‘Never returned,’ says Costco shopper boycotting store after being forced to join three separate lines during one trip

A SHOPPER said they boycotted Costco after being forced to wait in three queues during their visit.

The customer signed up for a membership at her local store but regretted her decision soon after.

"I went to Costco once," the user wrote on X.

"Lined up to get a membership. Browsed the store and realized there were no real deals.

"Picked up a couple of things (less than $100).

"Lined up at the cash, then had to line up again to have my receipt checked just after going through cash.

"Never returned. That was 10 years ago."

TARGET UPROAR

The issue isn't confined to Costco, with customers at rival retailer Target also hitting out at snaking queues at several locations caused by self-service kiosks.

Clogging lines have become a common theme after the merchandise retailer announced in March that it was going to roll out express self-checkout with limits of 10 items or fewer across most of its nearly 2,000 stores nationwide.

"My Target store has not opened any new lanes since your self-checkout change," protested one shopper from Ohio.

"Lines are getting outrageous.

"Definitely not a better shopping experience here in Cleveland Heights," he ranted on X/formerly Twitter.

IMMINENT CLOSURE?

Self-checkout machines have been causing controversy since they first became popularized in stores in the early 2000s.

The machines, which were originally intended to cut back on labor costs for the retailers, quickly led to high rates of retail theft.

“The tide is turning regarding the use of self-checkout,” Brittain Ladd, a former consultant to Kroger, told The Telegraph.

“Many retailers have grown tired of the increased theft that occurs when customers use self-checkout.”

Meanwhile, Phil Lempert, known as The Supermarket Guru, has predicted retail trends for 25 years and his latest forecast could make some customers happy.

Lempert revealed that security concerns and consumer preferences could force these changes to happen.

Costco membership sharing guidelines

Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they've been cracking down on offenders in recent years.

• Primary Member Use: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it.
• Household Card: Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
• Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
• Authorized Cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn't reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently.

Credit: Costco

The expert exclusively told The U.S. Sun that self-checkouts could be on their way out.

“Self-checkout is doomed,” Lempert warned.

He explained that many supermarkets have changed how they use self-checkouts and have turned back on their intended purpose.

“From a security standpoint, what’s happened is the retailers with self-checkout have had to add employees, whether it's security or other employees, to help people at self-checkout,” the expert said.

“So, you know you’re not accomplishing anything.

“You’re not reducing labor, you’re not getting a better shopping experience.”

Lempert suggested that supermarkets could go back to their traditional checkout ways to combat this issue.

“So, just open up another checkout and all those problems go away,” he said.