• 11 months ago
Costco is testing a new system at some stores that requires members to scan their membership cards at the entrance, instead of just showing the card to employees. This is aimed at cracking down on non-members accessing Costco by using someone else's membership card, a practice that has increased during the pandemic. Costco already requires shoppers to show their membership card and ID at checkout, including self-checkout. The new scanners are meant to speed up entry and checkout processes while restricting access only to cardholders.
Transcript
00:00 It's Benzinga and here's what's on the block.
00:02 Costco is testing a new system at some stores that requires members to scan their membership
00:06 cards at the entrance instead of just showing the card to employees. This is aimed at cracking down
00:10 on non-members accessing Costco by using someone else's membership card, a practice that's increased
00:15 during the pandemic. Costco already requires shoppers to show their membership card and ID
00:19 at checkout, including self-checkout. The new scanners are meant to speed up entry and checkout
00:23 processes while restricting access only to cardholders. Membership fees are important
00:27 to Costco's business model of keeping prices low, so tighter restrictions could help membership
00:31 renewal rates. For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.

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