8 ms·

> Years later my diabetic cat even had a Costco pharmacy account (best place to buy insulin by far) and received a discount for being without health insurance.

> Years later my diabetic cat even had a Costco pharmacy account (best place to buy insulin by far) and received a discount for being without health insurance. IIRC, you don't need a membership to: • shop at the pharmacy • buy alcohol • eat at the food court I believe the first two are due to govt regulations, and may only apply in certain states. It's also much easier for anyone to shop at Costco with a spouse's/friend's membership card now that they have self-checkout. You used to have to worry about the cashier flagging you if the cardholder wasn't there, but now there's no one who even looks at your card.

legalcorrection 4y ago
>It's also much easier for anyone to shop at Costco with a spouse's/friend's membership card now that they have self-checkout. You used to have to worry about the cashier flagging you if the cardholder wasn't there, but now there's no one who even looks at your card. Or how about don't be a liar/cheater and buy your own membership. It's not expensive and it pays for itself fast. Shame on whoever does this.
- nwatson 4y ago
  Yeah. I almost think of Costco as a privatized utopian socialist mini-state. One should pay to be a good citizen. ... But then I've also thought it would be cool to build an app to help people organize trips to Costco from "food deserts" to split memberships and bulk-sized items and the bill. Also, once on a trip to Hawaii with my wife and extended family I had my arm around my wife in the Costco checkout line. I mentioned that "it feels so good and so right." My wife was at first flattered and then realized I was talking about the universality of the Costco experience.
- wlesieutre 4y ago
  I don’t know about the food court, but alcohol is definitely true for legal reasons in some states. In Connecticut our local Costco had its alcohol sales in a separate entrance next to the main warehouse, on the opposite end from the tire department. To add another one, the same is true nationwide for their optometrists, you can get your eyes checked there without a membership but won’t be able to buy glasses. If you want a place to get your prescription without a hassle from the optometrist (who is legally required to give you the prescription but isn’t necessarily happy about that), Costco is a reliable option. https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8290/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-glasses-or-contacts%3F https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8... https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-eyeglass-rule https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-ey...
  - legalcorrection 4y ago
    I mean using someone else's membership card. Nothing wrong with using services that don't require membership.
- tacocataco 4y ago
  It's been a while since I was a member, but I remember being able to get my sister her own card attached to my account. I just gave the cashier her name and the next time she went in by herself she got her card.
  - legalcorrection 4y ago
    Yes, the standard membership covers two people for the base price. Makes circumventing the membership requirement all the more scummy and petty.
- skinnymuch 4y ago
  Yes. This is what people should be ashamed about. Good for you for shitting on people! /s
  - legalcorrection 4y ago
    Thank you
ortusdux 4y ago
The alcohol restriction is at the state level, so some stores do require a membership. Namely : Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas, & Vermont have laws that ban requiring memberships for the purchase of alcohol. IIRC, Costco's lobbiests played a large role in Washington's privatization of liquor sales, and the final law did not include such a restriction. For those interested, the break even on a 2% cash back membership is at the $2k/year.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  Unless something has changed recently, if you don’t make enough in cash back to cover the difference between the regular membership and the executive one, you can go by customer service and they’ll comp you the difference.
  - labster 4y ago
    I think the 2% thing is a customer incentive thing, and not intended to be a profit center. And that doesn’t work as well if people feel like they’re gambling on whether they will make enough purchases to justify it, if they feel like losers in the end.
- wyldfire 4y ago
  In Texas the Costcos have a liquor store that does not require a membership. But so far as I can tell, the alcohol sold in the Costco-proper likely does require a membership. Perhaps the presence of the liquor store satisfies the legal requirement.
  - tristor 4y ago
    In Texas, liquor (spirits) sales and non-spirits sales are different classes of licenses with different rules. Costco in Texas does NOT sell any spirits/liquor inside of the membership area, only beer, wine, and premixed cocktails (e.g. margarita in a bottle, which is made with agave wine not tequila anyway). The attached non-member liquor store is the only part which sells spirits, and as required by Texas law is open to the public without a membership. Related to this, Texas also has "blue laws" which ended in 1985 other than the parts covering automotive dealers and liquor stores. So in Texas, liquor stores cannot be open on Sundays (nor can car lots). This is another reason Costco may be incentivized to not sell liquor within the member-only part of the store separately from the other requirements from TABC, because they are open on Sundays.
inferiorhuman 4y ago
> eat at the food court That changed a couple years back. https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Costco-food-court-membership-hot-dogs-pizza-15074499.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Costco-food-court-me...
- walrus01 4y ago
  Realistically if you want to eat at the food court just walk backwards into the exit and be like "oh yeah I'm going to the pharmacy", most states have a law not allowing Costco to require membership for pharmacy, and the just go buy your food from the automated kiosk.
  - m-ee 4y ago
    It’s not new and that strategy doesn’t always work. I tried to get a hotdog in SF in like 2014 and they wouldn’t let me through. When I asked about purchasing alcohol he said that was allowed but they would have an employee escort me to the liquor and then checkout to ensure I couldn’t go to the food court.
    - skinnymuch 4y ago
      That seems like a dbag employee. Possible that sort of person will make your time difficult regardless of the official rules
      - inferiorhuman 4y ago
        I've used the ATM at that Costco and nobody followed me or nagged me. But that location is right by a bunch of good places to get food so I've never tried to push my luck.
rdl 4y ago
Just get someone to give you Costco gift cards; you can then enter the store with that gift card, and use other payment mechanism for the balance of purchase.

