Costco hiking membership fee next month, testing card scanners in these parts of Canada
Sorry, Costco card moochers — the big box warehouse is officially cracking down on membership sharing in Canada.
Earlier this year, Canadian shoppers began spotting membership card scanners in several locations nationwide.
This means shoppers need to scan their membership card instead of just showing it to an employee at the entrance.
In an email to Daily Hive on Monday, a Costco spokesperson confirmed that the retailer is testing scanners in the Ottawa, Edmonton, Regina, and BC Lower Mainland locations.
The spokesperson cited a page on the store’s site notifying customers of how the scanners will work.
“Over the coming months, membership scanning devices will be used at the entrance door of your local warehouse,” reads the notice. “Once deployed, prior to entering, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by placing the barcode or QR Code against the scanner.”
Guests will need to be accompanied by a valid member for entry, and if your membership card doesn’t have a photo, you’ll need to show a valid photo ID.
Costco began testing the membership scanners at entrances in the US earlier this year.
If your city has been spared so far from these scanners, one photo shared on Reddit of a card scanner at a Costco in Washington State gives a sneak peek of what it will look like.
A Costco membership scanner at the entrance of a warehouse in Issaquah, Washington (mike753951/Reddit)
The Costco spokesperson gave no further details as to whether these scanners will be implemented across all locations in Canada.
There have been mixed reviews about the scanners online.
One person on X says the backup it’s causing is making them reconsider their membership.
They put the scanners in at entrance of my local @Costco and the back up it is causing, especially on weekends when it’s already busy, is making me reconsider my membership.
— AllycynWonderland (@AllycynWndrland) August 10, 2024
Another shopper in California supports the scanners and says they’ve experienced no delays.
We experienced the new scanners at our Costco in Irvine, CA today. No delay. Great to see them cracking down on the folks who are using friends and neighbors cards, instead of signing up for their own membership. If you don’t want to join, shop elsewhere. Your choice.
Costco…
— Accipiter striatus (@PeterGordon_CBP) August 7, 2024
If you live in BC and are wondering if you can still access the iconic $1.50 Costco hotdogs without a membership, you’re in luck. One Vancouver location has a workaround for non-members.
This isn’t the only way the retailer has tried to snuff out card sharing in the last few years.
Last summer, Costco told Daily Hive that it was cracking down on membership sharing by asking customers to show their Costco cards at its self-service checkout registers.