Costco Membership Scanning at Entrance

[ClownLoach]

I knew it was coming after the tests in France...

The Issaquah, WA store which is close to the Costco HQ has installed scanners at the front doors. Presumably the scanner will pull up the picture of the member? Trying to find more information but this is the store that is used to put together rollout plans for the chain so they test all the new programs before they go nationwide. The reason I say this is Costco tests programs randomly around the country like most other retailers (to be more scientific), so if it's at Issaquah then it has most likely been decided it's coming to the chain.

https://costcodeals.co/2024/01/membersh ... vnxPblAeVU

[babs]

I knew it was coming after the tests in France...

The Issaquah, WA store which is close to the Costco HQ has installed scanners at the front doors. Presumably the scanner will pull up the picture of the member? Trying to find more information but this is the store that is used to put together rollout plans for the chain so they test all the new programs before they go nationwide. The reason I say this is Costco tests programs randomly around the country like most other retailers (to be more scientific), so if it's at Issaquah then it has most likely been decided it's coming to the chain.

https://costcodeals.co/2024/01/membersh ... vnxPblAeVU

I love this idea. Hopefully over time, it's some sort of turnstile that works with carts. It's not like the person working at the door is paying attention.

[ClownLoach]

I knew it was coming after the tests in France...

The Issaquah, WA store which is close to the Costco HQ has installed scanners at the front doors. Presumably the scanner will pull up the picture of the member? Trying to find more information but this is the store that is used to put together rollout plans for the chain so they test all the new programs before they go nationwide. The reason I say this is Costco tests programs randomly around the country like most other retailers (to be more scientific), so if it's at Issaquah then it has most likely been decided it's coming to the chain.

https://costcodeals.co/2024/01/membersh ... vnxPblAeVU

I love this idea. Hopefully over time, it's some sort of turnstile that works with carts. It's not like the person working at the door is paying attention.

I mean the person in the picture from the store is clearly paying attention as they're watching whatever information is on the tablet. Costco is surprisingly draconian in their discipline programs and what would be a first level write-up at most companies is a one week unpaid suspension at Costco (where you may not use sick pay or vacation pay to cover the lost income). I would imagine that if they find someone who has made it to the register with someone else's card then between this new scanning and camera systems they will likely determine which employee let them in and suspend them if they weren't a guest of a member present at the entry scan. Plus when they scan the card and there's no pictures on file they'll have to stop the customer and check their ID until they get a new picture taken. I am going to assume that the tablet can do this to prevent a trip to the membership counter.

Scanning and checking pictures at entrance can be effective even with non-member guests present. Disneyland moved to taking photos for all forms of tickets, and they catch hundreds of people daily trying to use someone else's ticket or membership to get in (which leads to the ticket being voided and the membership being suspended or revoked). Because they'll know when the card was scanned to the second they will be able to see who was present and entering with the member. If that guest was trying to cheat and use the members card now they have the photo/video proof to suspend or expel the member for violating the membership agreement and sharing their card. Furthermore, if they have this setup where the card is scanned and photo comes up then they should be able to get the same thing for self checkout.

I thought they had backed down from this, but apparently they were getting ready to escalate the situation further. I noticed during December they had returned to demanding to see a membership card from all customers before letting them use self checkout again too.

This could help reduce shrink and crime by reducing the number of non-members in the buildings. There is a group of criminals targeting Costco stores currently in Southern California that has been widely reported on from Ventura to San Diego. They deliberately bump into a customer then ask them questions about a product or where something is to distract them while another person either picks their pocket or steals their wallet and phone from their purse. They've struck dozens of times, maybe hundreds already and they obviously are not people Costco can identify as members or even coming in with known members.

I'm all for this change as long as they add enough door staffing to prevent a long entry line like they had around COVID times. They are going to need a lot of training to prevent non-members from skipping the door and I am going to assume if they're adding this higher level of security then they're also going to start to escort pharmacy and liquor customers in states where those departments can legally be shopped without membership otherwise people will just claim they're here for one of them and enter thus circumventing the effort to secure the store.

[HCal]

My understanding is that the main purpose of checking cards at the door is to get a count (using the clickers), and also to avoid the issue of non-members loading up a cart and then being turned away at the cashier. The employees are not supposed to follow you or say anything if you ignore them and walk in without showing a card.

I doubt this will change with these new scanners. More likely, it's just a labor-saving measure. Eventually, there may no longer be a person at the entrance. People scanning cards will be sufficient to give them the count they need.

[ClownLoach]

My understanding is that the main purpose of checking cards at the door is to get a count (using the clickers), and also to avoid the issue of non-members loading up a cart and then being turned away at the cashier. The employees are not supposed to follow you or say anything if you ignore them and walk in without showing a card.

