A COSTCO customer was barred from shopping at the warehouse club due to a little-known scanning issue that went down at self-checkout.
Although provided with an opportunity to dispute the ban, the shopper argued that it was impossible to show proof that they had done nothing wrong.
Costco shoppers are subject to several rules and guidelines when they enter the warehouse club[/caption]
One Costco customer was banned from shopping at the retailer due to a situation at checkout[/caption]
When customers shop at Costco, they are required to follow a number of guidelines or risk being asked to leave the store or even having their membership revoked.
On one shopper’s recent trip to the retailer, they ran into a situation at checkout that left them “unable to shop at Costco moving forward.”
The customer, an Instacart shopper, explained how they were suddenly “banned from Costco” in a Facebook post from Sunday.
They had received an email from Instacart with an “important notice” about how there were multiple instances during which the worker’s customers’ in-app membership barcodes were not applied correctly while checking out at Costco stores.
“This is a violation of the Instacart Account Access Guidelines,” said the email.
It went on to say that, while the shopper was free to provide services on the Instacart platform, they would no longer be able to shop for Instacart at Costco stores.
The Instacart worker was invited to fill out a form to dispute the ban and provide physical evidence or context to back their claim.
The email noted that Instacart would use the submitted information to review the appeal and would contact the shopper within 24 to 48 hours with a final decision regarding their account status.
“Please do not contact or return to Costco regarding this notice,” concluded the message. “Returning to the retailer may result in further account restrictions.”
An Instacart shopper was banned from shopping at Costco[/caption]
STICKY SITUATION
The notice left the Instacart worker confused and frustrated that they were banned from fulfilling orders from Costco.
“I have no idea how this happened because in order to checkout I need to scan the membership,” they wrote.
“I’m just confused because I try to scan everything accordingly and hit the right person’s membership when I check out, but I guess I moved too fast.”
The Instacart shopper shared that they had already disputed the ban and was hoping they would once again be able to take orders from Costco.
Their outlook on the situation wasn’t too positive, however, as they complained that it was overly difficult to prove their innocence.
Membership and store cards on offer from major retailers
Here is a breakdown of the store cards on offer to customers from various retailers and their benefits
* If you click a link in this boxout, we may earn affiliate revenue.
Costco:
- Gold Star Membership: $65 per year, shop all Costco stores and online with two additional cards for your household.
- Executive Membership: $130 per year, annual 2% reward, additional discounts and benefits on Costco services, shop online and in-store, and get two additional cards for household use.
- Sign up for a Costco Membership here
Sam’s Club:
- Club Membership: $50 per year, bonus offers, same-day delivery, instant savings, Sam’s Club Mastercard, members-only fuel savings, tire and battery center, complimentary membership, and add-on memberships.
- Plus Membership: $110 per year, all benefits of Club membership plus Sam’s Cash, free shipping, free curbside pickup, early shopping, and pharmacy and optical savings.
- Sign up for Sam’s Club Membership here
Target:
- Target Circle: A free-to-join reward program allowing users to earn 1% in Target Circle earnings rewards when an eligible purchase is made, access deals and personalized offers, get a birthday gift, and earn a vote to help direct how Target helps out your community.
- Target Circle Card: A credit, debit, or reloadable account card that gives users 5% off in-store and online as well as exclusive offers, free two-day shipping, and an additional 30-day returns window. Formerly Target RedCard.
- Sign up for Target Circle here
Walmart:
- Walmart+: $12.95 per month or $98 per year with a free 30-day trial. Offers members free delivery, free shipping with no minimum spend, fuel savings, Paramount+ subscription, auto car, Walmart+ travel, returns from home, mobile scan and go in-store, and early access to deals and product releases.
- Sign up for Walmart+ here
“It’s impossible to show proof,” they said. “As always customer service and Twitter support didn’t help.”
Fellow Instacart shoppers had mixed takes on the situation, with one noting that the same thing happened to them and encouraging the worker to simply check back in three months.
“Happened to me once but was years ago…” commented another user. “Think it was a warning, not a ban.”
Others had a more bleak view of the notice from Instacart.
“Appeal Shameal. They don’t look at those. Their final answer is always NO. I’m sorry this happened to you,” said one.
Another claimed that Costco was trying to get rid of Instacart shoppers, saying, “They are disturbing employees constantly.”
Costco’s rigid regulations have left many shoppers fuming online.
For example, the retailer was slammed by members for “ripping people off” with a new store policy as they are labelled as “peasants.”
Meanwhile, others called for Costco to “start revoking memberships” for shoppers who “embarrass themselves” by ignoring a key checkout policy.
