Supermarket Sleuths: Surprise detail Costco workers are looking for when they check your receipt
Costco Australia is a unique shopping experience, thanks to its dramatically oversized displays and bulk purchase offers.
The hoops shoppers have to jump through to access, navigate and exit the store make it feel even more exclusive.
I thought I was across all of the ins and outs of being a Costco shopper, but just yesterday I learned something new about one of their key store procedures.
It took some time after becoming a Costo member that I felt confident navigate each and every requirement. Nine
After paying for their purchases, customers are required to show their paper receipts to one of two staff members positioned at the store's exit where they are viewed, marked and customers are sent on their way.
But what are staffers really doing when they check your receipt? Something completely different than what I thought, it turns out.
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But what are staffers really doing when they check your receipt? Nine
I've been wondering this during my past couple of visits, which have been larger shops to stock up on all of the grocery staples that use up a lot of my weekly supermarket budget, such as tinned tomatoes, passata, cat food, rice, chicken thighs, strawberries and bok choy, to name just a few of my more receipt purchases.
Some trolleys lined up ahead of us at the exit queue were crammed with even more discount grocery items than ours, and the staff members were whizzing through them faster than I would have thought possible.
That's because I thought they were checking each receipt against the specific items in the trolleys ahead of customers exiting the store.
Yesterday, I discovered they are doing something else entirely.
It was a very busy Sunday afternoon when we arrived at our local Marsden Park store in NSW. We didn't bother with a trolley because we just wanted a few items and were happy to carry them.
As we were exiting the store, there was an unexpected lull. It was just us and the staffer, with no other shoppers lined up behind us.
It was a very busy Sunday afternoon when we arrived at our local Marsden Park store. Nine
I handed our receipt to the female staffer and she slowly and loudly counted each of the items in our hands. There were nine. She then looked down at our receipt and counted that there were nine items listed. She literally said, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine!", just like that.
The staffer then drew a dramatic orange line down the middle of our receipt with her marker, and we were on our way.
She didn't check that the correct items had been scanned, she was just ensuring the numbers lined up.
The staffer then drew a dramatic orange line down the middle of our receipt. Nine
It makes sense – there's no way staffers would have time to check each and every item in customer's trolleys, and there's only so much businesses can do to reduce theft.
Costco customers know their receipts will be checked ahead of exiting, which serves as a deterrent for those who dabble in the dark arts.
Every time I shop at Costco, I learn something new and interesting about how the discount bulk retailer operates and I feel happy to be a part of the club. And most times I resist sillier bulk purchases like 700g packs of Cheese Supreme Doritos, although yesterday I bought a bag of these.
The remaining eight purchases were pretty solid: Crispy Fruits, Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, Felix cat food, cage-free eggs, passata, tinned tomatoes and chicken thighs.
To truly save at Costco, it takes planning and discipline. Nine
Costco members are allowed to bring up to two visitors during each visit, with children excluded from this count. Only members can pay for purchases at the checkout.
The trolley goes on the right hand side of the checkout lane, behind the register, and customers walk on the left hand side.
Larger items don't need to be taken out of trolleys.
The trolley goes on the right hand side of the checkout lane. Nine
To truly save at Costco, it takes planning and discipline. Regular shoppers understand it is vital to stick to their lists and resist any and all unnecessary purchases, or limited themselves to just one unplanned purchases.
And no, you most likely don't need another rice cooker, inflatable pool, bar fridge or food storage system.
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If you really want any of these, go home, have a think, and if you still want it, include it in your budget and go for it.
You most likely don't need another rice cooker, inflatable pool, bar fridge or food storage system. Nine
You can always go back and purchase some of these items after budgeting for them. Nine
At the moment, Costco has a lot of Halloween candy and costumes on offer, as well as Christmas items such as outdoor decorations and plastic trees.
And for once we manage not to buy the Choc Chunk cookies or get hotdogs and other snacks on the way out, thanks to the fact we had been blissfully stuffed at my mum's regular Sunday lunch.
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