I doubt this will change with these new scanners. More likely, it's just a labor-saving measure. Eventually, there may no longer be a person at the entrance. People scanning cards will be sufficient to give them the count they need.

They always speak up and address those entering without a card, and I have observed on multiple occasions where they radio for a Manager to pursue/remove a non member who argues and proceeds to enter. No idea where you've heard that they aren't to say anything and I shop at stores that have been open for 40 years plus that have always yelled to anyone who enters without showing a card. The issue is that nobody's checking the card, you can show the front and nobody cares, it could be stolen or expired. This solves the problem of validation through scanning the cards and using this tablet that pulls up the picture of the member (and probably flags if the card is stolen or lost, because Costco now changes your membership number if you report your card lost/stolen).

Also, they only have one person at the stores normally but this new program doubles the staffing with two people so it's not labor savings. I imagine the busier San Diego and LA stores will need 3 or 4 of these people at the door to prevent a line as they're breaking up the fluid motion of entrance and making it like the turnstile at Disneyland where you stop, card is handed to the employee to be scanned, picture on the screen is compared to the customer. If you are using the app you just show it (since it has your picture) and they're not scanning it, so that means they're still having to manually do a door count. Reading social media they indeed get the picture on the screen instantly and are stopping anyone with one of the no picture cards they issued during COVID and asking for photo ID before letting them in, then they are sending them to membership counter for a new card. I think they need to immediately upgrade these tablets to take that picture on the spot and then mail them a new card. They already mail new cards with photos to the credit card holders so no reason they can't do that for everyone to eliminate the frustration of being sent to the line at membership. Anyone who is presenting a card that isn't theirs is being turned away and they're retaining the card.

Any member who somehow gets to the register without their card is taken care of easily, they call a supervisor who just asks for photo ID and then they pull up the member number either on the tablet PC if they're carrying it or on the terminal across from the registers. No member is sent packing because they forgot their card. Somehow I dropped my card inside Costco once and lost it, and it was less than a minute delay while a supervisor got my membership number after looking me up with my ID. They marked the card lost/stolen and I received a new one via FedEx less than 48 hours later with a new member number and changed credit card number.

[Super S]

It is my understanding that Costco still allows those with gift cards to shop without purchasing a membership. If this is still the case, how will this work? Will they just scan the gift card or will they also require ID?

[Alpha8472]

In California, Costco was required to let anyone in to buy alcohol. I can see how the homeless can take advantage of this unless they are escorted through the store just to buy alcohol or use the pharmacy.

[mbz321]

I mean the person in the picture from the store is clearly paying attention as they're watching whatever information is on the tablet. Costco is surprisingly draconian in their discipline programs and what would be a first level write-up at most companies is a one week unpaid suspension at Costco (where you may not use sick pay or vacation pay to cover the lost income).

Not true at all. It really takes a lot to get a suspension at Costco (you really have to mess up at the same task/situation several times), and suspensions are 3 days, not a week. In my years with the company, most of the time suspensions come from repeated tardiness, and even that is still a rarity.

I am going to assume that the tablet can do this to prevent a trip to the membership counter.

Wishful thinking, but given Cosco's poor implementation of technology, I doubt it.

I thought they had backed down from this, but apparently they were getting ready to escalate the situation further. I noticed during December they had returned to demanding to see a membership card from all customers before letting them use self checkout again too.

My location basically gave up checking cards right before the holidays, and we still haven't resumed it. Mainly because with our skeleton-crew level of staffing currently, we can't even have an extra person over there to do so.

I'm all for this change as long as they add enough door staffing to prevent a long entry line like they had around COVID times. They are going to need a lot of training to prevent non-members from skipping the door and I am going to assume if they're adding this higher level of security then they're also going to start to escort pharmacy and liquor customers in states where those departments can legally be shopped without membership otherwise people will just claim they're here for one of them and enter thus circumventing the effort to secure the store.

I'm all for this change too, but I can already hear the complaints now about how they (the members) have to wait an extra 30 seconds or whatever to get in the store. My building is so poor when it comes to enforcing policies, so it would be interesting to see if this gets rolled out and kept up with. Right now, people wander in the exit door all the time. It's mostly people making returns, but usually after they do that, they keep entering the store, cutting through the registers against the flow of traffic, instead of exiting and going back through the entrance (which also screws up with our door counts. I've mentioned this to a few members of management but nobody seems to care). I can never figure out why they don't have returns/sign ups on the entrance side instead...just another little thing we do that is completely ass-backwards.

