My Costco Rant

[MACDRIVE]

[Rant] Anyone who's ever shopped at COSTCO knows about the long purchase lines waiting to buy their supplies. THEN, you have to wait in another long line at the door to be SEARCHED. So anyway, I had already gone through the purchase line and I was rolling my cart towards the search line when I discovered several people with there flat carts piled four feet high with stuff. I was there with only 3 items in my cart: 2 jars of mayonnaise and 1 box of Motrin.

So what I did was go around those people and handed the guard my receipt for her to sign. She then said in a demeaning sarcastic tone: "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to next time wait your turn in line - thank you." She then handed the receipt back to me with a scribble mark on it.

What did I say back to her? Nothing! I bit my tongue hard as I walked out the door. I knew that if I said anything at all, I would have lost my temper and told her to go to hell or something. So yes, it was a good test to measure my ability to keep my cool, but it wasn't easy for me at all.

Next time, I'm walking straight out the door and not going to hand anyone my receipt or even look at anyone. After all, I paid for the damn stuff right? They can just go ahead and chase me out into the parking lot if they want to. [/Rant]

 

[obeygiant]

Welcome to Costco. I love you.

 

[balamw]

I guess prescanning hasn't made it to your store yet?

Best costco innovation ever IMHO. (OK so the Apple stores do something similar too and even accept payment wirelessly).

It's happened to me a few times at various stores around me. when you have relatively few things someone will come up to you in line and take your card, scan your merchandise in the cart with a wireless scanner and by the time you get to the cashier all that's left to do in pay and collect your receipt.

B

 

[bartelby]

I'm sorry, you all get searched as you leave the store?

How is that acceptable?

 

[balamw]

How is that acceptable?

Other stores do it too.

the CompUSA that's closing near me did it,a nd still does during the closeout. Fry's does it too and sometimes even Target during peak holiday season.

Not a search per se, but a check to see if a) you have a receipt b) your receipt and the contents of your cart are the same.

B

 

[GoCubsGo]

All they do is check your cart. It's no biggie. The fact that you're pissed that you were supposed to wait in line seems more like your own personal issue with assuming that you somehow should be excluded from waiting in line and going through the typical policy for your two large jars of mayo and motrin.

No offense, but the lady is right. Just because you have less doesn't give you a right to pass everyone else up. I am sure each one of you thought the same thing and thought you were all in a bigger hurry than the other. It doesn't exactly take that long for them to peak in your cart. But if it sucks that bad buy your mayo and motrin at the supermarket. I'm sure Costco isn't trying to take some personal shot at you.

 

[faintember]

I fail to see the issue here. People were in front of you in line, thus you wait.

Patience and courtesy work wonders. Thankfully some people learned this before leaving kindergarten.

 

[Koodauw]

No offense, but the lady is right. Just because you have less doesn't give you a right to pass everyone else up.

I agree to some extent, however in this case, it takes ten seconds for them to see the 3 items, sign the slip, and you are out, saving the person with a few items, 30 seconds - 2 mins depending. The person with the insanely full cart has to wait 10 seconds more, when they are already expecting to wait for an extended amount of time due to the large number of items they have. In this case we make one person better off, and the others no worse off. This is what economists call a Pareto Improvement. It really is for the best.

If everything worked the way you suggest, it would be more like the post office, with one huge line where every one waits and waits, and there is no incentive to go faster. (I hate the USPS, but thats another issue.)

 

[dornoforpyros]

Why not just walk out without the stupid search at the door.

let's review, you walk into a store and purchase products. After you've paid for them the store no longer owns them. You do. Same as the smash my wii/ipod/psp/ps3/xbox/whatever your free to do with your property as you wish.

Simply walk out! If a guard tries to give you hassle tell em to piss off and keep walking. If they call the cops so be it, you haven't broken any laws.

 

[bartelby]

If any store started doing that over here I'm pretty sure either the "search/check" or the store wouldn't last too long.

They're assuming you've stolen something.

Like I said:

How is that acceptable?

 

[balamw]

How is that acceptable?

Most of the places where it is done are places that live on really thin margins, like Costco. The argument goes that they have to do something to prevent theft to keep the prices down, so we can buy a gross of hot dogs for US$10.

B

 

[bartelby]

Most of the places where it is done are places that live on really thin margins, like Costco. The argument goes that they have to do something to prevent theft to keep the prices down, so we can buy a gross of hot dogs for US$10.

B

I kinda of figured why they do it. I'm asking why you put up with it?

I'd do as dornoforpyros says. I take it there isn't a law that says you musy be searched as you leave the store.

 

[balamw]

I kinda of figured why they do it. I'm asking why you put up with it?

'Cause I like buying a gross of hot dogs for cheap?

FWIW Costco is a membership based store. You pay for the privilege to shop there, a privilege which can just as easily be rescinded by withdrawing your membership card, law or no law. For some of the other places I agree with you.

B

 

[WildCowboy]

I'd do as dornoforpyros says. I take it there isn't a law that says you musy be searched as you leave the store.

Given that it's a membership club, it seems like it would be pretty easy for them to revoke your membership if you refused to wait in line. If you want to play the game, you have to play by their rules.

