go exclusively to those who pay for them, so take advantage of it, if you can!