[HCal]

They always speak up and address those entering without a card, and I have observed on multiple occasions where they radio for a Manager to pursue/remove a non member who argues and proceeds to enter. No idea where you've heard that they aren't to say anything and I shop at stores that have been open for 40 years plus that have always yelled to anyone who enters without showing a card. The issue is that nobody's checking the card, you can show the front and nobody cares, it could be stolen or expired. This solves the problem of validation through scanning the cards and using this tablet that pulls up the picture of the member (and probably flags if the card is stolen or lost, because Costco now changes your membership number if you report your card lost/stolen).

I don't have a Costco membership, so I've only gone with family or friends who have one. One time, I tried to explain to the door person that my parents were already inside, but he just glared at me and I realized I was blocking the entrance so I went in. After that I just started walking in. No one has ever said a word, not even an "excuse me". They just click their clicker. You could probably flash a Sam's Club card and I don't think they would notice.

I'm sure this varies by location. Costco does give each store a lot more autonomy than many retailers, so some managers may be stricter than others.

[ClownLoach]

I mean the person in the picture from the store is clearly paying attention as they're watching whatever information is on the tablet. Costco is surprisingly draconian in their discipline programs and what would be a first level write-up at most companies is a one week unpaid suspension at Costco (where you may not use sick pay or vacation pay to cover the lost income).

Not true at all. It really takes a lot to get a suspension at Costco (you really have to mess up at the same task/situation several times), and suspensions are 3 days, not a week. In my years with the company, most of the time suspensions come from repeated tardiness, and even that is still a rarity.

I am going to assume that the tablet can do this to prevent a trip to the membership counter.

Wishful thinking, but given Cosco's poor implementation of technology, I doubt it.

I thought they had backed down from this, but apparently they were getting ready to escalate the situation further. I noticed during December they had returned to demanding to see a membership card from all customers before letting them use self checkout again too.

My location basically gave up checking cards right before the holidays, and we still haven't resumed it. Mainly because with our skeleton-crew level of staffing currently, we can't even have an extra person over there to do so.

I'm all for this change as long as they add enough door staffing to prevent a long entry line like they had around COVID times. They are going to need a lot of training to prevent non-members from skipping the door and I am going to assume if they're adding this higher level of security then they're also going to start to escort pharmacy and liquor customers in states where those departments can legally be shopped without membership otherwise people will just claim they're here for one of them and enter thus circumventing the effort to secure the store.

I'm all for this change too, but I can already hear the complaints now about how they (the members) have to wait an extra 30 seconds or whatever to get in the store. My building is so poor when it comes to enforcing policies, so it would be interesting to see if this gets rolled out and kept up with. Right now, people wander in the exit door all the time. It's mostly people making returns, but usually after they do that, they keep entering the store, cutting through the registers against the flow of traffic, instead of exiting and going back through the entrance (which also screws up with our door counts. I've mentioned this to a few members of management but nobody seems to care). I can never figure out why they don't have returns/sign ups on the entrance side instead...just another little thing we do that is completely ass-backwards.

I worked with a person ten years ago who's husband was a Costco cashier at a Unionized LA location. There the suspensions were one week and unpaid. I was astounded as this was the first time I had ever heard of this; she was very upset because he was just suspended right after the holidays and they were going to have money problems. I couldn't believe the union was allowing such a thing (especially not being able to use paid time off, I don't think that is even legal in California anymore) but this is where I learned that some of these big unions like Teamsters and UFCW wind up basically siding with management on policy violations. The suspension was specifically due to failed door audits and apparently the Union shop steward just sits there in the office next to the Manager nodding their head in unison as the Manager tells the employee they're suspended and lectures them for the bad performance. Why would anyone sign up for a union that just goes along with whatever management wants, without questions or validating that the accusations are accurate?

I have seen the exit door entry problem too at some stores. The couple stores I shop regularly do a very poor job of managing this, but they are practically ready to throw themselves at customers on the entrance door who are entering without showing a card... And I agree you could probably flash any kind of card at them for a split second. I have been using the app instead of digging through my wallet, and it takes a while to load... Several times I've just shown the Costco app and they said "thanks" then I realized the page with my photo/QR code had not loaded at all yet.

I spend the majority of my time shopping LA Division and San Diego Division stores. Both run very tight ships. But when I go to the PNW, Norcal etc. and elsewhere I definitely see more lax standards and inconsistency where the GM is obviously making up their own programs or choosing not to enforce others.

Puzzled about the skeleton crew comments but hope things get better where you are; all the stores I've visited lately in SoCal are packed with customers and employees. In fact I feel like weekday business is better in January than it was in December.

There were a handful of Costco stores where returns are separated from membership. I think Signal Hill CA is still that way, with membership inside to the right of the entrance while returns are in their own little corner by the exit.