3 Sure Ways to Lose Your Costco Membership Right Now

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Sometimes, when our behavior causes something bad or uncomfortable to happen, there's also regret to work through. Imagine the regret of having to say, "I'd love to pick that up at Costco for you, but I'm not allowed to shop there anymore."

While it's possible that no one you know has ever had their membership canceled by the retail giant, it can happen. In fact, Costco's Member Privileges and Conditions page explicitly states that the retailer may cancel a membership at any time.

Here are a few ways you could lose access to Costco -- and all the ways to maximize your membership there.

1. Make an employee feel unsafe

It should go without saying, but touching a Costco employee in anger or frustration will lead to immediate termination of your membership. However, you can also expect repercussions for verbally assaulting an employee. No one should go to work each day expecting a stranger to yell at them for issues outside their control.

For example, if you haven't heard, Costco is in the middle of cracking down on membership sharing. Stores are now (or soon will be) checking that your ID matches the name on the membership card you scan when you enter the store. You can also expect a cashier to ask for your card as you check out.

If that feels very "Big Brother" to you, you may want to keep those thoughts to yourself. Employees do not come up with the rules, but are responsible for enforcing them.

If you can't imagine giving up the items you typically buy at Costco or losing the perks associated with your favorite method of payment, basic politeness can help protect your privileges. Check our list of the best credit cards to use at Costco to ensure you continue maximizing your credit card rewards on Costco spending.

2. Trying to get around membership rules

Now that Costco has made it clear that it doesn't want us sharing our membership cards, it's important to make other arrangements -- especially if you've been using someone else's card to shop or loaning your membership card to friends and family.

Some don't want to wait in a short line to show their ID upon entering the store or their receipt when leaving. This is a mistake. If you're going to shop at Costco, your best bet is to build in a few extra minutes to wait for verification.

Shortly after Costco announced the crackdown on membership sharing, I wondered what people were saying about the change. While I don't spend much time on Reddit, I frequently find the most amusing answers there. My favorite was from someone calling themselves Aggressive-Scheme986.

The poster wrote that she typically uses her father-in-law's membership card. "It has a photo of an old man. I am a young woman. I once showed them the card, and they said, 'That's not you,' and I panicked and said, 'That's my husband.'" According to Aggressive-Scheme986, the Costco employee stared at her for two seconds before indelicately commenting on her "husband's" age.

3. Committing theft by playing fast and loose with price tags

It's natural to assume that you could lose your membership due to theft if you slip a package of batteries into your coat pocket or try to sneak out of the store with an extra bag of dog food. However, a form of theft that's less well-known is price switching. Here's how it works:

• Someone sees something they want, like a quality cut of meat.
• Rather than try to sneak the meat out, they take the price tag off an inexpensive cut of meat and quickly slap it on the high-quality cut.
• Like every other retailer, Costco considers price tag switching a form of theft and will cancel your membership if you're caught.

Personal finances can be tricky, and stretching your household budget may be challenging. However, if your Costco membership is valuable to you, you'll want to do everything you can to hold onto it.

One idea is to consider cash back credit cards . Some pay you enough back to cover the cost of membership and perhaps help pay for extras, too.

In the meantime, be kind to yourself and to Costco employees. That way, everyone benefits.

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