This woman was turned away from Costco’s food court—you’ll never guess why.
Love it or hate it, Costco is a retail giant known for selling large quantities of everything, from groceries to deodorant to office supplies, at (usually) a better price.
In addition to this wholesale range, Costco is also known for having a tasty and affordable food court with prices that have not changed in years. They’re most definitely losing money by keeping the food court items affordable, but you know what they say: Come for the $1.50 hot dog, stay for the 24-pack of toilet paper.
It used to be that just about anyone could eat at the food court, but this TikToker found out about their new rules the hard way.
No Costco pizza for you
“I like Costco, but some of y’all are taking your job way too seriously now,” Madi Dunne (@madimarisoul) says in a trending TikTok clip.
In her viral video that’s garnered over 330,000 views, Dunne explains that she pulled up to Costco craving their $1.99 pizza slice.
As usual, she entered through the exit (which is what most people without a membership do when they’re just there for the food court or optometrist) but was quickly stopped by a worker.
“Woah, woah, woah. Do you have a membership?” the woman intervened.
Dunne explained that she was just there for a slice and had always been able to buy it without a membership card. Well, according to the woman, the rules had changed.
“It’s always been a rule, but we just didn’t care as much,” the woman allegedly told her, instead pushing her to get a membership.
Dunne tried to be slick, saying she’d come inside and think about it, but the woman said that unless she was committed to getting a membership she’d have to “think about it” outside.
Dunne, did go outside to think about it and decided that it might be worth it. As she walked in through the entrance and asked another worker for direction on where to go to sign up, the intense worker interjected, following Dunne to the membership desk. The worker eventually left and returned to her exit post.
At the desk, Dunne explained the situation, and the worker called a friend over and told him to “help her out.”
This new worker walked Dunne to the food court and not only let her order the food but he paid for it.
Sure, it was only a few bucks, but it’s the gesture that counts.
“A lot of people have done nice things for me in my life,” he told her.
But of course, the other worker couldn’t let a nice moment pass. Spotting Dunne grabbing napkins in the food court, she approached and, in a reprimanding tone, told Dunne this was only going to be a “one-time thing.”
“Listen, I know that you’re just doing your job, but you don’t have to stand here and give me the whole speech anymore. I get the point, I won’t be doing this again unless I have a membership, thank you,” Dunne says in the clip.
The worker stormed off, still mad, and Dunne hoped that she wasn’t going to get the other worker in trouble for his kind (and harmless) gesture.
“Petition for everyone to just kick that lady out because what’s up with that?” Dunne concludes.
@madimarisoul Get her outta there !! Pizza sales are PLUMMETING 😤 #costco ♬ original sound – madimarisoul
Do you need a Costco membership to eat at the food court?
You’ve always needed a Costco membership to shop at one of their warehouses, but depending on the location, you could fill up on their well-priced food court without paying the annual fee.
A lot of workers would just look the other way if you were only there for the staple $1.50 hotdog. But now they could get in trouble for breaking the rules.
Costco has been cracking down on sneaky, non-membership food court patrons. As of Apr. 8, 2024, all food court patrons must have a Costco card, Delish reported.
Food & Wine pointed out that the crackdown isn’t really about the cheap eats at the food court but rather a ploy to get more people to pay for the annual membership. Between 2021 and 2023, Costco’s membership earnings increased by $700 million.
If you do want to avoid the shame of being turned away from Costco’s now exclusive dining area, you can get their standard membership for $65 a year (which is about $5 a month) or their upgraded membership, which had additional perks, for $130 a year (a bit under $11 a month).
A Costco membership costs less than most streaming services.
Commenters react
“I worked at Costco and in my orientation they literally say you don’t need a membership for food court or pharmacy. Changing their minds now? a greedy corporation trying to make more money from you,” a top comment read.
“Why would you expect to take advantage of the discounted prices when you’re not paying for a membership? That’s literally the whole point,” a commenter wrote.
“Get a Costco gift card. They will let you in. Then don’t use it. I called it my “pizza pass” or don’t let them take it from you when you use up the gift card,” a person suggested.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dunne for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to Costco via email.
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