Costco may have imposed a new rule that makes it even harder to shop with guests—even if they’re in your family.
In a video with over 1.2 million views, TikToker Wes (@qiwesley) shared a clip of an interaction he and his wife had with a Costco manager.
Wes’s wife tried to pay for their items with her card, but their total was over her credit card limit. But when Wes tried to pull out his credit card to pay, the cashier refused and told him he couldn’t pay if he wasn’t a member.
At first, the cashier explained to the manager that the wife’s name was on the membership, but the husband’s was not.
“I want to pay for the family. We live together. We are married,” Wes explained.
The manager looked at him and asked if he was a member.
“It’s usually a member payment. Even though you’re family, you’re still considered a guest,” the manager said.
Wes explained that he had used his card to purchase at Costco for the past 10 years.
“It’s member payment only,” the manager repeated, expressionlessly. “You have to be a member to pay.”
The caption reads, “We are not criminals. The amount we purchased exceeded my wife’s credit card limit, and the Costco staff wouldn’t let me pay. They made us stay in place for 20 minutes.”
Can another family member pay at Costco?
According to Costco’s website, only members can pay for purchases—even though each Costco cardholder is allowed to bring in two guests each visit. Unless your spouse is on your membership assigned to the “free household card,” they are considered a guest and cannot pay.
The Daily Dot has previously reported on this policy, as one Costco customer saw another couple denied service when the non-member spouse tried to pay for their items.
While the policy may not be new, Costco has started to crack down on membership violations by installing scanners at the warehouse entrance and checking ID cards at self-checkout.
Members share their experiences
Wes isn’t the only Costco shopper to run into payment issues when shopping with a family member.
“This happened to me and my husband too. We are not renewing our card. Sam’s Club is our go-to now,” one user commented.
@qiwesley We are not criminals. The amount we purchased exceeded my wife’s credit card limit, and the Costco staff wouldn’t let me pay. They made us stay in place for 20 minutes.#Costco #burnaby ♬ 原聲 – wes
“They are making it difficult for no reason. The other day my mother & I shopped we both have cards. They wouldn’t let us use self-checkout because we had our orders in one cart. We had 3 things each,” another wrote.
“This happened because I wanted to buy groceries for my dad with his Costco card. It’s crazy that it is that deep…” a third added.
Others criticized the new policy.
“There’s nothing on the payment system that stops the non-member paying. Although it’s the rules, the staff is being overly harsh. Spouses are entitled to free membership anyways,” a viewer says.
The Daily Dot reached out to Wes via TikTok direct message and comment. We also contacted Costco via online contact form for further comment.
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