Costco lovers, take note: You may need to flex some muscles during your next Costco run.
A Redditor recently shared how the Costco they frequent has a new policy: When you check out, everything must be taken out of the cart. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but what about when you have to lift something heavy — like, say, a giant bag of dog food or a gallon of laundry detergent?
The user writes that people have been stealing, leading to the store losing $70,000 in two months and prompting the change in policy.
"After speaking with staff at the register, they explained that people have been stealing," writes u/Habsfan6612, noting that staff caught customers hiding meat and other expensive items in products like toilet paper.
Other Redditors chimed in that this type of stealing really is a thing.
"I work at Costco and I’m sorry but yes this type of thing happens frequently," comments u/Far-Mousse272. "I’m at my second warehouse and have seen it in both. People will go to great lengths to steal. My favorite was the lady who stuffed several pounds of lobster tail in her purse after removing them from the foam trays."
"I used to work at Sam’s, we caught people removing a row of sodas from the 36 packs and putting a rack of ribs in the middle. People definitely do this kind of stuff," says u/Nytfire333.
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@ethan.ethier The real reason Costco workers check your receipt #fy #costco ♬ original sound - Ethan - Business & Psychology
But this shakeup isn't happening everywhere. Costco officially has no universal policy on requiring everything to be taken out of the cart, so it has been left to each individual store — which is likely why a number of Redditors haven’t noticed this happening at their location.
"I must shop at the world's most lax Costco. They have never double checked my membership card to make sure it’s me," says u/MentalOperation4188.
Adds u/jusp_, "I hardly ever show my membership on entry and after reading about some of the card experiences in this sub, I wonder if I visit my Costco too often (once per week on average)."
So is this a big city or busy store policy? U/blacksoxing believes so.
"I feel these posts are from the 'major' cities where folks like us who live in small cities and burbs don’t have any of this stuff. None of the stuff mentioned on here has happened at mine, the user says.
It seems that it's the luck of the draw whether a shopper is carded, not carded, made to take out items, or made to leave them in. Either way, Redditors agree that there's always going to be someone who ruins things for everyone else.
"People with a flatbed stacked with water threw a fit when worker wanted to unstack [the water] to scan each pack of water individually," says u/AshDenver. "Turned out they had stuffed prime meat and seafood in the center. I get it, Costco. People are jerks."
