Costco Confirms Major Shake Up for Louisiana Shoppers

Do you remember the day the Costco store opened its doors in Lafayette, Louisiana? The Lafayette location would bring the total number of warehouse outlets operated by the brand to three in the state. The other two locations are in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, so getting at Costco in Lafayette was a pretty big deal. By the way, the Lafayette location opened on St Patrick's Day, March 17th, 2016.

Fast forward eight years and one pandemic later and the Lafayette Costco store, and Costco as a whole appears to be doing quite well. One of the ways the store and the brand keeps its edge is by constantly changing to meet the needs of its customers and making changes to prevent "savvy" customers from taking advantage of the warehouse store's savings and shopping policies.

The reason we put "savvy" in quotes was that we didn't want to come right out and say folks were stealing but that basically is what the new policy at Costco is all about. But it's not the kind of stealing you might be thinking of. Costco is not a good place for shoplifters. At least I don't think it would be. I am guessing it would be hard to waddle out of the store undetected with two gallons of mayo stuffed in your pants or a family-sized case of frozen lasagna.

The "theft" that Costco is attempting to curtail is the same theft that Netflix has successfully curtailed over the past year or so. You might recall Netflix has cracked down on shared passwords. Well, Costco is cracking down on "borrowed memberships".

What that means is instead of just flashing a membership card at an employee when you walk into Costco you will now be required to present the card and have it scanned. This is just to get into the store, by the way. Costco began testing the new policy at some of its California locations and has since announced the policy will be going nationwide.

Once you've scanned your card or had the QR code scanned you will be allowed to enter the store and shop. However, if you're not the official card holder you won't be allowed to enter the store unless you're accompanied by a Costco member in good standing.

The policy change will force the hands of those wanting to shop and save with Costco. If you want the deals you'll have to purchase a membership. It worked for Netflix. Their subscriptions have soared since the password crackdown. This will work for Costco too. You can't say you weren't informed.