Why Does Costco Actually Check Your Receipt When Leaving?

Costco is a classic one-stop shop for everything on your shopping list, from wool slippers to an entire rotisserie chicken. Besides its massive inventory of items and wide array of services, Costco has unique rules that you won't find at many other grocery stores, including checking your receipt when leaving the store.

Most stores post one to three employees in front of the exit doors with permanent markers in hand, in charge of looking at each customer's receipt and matching it to their cart. The reason for this practice is to ensure that every customer paid accurately for the items in their cart, both to control inventory and to make sure the customer is neither over- nor undercharged. If the employee does find a discrepancy, then they will work to sort it out for the customer. Or, if the customer is good to go, they'll get a line drawn through their receipt. Alternatively, some shoppers believe the permanent slash is to prevent customers from reusing old receipts and shoplifting items, though that's not confirmed by Costco.

Similar to its receipt verification at the exit, Costco also posts one to two employees at its entrance to check customers' membership cards. Additionally, customers must show their membership cards at the register to verify their identification. This means that to shop at Costco, shoppers must pre-purchase an annual membership, ranging from $65 for a Gold Star membership to $130 for an Executive Membership. The membership covers Costco's operational costs and is part of the reason why their products are priced as low as possible. In order to keep customers accountable, Costco has also been known to revoke memberships if abused.  

Another staple feature of the Costco brand is its food court, which, although not unique to Costco, definitely stands out for its historically low prices. For example, hungry shoppers can get a large hot dog and soda of choice for only $1.50, a price that hasn't changed since 1985. Another popular choice is a ginormous slice of Costco's cheesy pizza, which costs a mere $1.99 to enjoy. While raising prices could help with business margins, Costco chooses to keep them low as an incentive to bring in (and retain) shoppers who will, hopefully, spend money on other profit-making items.