Multiple Canadian Costco locations now have membership card scanners
If you’re headed to a Costco Canada location anytime soon, you may have to scan your membership card instead of showing it to an employee before entering.
Earlier this month, Daily Hive reported that a Costco location in Metro Vancouver had implemented membership card scanners to prevent non-members and those who haven’t paid their membership fees from sneaking in.
The Burnaby-Willingdon Costco confirmed to Daily Hive that the scanners were being used at its store.
Now it looks like that isn’t the only Costco location scanning cards before entering.
CTV News reported that an Ottawa store has also implemented the practice. Customers at the Merivale Road store noticed the scanning systems earlier in March.
In a Costco Canada subreddit forum, shoppers reacted to news of the scanners at the Ottawa store.
Some commenters said they had no issue with the new process.
“Scan it at the door and scan it at checkout. I really don’t care, especially if it makes Costco better for members without non-members using other people’s memberships,” said one person.
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Another shopper who said they had to scan their card at the Burnaby location provided details on how the process worked.
“You scan the card and a big photo of your face appears on their screen,” they wrote.
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Last summer, Costco told Daily Hive that it was cracking down on membership sharing by asking to see customers’ Costco cards at its self-service checkout registers.
“We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members,” the spokesperson said. A basic membership costs $60 a year, or $120 a year for an Executive membership.
Costco began testing the membership scanners at entrances in the US earlier this year and now the practice seems to be catching on in Canada, although it hasn’t been confirmed how many stores in the country are utilizing the new system.
The popular big-box wholesaler has also been reportedly tightening its food court policy.
According to a lengthy Reddit thread, a Costco membership will be the golden ticket needed to indulge in those delectable food court treats as of April — in the United States.
Daily Hive reached out to Costco for further comment about its membership scanning in Canada.
With files from Nikitha Martins and Ty Jadah
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