Costco membership card entry scanners spotted in Southern California
LOS ANGELES - Costco's new membership card entry scanners are already in operation at warehouses across the U.S., including right here in Southern California.
Costco first made the announcement in January that card scanners would be installed at all store entrances and customers would be required to scan their physical or digital membership card before entering.
If you're a guest, you must be accompanied by a valid Costco member for entry.
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One such scanner was spotted at a Burbank Costco recently, according to a video posted to Instagram by @costco.so.obsessed.
Opinions were mixed about the new scanners.
"I really feel like it's overkill you can't purchase anything without a card, so why not wait until ready to purchase items, less headache, less waiting," one Costco member said.
"Oh yay another company getting rid of workers and replacing them with machines. Not good," another said.
"Scan your card to get in and then show your card before checking out, seems a bit too much," another member commented.
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Attendants will still be at store entrances to greet you and also to assist with questions or mishaps when it comes to the scanners.
According to Costco's website, greeters may ask customers who present a card without a photo on it to show a valid photo ID, like a driver's license.
The only times you do not need a Costco membership are when visiting an optometrist in the warehouse, or to purchase pharmacy prescriptions, per the website.
This comes after Costco announced it would be increasing the prices of memberships.
The new fees, set to take effect Sept. 1, will boost the price of Costco’s basic Gold Star membership from $60 to $65 annually, while the cost for the premium Executive membership will rise from $120 to $130.
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Costco’s annual fee has remained the same since 2017.
Costco operates more than 600 warehouses across the U.S.