Non-Members Must Say Goodbye to The Costco Food Court Starting This April
The Costco food court rules are changing. 😢 Here’s the scoop!
The Costco food court can be a lifesaver for those on a tight budget! The popular warehouse club offers tons of filling items for under $4, and the Hip team always talks about how much we appreciate these cheap eats.
You can snag snacks from the food court at many locations, even without a membership. At least, that’s how it used to be.
Please don’t shoot the messenger, but some bad news broke this morning that we think you might want to know.
Costco CFO, Richard Galanti, stated in an interview that starting April 8th, consumers will need a Costco membership to buy food at any Costco with an outdoor food court (as the indoor ones already check your ID). There are already signs popping up at various Costco locations, including this one that was spotted in Orlando and shared on Reddit:
Sadly, if you want that $1.50 hot dog and soda combo or the $1.99 giant slice of pizza, you’ll have to fork over cash for a Costco membership. 💵
How much does a Costco membership cost?
There are two personal membership options available.
The standard membership is called the Gold Star Membership, and it costs $60 annually. With this membership, you can shop online or in-store at any Costco and have access to the pharmacy, Costco Travel counter, food court, gasoline, and more.
You can also opt for the Executive Membership, which costs $120 annually. This membership comes with all the benefits of a Gold Star Membership, plus it gets you an annual 2% reward up to $1,000 (on applicable purchases). You’ll also score benefits and discounts when you use any of Costco’s services.
Costco offers some special promotions on memberships, too. These are usually in the form of a $20 – $40 Shop Card with the purchase of a new membership. Students, teachers, medical professionals, first responders, government employees, and military members may qualify for these promos. If that’s you, scroll to the bottom of Costco’s membership page for instructions on verifying your status and claiming the offer!
How do you feel about the changes coming to the Costco food court?
Are you already a member? Check out these recent Costco deals!
Id like to see how they will enforce this policy. In South Florida people come in with an entire family/neighborhood to eat…I have seen one person order 10 hot d9gs & several slices in one order…so will the member buy the food for everyone? (They already do that). It won’t change anything unless they start limiting how many people you can bring in to the store and/or how much food you can order at one time, which I highly doubt either will happen.
Costco is over 40 minutes from me and I refuse to pay a store to shop there. Crazy.
Wish they would limit samples to members also. We have people who come in just to eat without membership. There is a huge apartment complex next door and several residents eat samples everyday