"Costco Trials Membership Scanners to Restrict Non-Member Access"

Costco is testing a new system of scanning membership cards at store entrances to match members to their cards for an improved experience, aiming to speed up entry and checkout processes. This move is part of an effort to protect its membership revenue stream, which reached $4.6 billion in 2023 from nearly 128 million members. The company's crackdown on membership sharing follows similar actions by Disney+ and Netflix, and comes as Costco reported a 90% renewal rate and $237.7 billion in net sales in 2023.