A Costco shopper was dumbfounded after a cashier refused to allow her to pay for some items.
In a viral TikTok video with over 241,900 views, user Jasmyn Buduan (@jasbuduan) explained what happened.
Her story time was prompted by another woman’s report that the store gave her a hard time. She tried to use her brother’s membership card, a story the Daily Dot previously covered.
What happened?
According to Jasmyn, she also experienced the store’s stringent policies regarding who can use membership cards.
“One time, I was at Costco with my mom with my mother, the day before Thanksgiving buying pumpkin pie,” she explained.
When the pair decided to check out, the woman offered to pay for the items for her mother. However, the caring gesture was immediately shot down.
“No you can’t pay, it’s not your membership,” the woman was allegedly told by the cashier.
Surprised, the shopper told the cashier that the woman was her mother. That didn’t make a difference.
“She’s like, ‘it’s not yours,’” the woman said.
Jasmyn then decided to simply give her card to her mother so she could pay for the items herself.
“No, I already know that’s your card,” the cashier allegedly told her.
Ultimately, Jasmyn said she was kicked out of the line, and they never got their pumpkin pie.
Costco called out by shoppers
Many have taken to social media with complaints about Costco’s enforcement of its membership rules.
In 2024, Costco introduced membership card scanners at the entrances of all its warehouses, replacing the manual checks previously done by employees stationed at the doors.
Some shoppers say the company is tightening its policies in other ways, too.
One man claimed that a cashier refused to let him pay with his credit card because the membership was under his wife’s name—even though she was standing right next to him at checkout.
According to its website, Costco announced that it would be implementing membership scanners in its stores. It notes that all guests must be accompanied by a member to enter.
The company also offers a free “household card.” The card can be assigned to anyone over 16 years of age who also resides at the member’s address.
Viewers chastise Costco for its strict policies
In the clip’s comments section, many blamed the company and its workers for overly scrutinizing members.
“Like I hate it when people take their job so seriously,” user NINI said.
“Someone posted on here that a cashier wouldn’t let her use the cash her husband handed her bc it was his money, not hers,” another wrote.
@jasbuduan ♬ original sound – jasmyn
“Costco tried to tell my mother it wasn’t her membership based on the picture, and she told them ‘that picture was taken 25 years ago, thanks for telling me I look old,” user AW commented.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jasmyn via email and Costco via contact form for comment.
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