Why does Costco inspect your receipt and items at the exit?

[squarecut1]

Unlike other stores, their exit area is pretty much completely sealed and cordoned off from the rest of the store. And yet unlike most other stores which don't do this, Costco makes you stand in line again at the exit for inspection.

They generally treat customers well, so this is out of character for them. That too for customers who have already paid a fee to shop at their store in the first place.

A little bit of theft is cost of doing business anyway. Plus they have to pay the labor cost for the person(s) doing this inspection at the exit. Sometimes during busy hours, they have two people doing this

It is not nice to be assumed of as a thief until proven otherwise.

 

[Mayne]

I'm sure they only do it for big ticket items like huge boxes with electronic stuff in it. Just incase some guy strolls out with a 60 inch flat screen.

 

[Ns1]

so they can mark your receipt so you can't walk back into the store and walk out with another item?

 

[SithSolo1]

Sams does this aswell and I assume BJs Wholesale does too

 

[squarecut1]

I'm sure they only do it for big ticket items like huge boxes with electronic stuff in it. Just incase some guy strolls out with a 60 inch flat screen.

No they do it for everything.

 

[squarecut1]

so they can mark your receipt so you can't walk back into the store and walk out with another item?

How is that possible? You can't walk in the store with an item. You can only go to the return place which is separate.

Plus you can't get to the exit with an item without paying for it first.

 

[Imp]

Meh, two people at exit is ~$40/hr?

Deter or catch one guy trying to get out with a carton of cigarettes per hour and you break even. It's probably better at minimizing opportunists than actually catching thieves. And since they treat everyone like a thief, no one's offended for being singled out like at Wal-Mart.

 

[Ns1]

How is that possible? You can't walk in the store with an item. You can only go to the return place which is separate.

Plus you can't get to the exit with an item without paying for it first.

uh...you have a receipt which is unmarked. you walk out with your item, put it in your car. then you walk back into the store, grab the same item, and walk back out. if they stop you, you show a receipt.

ITT: People who don't know how to steal

 

[squarecut1]

Meh, two people at exit is ~$40/hr?

Deter or catch one guy trying to get out with a carton of cigarettes per hour and you break even. It's probably better at minimizing opportunists than actually catching thieves. And since they treat everyone like a thief, no one's offended for being singled out like at Wal-Mart.

Ha...that is an interesting point about Walmart.

More than about their cost, which is their business, it is just not a nice thing for any customer to be assumed as a thief. Especially after the store has gone out of its way to design the layout in such a way as to make it very difficult in the first place.

 

[NetWareHead]

Costco makes you stand in line again at the exit for inspection.

It is not nice to be assumed of as a thief until proven otherwise.

No and no. You as the customer agree to be subject to an inspection when leaving the store as terms of the membership when you join,

 

[Thebobo]

The Legality of Compulsory Receipt-Checking

Some members-only discount stores require their customers to give consent to be searched by an employee as a condition of membership. For example, the Costco membership agreement contains an unconditional consent to search on page 29. Customers who sign such an agreement (as all Costco customers must) would seem to have no grounds to complain if they are later required to submit to a receipt-check.

http://www.thelegality.com/2008/03/...-the-legality-of-compulsory-receipt-checking/

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Best buys - Just ignore and walk out.

 

[squarecut1]

uh...you have a receipt which is unmarked. you walk out with your item, put it in your car. then you walk back into the store, grab the same item, and walk back out. if they stop you, you show a receipt.

You can't just grab an item and walk out with it. The store is designed in such a way that you can pretty much only go through open checkout lanes.

Besides, it is much easier to do what you are saying in other stores, like Target etc etc, and yet they don't do that.

 

[Ns1]

You can't just grab an item and walk out with it. The store is designed in such a way that you can pretty much only go through open checkout lanes.

Besides, it is much easier to do what you are saying in other stores, like Target etc etc, and yet they don't do that.

ITT: People who don't know how to steal shit. It's not as hard as you're making it out to be.

 

[squarecut1]

I am not saying it is illegal. That is not my point.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

You can't just grab an item and walk out with it. The store is designed in such a way that you can pretty much only go through open checkout lanes.

Besides, it is much easier to do what you are saying in other stores, like Target etc etc, and yet they don't do that.

Designed to deter doesn't mean it isn't still insanely easy to do so.

I am not saying it is illegal. That is not my point.

So what exactly are you whining about when you entered into a contract to consent to the 5 seconds of your time search?

 

[Mayne]

ITT: People who don't know how to steal shit.

ITT: NSI reveals he's a master thief.

 

[sactoking]

It's not just a theft check either, I have experienced and witnessed several occurrences in which the receipt overcharged the customer, and that was caught at the receipt check.

 

[moonbogg]

People who do their own shopping are fucking ghetto and expected to steal.

 

[Ns1]

ITT: NSI reveals he's a master thief.

you don't need to be a master to steal from Costco.

 

[Kelvrick]

I've also seen (and happen to me) them point out that you're missing items, so you go back in and get what you paid for.

 

[squarecut1]

I'm sure in this day and age of technology there are better, non intrusive ways of deterring theft than this crude way of going about it

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I'm sure in this day and age of technology there are better, non intrusive ways of deterring theft than this crude way of going about it

You mean ones that would cost a shit ton of money for a operation the scale of Costco?

 

[rh71]

They don't check very thoroughly. Do they just do a scan for big items or do a quick count?

 

[WelshBloke]

Is this receipt check a common thing in the US?
I can't think that our petty theft levels are drastically different in the UK but I'm not aware of any place that does it here.

 

[JTsyo]

They don't check very thoroughly. Do they just do a scan for big items or do a quick count?

number of items is printed on the receipt.