Costco Cracking Down On Non-Members Accessing It’s Food Court

(People) If you plan on dining in Costco, be prepared to make sure you have proof of membership!

According to multiple reports, the retail company is cracking down on the rules and regulations, and making sure that only their paying customers receive certain benefits — such as access to its food courts and the $1.50 hot dogs found there.

 

The buzz behind the enforcement of the rule began when a Reddit user shared a sign in the r/Costco community chat in March. The photo was allegedly taken at a Costco location in Orlando, Florida.

“Effective April 8, 2024, an active Costco membership card will be required to purchase items from our food court. You can join today. Please see our membership counter for details,” the sign read, Food & Wine reported on Friday.

CBS News shared the Reddit story on Monday as well.

PEOPLE reached out to a Costco rep for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

This would not be the first time the company has taken preventative measures to ensure their members are the only shoppers receiving benefits.

“Costco is able to keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help offset our operational expenses, making our membership fee and structure important to us,” the company said in a statement to PEOPLE in June 2023.

At the time, the brand attempted to cut down on non-members taking advantage of perks by implementing photo-verification systems at its self-checkout kiosks.

During their summer statement, Costco added, “Our membership cards are not transferable and since expanding our self-service checkout, we’ve noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them.”

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