Costco to start scanning membership cards at the entrance of all its stores
Costco is installing scanners at all of the retailer's stores to discourage non-members from shopping at its warehouse clubs.
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I am confused, don't they scan your card before you check out?
Yes, but you're more likely to run into an irate person when you turn them away with a cart full of groceries then you are if you turn them away at the door. Plus it reduces the wasted time of employees who have to unload said cart.
Yep, I think this is part of the answer.
I'm guessing another is identifying which members are primarily using membership card and cash, membership attached to an alternative FOP from their in-house charge (Citi currently), and digital native customers who are all in on the ecosystem.
Those data points can be used in several manners as Costco can glean valuable marketing insights into their customer base, their shopping habits, and their frequency. More than likely it will be used in ongoing in-house charge provider negotiations to ensure favorable terms for offering their services exclusively.
Plus if you scan at the entrance and checkout, you have metrics for how long people shop in the store.
Makes more profit to let them through than to refuse them at that point.
Also, let them through and they may get a membership for next time, refuse them and they are never coming back.
They don’t need their business, and no one at Costco wants them in the store.
Then what stops anyone from just never getting a membership?
I’m talking specifically about the self checkout loophole that only came when they made self checkouts….?
Was that not obvious from responding to someone taking about that same thing?
The person you responded to does not mention self checkouts fyi
They are responding to a post specifically talking about self checkouts and the loophole that exists solely with them…
How does this need to be explained? Lmfao.
At the self checkout, the cost to return all the merchandise to the shelves costs money, to let them go through the the till is profit instead of a loss. This doesn’t exist in regular checkouts since you need to scan, at the self checkouts you don’t, so people try and abuse it.
I was literally taking what the person I responded to a little further and this tripped you guys up? Fucking hell this place is weird to have conversations on.
What's the loophole? You still have to scan your membership card in self checkout. Or is it using someone else?
When you look at Costco earnings, almost all of their net profit is the membership fees.
It's literally not more profit for them, especially depending on what the person is buying. Costco is able to offer lower prices than a lot of other places specifically because the memberships help make up for what would otherwise be losses on margins
I think it might be even simpler: add membership fee to the purchase and tell them that they can finalize the process of creating a new card at the membership desk.
Everybody knows you need a membership to shop there so why would these people (or anyone else for that matter) buy one if you let them shop and make purchases without it?
Apparently the issue is cheaters using the self-checkouts according to the employee I talked to.
So now we all have to jump through more hoops instead of having another cashier or two. Ironically, there were extra staff at the door enforcing the scanning.
The scanning is also supposed to bring up your picture for identification.
They don't have a picture for me on file and gave me crap when I scanned. I just showed them my license and went on my way. I don't need my face linked to my name all over the internet when they get hacked next year.
They don’t have a picture for me on file and gave me crap when I scanned. I just showed them my license and went on my way. I don’t my face linked to my name all over the internet when they get hacked next year.
I get that, but its a private club. If its part of their membership rules your choices are comply or not be in the private club.
Yep, totally get it. I'll squeeze by as long as I can for the sake of privacy.
To be frank, it's foolish to think your face isn't already attached to your name in innumerable databases, public and private. Costco even has cameras looking at you throughout the store and at the registers. You are not anonymous
Oh I have no preconceptions about anonymity here, I just don't want yet another hackable database with my PII that I don't need to give up. It's more of an op sec kind of issue (I say as a former cyber security dev).
Fewer is better!
Does your state sell driver's license data and picture to private companies like mine does?
I can respect that I personally hate self checkouts with a passion
The article makes it sound like they are doing this to speed up check out, and also to stop people from abusing the cheap hot dogs.
The only other thing I can think of is the possibility that people are getting in with expired cards to bypass the single guest per member limit, and then pooling their purchases once they're inside at the self checkout. Seems like a bit of a stretch, but it could happen.
But you do not need a membership card to access the food court, and in some states the food court is actually outside of the entrance. So I am going to have a little bit of doubt in the idea that this has anything to do with hotdog abuse. No offense intended!!
I just saw below it maybe varies from state to state on the food court - https://lemmy.world/comment/11638385
It’s just a person standing there glancing at your card as you enter.
They do at the register, yes
