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Comment by nirav72 | Hacker News Reader

Unless I read it wrong - it seems that the change is that instead of a person waving you into the store when you show the card, they'll require scanning the card. Not sure how that will stop anyone from sharing their card with a non-member. I don't think I've ever had store employee take a close look at my card when entering a Costco to confirm that I'm the member. So not sure how this will discourage 'sharing' the membership card. Unless they plan on using facial recognition. Which is also doubtful, since membership Id photos are taken using a cheap webcam at the customer service counter.

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They had these out at the local Costco last night. Just a card scanner. Honestly, it wasn't that different from the "wave your card at the person in the front" system they had before -- it didn't slow things down much.

I have to assume that much like gyms they will have displays that will pop up the associated picture on file on entry. Not facial recognition, and it sounds like the person will still be standing there just like they do now and they can reference the picture match manually. In practice they seldom if never would, but it's a risk for people sharing cards.

As is the checkout person will essentially never deny someone based on a mismatch because it causes quite a logistic issue to deny someone who has a big cart of goods, most of which are sitting on the belt, then to suddenly refuse their service.

nope. they have the scanners at the entrance to the SF store.

it's just a barcode reader. Nothing more.

And nope on your 2nd point - I've seen cashiers deny a purchase due to some membership problem, the cashier puts everything back in the cart

Nope, the scanners can be connected to a tablet, some locations have this already. I imagine though the larger problem in the SF location is non-cardholders walking in.

Nope. There, that was fun.

"it's just a barcode reader. Nothing more."

This is hugely presumptive and profoundly technically ignorant (are you actually in this industry?). When someone scans in the image can be displayed anywhere else. As infecto mentioned, a tablet for instance. Again, it's a risk for people using someone else's membership. Otherwise it's completely useless because we know they scan at checkout.

"And nope on your 2nd point"

Pointing out an exception is pretty ridiculous logic. I've never, in my life, seen someone's card denied at checkout. Ever. I guarantee I have been near hundreds of people using other people's cards. That it happened somewhere at sometime is pretty lazy contrarian nonsense. Further, I would wager that what you saw was actually someone who thought they could use a visa or didn't realize their membership expired -- where the cashier is left with zero options -- and not someone using someone else's membership.

Bruh, I saw someone's card denied last week. The couple right in front of me in line.

It was a busy saturday. 10th Street San Francisco

Someone (mananger?) came over and checked the card and then the manager and the cashier recarted everything on the conveyor. The manager took the cart.

I don’t really get how change is a crackdown either. They check at the entrance and the register already.

No more inexpensive hotdogs for nonmembers

I’m sure it’s Costco by Costco, but at every Costco that I’ve been to, you get to customer service and tires by going in at the exit and they don’t check your card if you walk in the exit at all.

You can only order food at the self-pay kiosk that doesn’t check your barcode and there is generally no enforcement of memberships at the food court as no one has ever asked for my card.

Restricting the food court would generally require checking id cards at the exit and/or demanding a membership card at the self-pay kiosk or upon pickup of food. Nothing described in the article actually does this, so I’m not sure this is what’s being described.

Apparently there are some Costco’s on the West Coast or Southwest where the food courts are outside and don’t require a membership check, so my analysis might not apply to the different setups.

That is exactly what they are doing at my Costco - - not allowing people in the exit and requiring ID for food court.

Some Costco’s have the hot dogs outside with self pay kiosks

IIRC the food court was never members only.

I have heard that it is a legal requirement in some jurisdictions (you can't have a members only restaurant or something).

Some jurisdictions also require that alchohol sales can’t be members only and if you tell them at the enterance you are only there to buy alcohol, they have to let you in and if you buy only alcohol, they have to let you purchase it. I did this at Sam’s club once.

I once got chewed out for not having my card with me when I went to pick up a pizza at the food court.

Fair, I am guessing its a location/store dependent enforcement.

I went to a Costco in Mexico and they were very serious about making the food court members only there.

Interestingly they had the same items except they had jalapenos instead of relish

There is a person watching. Don’t know what they see, but at least now it’s in your face at the entrance

At least at our Costco store, there was no person at the entrance. I could and did just walk in and look around the store before I decided to get a membership. Honestly if I had wanted to swipe something and stick it in my pocket I might have gotten away with it. But now it's a scanner. So certainly an improvement to security in that respect.

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