The 6 reasons Costco employees make you show them your receipt before you leave the store
It's not to simply catch a thief.
Costco receipt checkers double check your receipt for many reasons.
Loyal Costco shoppers know that once you check out at the big box retailer, you need to keep your receipt out and ready to hand over to a Costco employee before you're able to leave the store. But why does Costco have employees check your receipt and give it that signature marker swipe at the exit?
First, as YouTuber The Costco Dude (who has worked at Costco since 2008) explains, Costco has your receipt checked at the door rather than right there at the register to help with crowd flow.
"There's usually long lines at Costco, and Costco is all about speed," he says, adding that Costco members don't love the delay at the register when they sometimes check to make sure the number of items on the receipt matches the number of items in their cart.
So, it's up to the exit door employees to check out your Costco receipt before you leave the store. These are the six things they are looking for (and no, it's not solely because they assume you're stealing).
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They double check proper scanning
A major reason Costco employees check your receipt is to cover human error that may have occurred during checkout. It's easy to double (or even triple) scan items—especially when buying multiples.
"I bought two tubs of beer cheese. The asked me did you mean to buy two. Yes, yes I did. I appreciated the check tho, sometimes stuff gets double scanned," one Redditor commented in the thread r/CostcoWholesale.
Another Costco shopper shared how the check paid off in a missed item promotion. "Yeah, one time I bought some beer and they stopped me at the door and told me I only picked up half the beer! Apparently the price was for two twelve packs not just one! So I got to go back and grab my beer," they wrote.
A Costco employee who does receipt checks also chimed in, saying, "I work at the door of a Costco and it can be a double or even triple scan. Or no scan at all. Employees and members are human and make mistakes," they explained. "Most people think we're there to catch thieves but I think there are more people errors than outright theft though there are articles that claim a good percentage of people don't scan all their items at self checkout."
They look for items over $300
John Liang (@johnsfinancetips), a personal finance expert, explained that Costco is extra diligent about double checking any expensive purchases. For items over $300, Costco will typically have a supervisor confirm your purchase.
@johnsfinancetips As a little kid, I always thought the receipt checkers counted every single item. When I grew up, I just thought the receipt checkers were there as a theft deterrent. But it turns out that their job is a lot more specific than that. #costco #receipt #verified #shop #personalfinance
They confirm you shopped at Costco that day
They check you got the best deals
"A few of them have gotten me price adjustments!" one Redditor noted.
They make sure you received back room items and add-ons
Costco offers a number of items that are not readily available for you to grab in the middle of the store, such as video games, iPhones (and most other electronics), jewelry, and gift cards.
The Costco Dude notes that the supervisor who brought you the item from the back will typically also check the receipt.
"Exit door checkers also verify that you’ve picked up any gift cards or other high-value items from the front. I’ve also seen them check whether add-ons (insurance or Apple Care) are shown as complete," one Redditor explained.
A happy Costco customer also shared, "Had this happen the other evening, and appreciate it so much. Was a bit tired after work and didn’t even think about needing to do that…"
They make sure you received the *correct* item
Finally, checking the receipt will also guarantee your received the correct items that needed to be retrieved from the back of the store.
"They also make sure that you received the correct item from lock up by matching the number on the receipt to the number on the side of the item. Sometimes supervisors grab the wrong item," one Redditor added.