Polarizing Costco shoppers’ habit deemed ‘annoying’ by workers sparks online debate

A recent social media post has Costco customers and employees divided on best practices when it comes to checking out.

A Reddit user posed the question, sparking a debate over whether it is preferabble for shoppers to place their membership cards in the dividers between checkout orders so that store employees can scan them.

“Anyone else put their card in the divider? Do cashiers prefer it or hate it?” the post asked.

Also known as checkout dividers, the small signs or bars are meant for placement between items on a conveyor belt at supermarkets or retail stores to signify separate transactions. They can either be used for customers with multiple orders and different payment methods, or as a separation between the customer checking out and the next person in line.

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“I got trained at one store to put the credit card in the divider. I moved 200 miles away, and the Costco in my new area doesn’t seem to find it helpful. In fact, the cashiers get a little annoyed,” one person commented on the Reddit post.

“Might be a store preference, but in the bay area, they want you to hold the card and they scan it,” another commented, later editing their post to add that before the COVID-19 pandemic, cashiers did not seem to mind it in the dividers. 

What some may consider courtesy to make their card easier to access for cashiers may not be seen that way by the employees actually ringing them up.

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Mayra Guitierrez hands the cashier her membership card to make purchases at the Costco in Huixquilucan, Estado de Mexico outside of Mexico City. (Dominic Bracco II for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“I don’t necessarily like it because if it falls and slips under the belt (yes it can) it can be a pain to get it or if it falls somewhere now we both have to go find it and if we cant then… whelp,” one Reddit user said. 

In terms of Costco’s official policy or preference, the retail giant did not immediately respond to a Fox Business request for comment.

Their website states, “We have always asked for membership cards at our registers at time of checkout.”

A general view of a Costco store on June 28, 2023 in Teterboro, New Jersey.  (Kena Betancur/VIEWpress / Getty Images)

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The idea sparking social media debate might not be new, either. Back in July 2023, a Mashed.com article not only suggested it as a way to check out faster, but also urged people to put all their item barcodes facing up to make the scanning process quicker.