Costco memberships have been growing like 10% a year the last few years. The one I go through has gone from being chaos and madness around the holidays to chaos and madness every weekend. As a paying member, I would like them to keep out non-members because it’s a zoo.
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I think I got the second blurred word, but what’s the first one? Or am I reading too much into it???
This. Whatever keeps people from showing up and camping out at corners and leaving their carts or blocking aisles while they gawk at the products like they’re awaiting assassination coordinates for that bag of rice or that box of cans of vegetables, I’m for it.
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You’re reading too much into it…I didn’t intend it to spell anything but the word I was going for is |}!+¢h.
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Our Costco started this a few weeks ago. It’s no big deal.
I don’t like it when people hug the edge of the refrigerated meat section with their cart. Then they stop and search for something, effectively cutting off about six feet of the meat section from anyone else to access. If I see them coming towards me while I’m looking at the meat, I linger just a little bit longer so they are forced to stop hugging the edge.
Also, people who block the aisle with their cart while they wait for the sample person to finish preparing the latest batch of samples. That should be a yellow-card offense and they should have a yellow card on their cart for the rest of their visit. A second yellow card (or a red card) is automatic expulsion and they’re not allowed back until the next day.
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I could have sworn it was *)^^$_
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Yup, they all suck.
I usually leave my cart at the far end of an aisle, walk to get an item or two, then walk back to the cart, move on to the next aisle.
Also, my regular list contains the aisle numbers of the regular items, in aisle order. Still takes me an hour. Mainly because they change the locations of the items.
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It is my understanding that you do not have to be a member of Costco or Sam’s Club to use their pharmacy.
Do people who do that get harassed going in? Could people use that ruse to get in then use someone else’s card at check out, assuming they just scan the bar code at check out now? I mean if they are verifying members on the way in I wouldn’t imagine they would need to verify as closely at checkout.
I think the checkout requirement is well established in the registers.
Yes, I believe this is a matter of federal law.
There’s one close-ish to me that has a liquor store that they also have to let you into regardless whether you’re a member or not. It has a separate entrance (and great prices).
As for whether you could successfully buy something in the warehouse with someone else’s card and a ruse to get in about the pharmacy… maybe? Last time I went through self-check they did not check my membership card. I had to scan it but no one checked if the photo looked like me.
Not sure if they were short staffed or their policy changed or what.
I’m curious if they’ll change the policy about letting non-members in with a Shop (gift) Card. My college age kid has used that to eat at the food court.
That is another loophole. I think they would have to stop issuing the cards and that is one way they get people to try it, then sell them a membership, if they don’t just keep using the loophole. Pretty hard to deny people the opportunity to use money you gave them that can only be used in your store. Probably against the law in most cases.
I thought anyone could eat at the food court 
+1 for keeping out the riffraff. It’s crazy enough as it is!! 
plus if your reward cash, or whatever they call it, at the end of the year, doesn’t pay for your membership, you’re doing it wrong.
Between the Costco rewards and the visa rewards, I end up with $500 a year or so. Heck you can pbly pay for the membership just by getting your gas there.
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I am at $310 YTD on Visa Rewards and at $116 (since 2/19) on the 2% membership reward. Half that difference is the 4k worth of furniture I bought in January.
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I think the food court rules vary by state. He preferred the food court at the Costco that was outside of the actual warehouse, but they changed it so you had to swipe a membership card to be able to order at the kiosk. The Shop Card worked well for that. You could choose to pay with another card or the Shop Card.
We live in the Costco motherland. There are 3 Costcos within about 15 minutes of the house, and probably an additional half dozen if expanding the radius to 30 minutes (assuming no traffic).
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I think I read that pumpkin pies are available a month earlier this year. That means you could be enjoying them for the next four months or so!
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Some of my pie pumpkins are about ready to be harvested. I’ll turn them into pumpkin pie and pumpkin loaf. They’re good, but not as good as costco’s.
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Pumpkin porn.