Costco, the king of membership supermarket chains, is cracking down on non-members who visit its discount stores.
The wholesaler, whose membership prices are rising in September, recently announced that customers will soon be required to scan their physical membership card when entering the store.
In addition, they must visually match the photo that appears on the scanned card.
The scanners, which have already been spotted in several locations in California, are an attempt to discourage bargain hunters from borrowing a friend’s membership card without paying the annual fee themselves.
However, smart shoppers can still find a way around the new measures, according to Lifehacker blog.
Costco to take tougher action against members
1. Costco gift cards
Costco gift cards can be purchased by all existing members, but can be spent by anyone.
Gift cards can be purchased in physical stores or on the Costco website.
Once inside, you can pay for Costco items using your preferred payment method.
In theory, this means you could use a $25 gift card to visit, but you can buy as much as you want at checkout.
2. Partner with a cardholder
One of the easiest ways to avoid paying for a membership yourself is to go to the store with a friend who already has one.
Once you are in the warehouse, you can walk through the aisles and then pay for the items at the checkout.
3. Online shopping
Costco offers many great deals online for non-members, despite the small surcharge.
You no longer have to go into the store and can simply browse the site at your leisure.
A TikToker also encouraged people without memberships to buy Costco products through Instacart, a grocery delivery and pickup service.
“I just wanted to show you that you can use Instacart Costco without a membership,” Tiff Bish said in the video before walking viewers through the steps.
“You just click through, click ‘Continue,’ then click ‘No, thank you’ about the membership and then you’re good to go,” she said in the video that has been viewed more than 500,000 times.
4. Visit the pharmacy or Costco Optical
Costco offers a variety of affordable services that you can use without a membership.
Costco’s pharmacy, optician, and food court are all open to non-members.
So you can enjoy a hot dog and soda for $1.50 while you drop in for an eye test.
Costco.com offers many discount deals to non-members for a small fee
The wholesale pharmacy is accessible to non-members
Costco executive pay will increase by $10 to $130 per year in September
Costco is raising membership prices for the first time since June 2017.
The chain’s standard membership will increase by $5 per year, from $60 to $65.
The Executive level, which offers 2 percent off all Costco purchases that year up to a total of $750, increases by $10 to $130 per year.
In the three months ended Feb. 18, Costco generated $1.11 billion in membership fees, nearly 2 percent of total revenue for the quarter.
This means that Costco makes over $4 billion annually on these costs, a figure that is likely to increase as costs rise.