Costco members may soon see a huge change at store entrance
Costco members may soon see a big change when they arrive at the store – digital scanners.
Digital scanners have popped up at the front door of a Costco warehouse near the company’s corporate headquarters in Issaquah, Washington, Business Insider reported. Shoppers reported that instead of showing a Costco employee their membership card when entering, they were instructed to scan their card at a station that then showed a large version of their member photo on a tablet.
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According to Business Insider, the Issaquah location is generally known to be where the company tries out new concepts before they are rolled out to other stores.
The trial comes as reports emerged Costco was cracking down on non-members using other people’s cards to shop at the warehouse store. Shoppers who purchase items through self-checkout are now asked to show their member ID and photo to confirm they pay their annual subscription fee.
“Our membership policy states that our membership cards are not transferable and since expanding our self-service checkout, we’ve noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them,” reads a statement released by Costco. “We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members.”
Costco, which has some 125 million members, charges $120 annually for an executive membership or regular membership for $60 a year.