legalcorrection 4y ago

>It's also much easier for anyone to shop at Costco with a spouse's/friend's membership card now that they have self-checkout. You used to have to worry about the cashier flagging you if the cardholder wasn't there, but now there's no one who even looks at your card. Or how about don't be a liar/cheater and buy your own membership. It's not expensive and it pays for itself fast. Shame on whoever does this.

nwatson 4y ago
Yeah. I almost think of Costco as a privatized utopian socialist mini-state. One should pay to be a good citizen. ... But then I've also thought it would be cool to build an app to help people organize trips to Costco from "food deserts" to split memberships and bulk-sized items and the bill. Also, once on a trip to Hawaii with my wife and extended family I had my arm around my wife in the Costco checkout line. I mentioned that "it feels so good and so right." My wife was at first flattered and then realized I was talking about the universality of the Costco experience.
wlesieutre 4y ago
I don’t know about the food court, but alcohol is definitely true for legal reasons in some states. In Connecticut our local Costco had its alcohol sales in a separate entrance next to the main warehouse, on the opposite end from the tire department. To add another one, the same is true nationwide for their optometrists, you can get your eyes checked there without a membership but won’t be able to buy glasses. If you want a place to get your prescription without a hassle from the optometrist (who is legally required to give you the prescription but isn’t necessarily happy about that), Costco is a reliable option. https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8290/~/do-i-need-a-membership-to-purchase-glasses-or-contacts%3F https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8... https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-eyeglass-rule https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-ey...
- legalcorrection 4y ago
  I mean using someone else's membership card. Nothing wrong with using services that don't require membership.
tacocataco 4y ago
It's been a while since I was a member, but I remember being able to get my sister her own card attached to my account. I just gave the cashier her name and the next time she went in by herself she got her card.
- legalcorrection 4y ago
  Yes, the standard membership covers two people for the base price. Makes circumventing the membership requirement all the more scummy and petty.
skinnymuch 4y ago
Yes. This is what people should be ashamed about. Good for you for shitting on people! /s
- legalcorrection 4y ago
  Thank you

ortusdux 4y ago

The alcohol restriction is at the state level, so some stores do require a membership. Namely : Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas, & Vermont have laws that ban requiring memberships for the purchase of alcohol. IIRC, Costco's lobbiests played a large role in Washington's privatization of liquor sales, and the final law did not include such a restriction. For those interested, the break even on a 2% cash back membership is at the $2k/year.

rootusrootus 4y ago
Unless something has changed recently, if you don’t make enough in cash back to cover the difference between the regular membership and the executive one, you can go by customer service and they’ll comp you the difference.
- labster 4y ago
  I think the 2% thing is a customer incentive thing, and not intended to be a profit center. And that doesn’t work as well if people feel like they’re gambling on whether they will make enough purchases to justify it, if they feel like losers in the end.
wyldfire 4y ago
In Texas the Costcos have a liquor store that does not require a membership. But so far as I can tell, the alcohol sold in the Costco-proper likely does require a membership. Perhaps the presence of the liquor store satisfies the legal requirement.
- tristor 4y ago
  In Texas, liquor (spirits) sales and non-spirits sales are different classes of licenses with different rules. Costco in Texas does NOT sell any spirits/liquor inside of the membership area, only beer, wine, and premixed cocktails (e.g. margarita in a bottle, which is made with agave wine not tequila anyway). The attached non-member liquor store is the only part which sells spirits, and as required by Texas law is open to the public without a membership. Related to this, Texas also has "blue laws" which ended in 1985 other than the parts covering automotive dealers and liquor stores. So in Texas, liquor stores cannot be open on Sundays (nor can car lots). This is another reason Costco may be incentivized to not sell liquor within the member-only part of the store separately from the other requirements from TABC, because they are open on Sundays.

inferiorhuman 4y ago

> eat at the food court That changed a couple years back. https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Costco-food-court-membership-hot-dogs-pizza-15074499.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Costco-food-court-me...

walrus01 4y ago
Realistically if you want to eat at the food court just walk backwards into the exit and be like "oh yeah I'm going to the pharmacy", most states have a law not allowing Costco to require membership for pharmacy, and the just go buy your food from the automated kiosk.
- m-ee 4y ago
  It’s not new and that strategy doesn’t always work. I tried to get a hotdog in SF in like 2014 and they wouldn’t let me through. When I asked about purchasing alcohol he said that was allowed but they would have an employee escort me to the liquor and then checkout to ensure I couldn’t go to the food court.
  - skinnymuch 4y ago
    That seems like a dbag employee. Possible that sort of person will make your time difficult regardless of the official rules
    - inferiorhuman 4y ago
      I've used the ATM at that Costco and nobody followed me or nagged me. But that location is right by a bunch of good places to get food so I've never tried to push my luck.

rdl 4y ago

Just get someone to give you Costco gift cards; you can then enter the store with that gift card, and use other payment mechanism for the balance of purchase.