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A FRUSTRATED Costco shopper was forced to abandon their full cart after claiming the checkout lines were close to two hours long.
Many Costco shoppers have taken to social media to slam the retailer’s long lines and have called for a more efficient checkout process to be introduced.
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Customers are growing tired of these long waiting times and some have threatened to take their business elsewhere.
“For the first time, I abandoned my cart of stuff and walked out in frustration,” Ned Brickley wrote in a post on Facebook.
“The lines to check out were easily an hour and probably close to two hours.
“They were staked up to the back wall of the store. The parking lot is literally full. I suspect that the Costco store went way past their occupancy permits,” Brickley declared.
He suggested that the manager make changes to the store to reduce the waiting lines at checkout.
“The manager should have put someone at the entrance with a sign saying that the parking lot was closed until the store emptied out,” Brickley said.
In most Costco stores, shoppers are not allowed to scan their own items, which results in these long checkout lines.
Customers appeared to be fed up with the system and have called for change.
“This is why I chose not to renew my Costco membership and went back to Sam’s Club,” a shopper wrote.
“I can literally scan everything and check out on my phone.
“When I had my Costco membership, I stopped using it after the first month,” they declared.
“I could not find a time where the ones in my area weren’t absolutely packed.”
The retailer initially removed self-checkout entirely in 2013 but then introduced the express lines in 2019.
But despite this addition, some Costco shoppers have complained that the checkout process is different from other stores like Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Costco for comment.
MEMBERSHIP WOES
And other consumers have complained about the retailer’s ongoing membership-sharing crackdown.
In aid of this measure, some stores have introduced ID scans at store entrances to ensure people are using their own membership.
Costco membership sharing guidelines
Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they’ve been cracking down on offenders in recent years.
- Primary Member Use: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it.
- Household Card: Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
- Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
- Authorized Cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn’t reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently.
Credit: Costco
Many, however, are not happy about this policy.
“New at Costco: we had to scan our membership card at the door,” a customer wrote on X.
They said they were “not impressed” by the change.
“Turning away paying customers is NOT the best business practice,” another shopper declared.
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