Starting from October 1st, Costco will require you to scan your membership card to order food in the deli area, except for the Taichung Nantun store.

Costco posted an announcement a few days ago that starting from October 1, you can scan your membership card to order food in the deli area. (provided by readers)

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] The Costco branch of the American-style store will post an announcement today, saying that starting from October 1st, before shopping in the deli area, you must scan your membership card or membership barcode before ordering food. It was pointed out that the new system was caused by many non-members occupying the dining space, which caused dissatisfaction among members due to seat occupation. After the new system came into effect, some netizens successively shared in the community that the crowds in the cooked food area are now much smaller, and they all praised the "virtuous policy".

According to Costco's announcement, starting from October 1, 2026, you must first scan the barcode of your membership card to purchase meals in the Western-style catering department (deli area). This does not apply in Taiwan (only in Nantun District, Taichung). The main reason is that the catering department of the Taichung Nantun store is located outside the store and is a BOT construction.

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In this regard, Liu Hengjia, manager of the Marketing Planning Department of Costco Taiwan, said at the time that scanning membership cards before purchasing meals in the Western-style catering department is to safeguard members' rights and shopping experience, and to enhance members' trust and recognition of membership value. Costco will continue to be committed to providing members with a high-quality shopping environment and service experience.

A few days after the new system was launched, some netizens shared on Threads, FB and other social groups, saying that now that Costco’s deli area requires a membership card, there seems to be no need to queue up, and the seating area is not as overcrowded as in the past. They are very satisfied with this reform.

Netizens started a heated discussion about this, saying: "This will make you realize that there were so many people who didn't have memberships before", "If it really improves the crowding problem, I support this policy with both hands and feet", "It turns out that there are people who don't have membership cards and make a special trip to eat there."

However, some netizens believe that the new system will be put on the road on weekdays, and they have to wait until a holiday or the eve of a holiday to know whether it is accurate. Some netizens are worried that if business declines, Costco will change it back to make money, triggering heated discussions.

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