While I sometimes feel like they do a bit too thorough of a job checking over my cart, I've never found the wait to be all that much of a bother. I'm delayed far more at the checkout and navigating through the hordes of people and shopping carts.

 

[bartelby]

Given that it's a membership club, it seems like it would be pretty easy for them to revoke your membership if you refused to wait in line. If you want to play the game, you have to play by their rules.

While I sometimes feel like they do a bit too thorough of a job checking over my cart, I've never found the wait to be all that much of a bother. I'm delayed far more at the checkout and navigating through the hordes of people and shopping carts.

Are all the store balamw mentioned earlier membership clubs?

I'm not trying to be annoying or anything, this is just the first time I've heard of this kind of thing.

 

[balamw]

Are all the store balamw mentioned earlier membership clubs?

I'm not trying to be annoying or anything, this is just the first time I've heard of this kind of thing.

No, Costco is membership, Fry's and Target are not. Dunno if Sam's Club (Walmart's equivalent to Costco also checks receipts).

EDIT: I agree with you in principle for the non-membership places, even though most places can refuse to sell you something if you don't follow their "rules". Famously, "No shirt, no shoes, no service".

B

 

[faintember]

Are all the store balamw mentioned earlier membership clubs?

Nope. Wal-Mart does it in my area as well, but it is more of a "spot-check" than anything.

Sam's is membership based.

 

[EricNau]

Why not just walk out without the stupid search at the door.
...

You're still on private property owned by the store, and therefore are subject to their rules. No one is forcing you to shop there.

If any store started doing that over here I'm pretty sure either the "search/check" or the store wouldn't last too long.

They're assuming you've stolen something.

No, they are not assuming any such thing.
...Do you have electronic theft detectors at your doors? What Costco does is no different - it's just slower. They are simply checking to make sure the total number of items in your cart is the same as the number of items on your receipt.


Really, I don't see the slightest problem here. Sure, long lines are a pain and we all hate them, but that doesn't give you the right to bypass everyone else who is politely waiting their turn. I believe the lady handled it quite well, really.

I suppose Costco could upgrade and buy some fancy electronic detectors, but then you'd just complain because they raised prices.

 

[janey]

Patience and courtesy work wonders.

It's just sorta maddening, in some cases. I once had a guy with several carts full of merchandise (it was at a wholesale costco-like place) who hogged the sole checkout lane while I waited behind him with not even a twentieth of what he had. I literally waited for 20-30 minutes. This was on top of getting to the lane thinking nobody was there, but he had one of his carts waiting next to the lane and said he was first, and rudely shoved a cart in front of me. And he had the nerve to continue shopping and coming back to shove another cart in front of me for the &(*^% at the checkout counter to scan.

I was done with my purchases and left the parking lot before he even finished hauling the first cart to his car.

Honestly, patience and courtesy does work wonders, but I have never failed to ask anyone behind me if they'd like to go ahead of me if they had way less items, or were elderly/expecting/sick. That ******** above..he pissed me off. Would it really honestly hurt to wait all of 2 extra minutes, or did it feel good to be a dick?

 

[balamw]

I suppose Costco could upgrade and buy some fancy electronic detectors, but then you'd just complain because they raised prices.

Given that Costco is actually pretty good about providing a decent wage & benefits to their employees, a machine would probably be cheaper than an actual human being.

EDIT: Link http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_15/b3878084_mz021.htm

B

 

[janey]

They're assuming you've stolen something.

I read that sign at Costco about searching the cart and checking the receipt every time I'm there, it mentions something about protecting you from being charged too much/incorrectly. Sounds a lot better than "we want to check if you're stealing something"

 

[CHROMEDOME]

Although Costco has gotten rid of its amazing return policy, I still love it.

Costco has the best customers per hour number through its checkouts so that might make up some time waiting to get strip searched. At my Costco they just look in your cart and give you a on your receipt. I still don't care because everything that Costco offers.

Plus their food is amazing, and they let me eat lunch there with out showing them my card.

<3 Costco

 

[bartelby]

No, they are not assuming any such thing.
...Do you have electronic theft detectors at your doors? What Costco does is no different - it's just slower. They are simply checking to make sure the total number of items in your cart is the same as the number of items on your receipt.
I suppose Costco could upgrade and buy some fancy electronic detectors, but then you'd just complain because they raised prices.

It's totally different!
Some electronic thing scanning for tags and some muppet rooting through your shopping are not the same at all!

It's a total invasion of privacy as far as I'm concerned.

And, for the record, I'd rather pay the higher prices. I have better thing to do with my time than hang around waiting to be searched.

 

[EricNau]

Given that Costco is actually pretty good about providing a decent wage & benefits to their employees, a machine would probably be cheaper than an actual human being.

B

Yes - that's probably true. I've attributed Costco's method of checking to the fact that much of their merchandise is not equipped with security tags, but that's honestly just a guess.

I'm sure they have their reasons.

 

[bartelby]

I've attributed Costco's method of checking to the fact that much of their merchandise is not equipped with security tags, but that's honestly just a guess.

I'm sure they have their reasons.

We have stores over here with security scanners and most of their merchandise isn't tagged. A few higher value ones, that's all.