Costco new card policy

Got it!

When you have a Costco membership, I think you tend to take it for granted. But when you have never been to one, and you hear how great it is, then it becomes an adventure to go LOL.

You can buy beer and wine in grocery stores now in PA. No other kinds of liquor, and there's a separate register. You can't ring it up with your regular order.

They have it set up at the Mission Valley Costco in San Diego. We just encountered it for the first time last week. It’s fine with me, I hope this cuts down on the people holding up the line at checkout who realize their memberships are expired or they didn’t bring the right card.

It sounds like a pain. It already backs up getting in and out. We don’t share our cards so once again those breaking the rules make more work for the rest of us. I don’t blame them for trying to cut down on this though. Are there multiple machines or just one? At opening the line is halfway along the store in multiple sides. People enter 2-3 wide.

My card was the same when I had a physical card.  You honestly couldn't make out the photo.  I now use the app so have the card on my phone.  This is the great.  Previously I've turned up multiple times without my card and not been able to get in.  This has been so annoying as our closest store is Moorabbin and that's about 45-50 minutes from home.  Now its always on me.  Although no one ever checks going in at our store.

The last time I was in Pittsburgh -- maybe five or six years ago -- there were some grocery stores that sold wine and beer. The Giant Eagle on the Waterfront was one (that was near where my parents lived). But you had to go to that specific register, and you could only buy two six-packs of beer, and I forget how much wine. Before that I remember having to go to the state liquor store for all hard liquor and for wine. Beer was only from a bar or the package store. lol.

Here in the DC area there are a lot of Costcos... In the DC Costco they sell everything -- beer, wine, hard liquor. In Virginia Costcos we can buy beer and wine. And in Maryland, none of it. So people drive all over to shop for alcoholic beverages, depending on what they want. 

Okay, you all have talked me into it. I'm going to get a membership tomorrow.

I haven't read all of the responses so this may have already been addressed. Here in MI Costco by law has to let non members purchase alcohol and I have gone there for just that purpose. They cannot refuse me entry, they can refuse to sell me anything other than alcohol, but must let me purchase that.

So many nonmembers were buying lunch at the food court ($1.50 for a hot dog & soda) that Costco started moving the food courts inside stores. They still had a problem with nonmembers coming in that they started requiring a card swipe to buy. Annoying for a card holding member in the check out line with a kid that could no longer get a hot dog/pizza on their own and meet at the exit.

As soon as DD(27) turned 18 she would go in without a membership to pick up her prescription. No big explanation required, just "going to the pharmacy" as you walk through.

You can also go in as a nonmember to get an eye check. A member needs to buy the contacts and/or glasses, but I'm pretty sure they can be ordered without a card swipe/number.

Thinking back, I would say we didn't even get a new photo when they switched from Amex (still mourning over that) to Visa. I'm 99% sure the new card came with the old photo. 

I haven't seen the scanner at the entrance yet, but not annoyed by the idea of it. I do wonder if card sharing has meant people aren't renewing their memberships?

I will be irritated if they do some sort of check at the gas line because DD will take my card to fill up both her car and mine (not at the same time obs). 

We don’t have scanners in Ontario yet, and no alcohol in Costco either.

I always do self checkout, and only once I’ve been asked for ID alongside my card to make sure I’m the card owner. They’d has issues with people giving their cards to family or friends and not going with them so they were using self checkout so it wouldn’t be noticed they weren’t the card holder. But that was last year and I havent been asked since.

Ask about teacher deals!  My friend signed up and she got a $40 shop card.  They have a citi visa that gives a percentage back too.  Between the citi visa for shopping and the gas rebates at the end of the year, our membership is more than paid for each year

I noticed the other day that you no longer get 5% back on gas but only 4%. It’s still a good deal but less than it used to be. Sams club visa gives you 5% and you can spend it in the store the following month vs waiting till the end of the year.