Get Ready Michigan Costco Members! A Big Change is Coming!

It's been seven years since Costco has done this, but it's happening soon, on September 1, 2024.

No, you can still buy a hot dog for $1.50, and buy other merchandise at probable discounts, however, you membership is going to cost you more.

So, the next time you have to renew your membership it will cost you more.

CNN Business says Costco is raising regular membership fees by $5 a year in the US and Canada, and by $10 a year for the Executive membership.

The same CNN Business article says this will affect 52 million members.

Before you start crying, don't forget that Costco hasn't raised their fees in a long time and they easily could have since most other big box discount retailers did over two years ago.

And, hey, you do get two membership cards and you're able to shop in-store and online, so there's that.

I wrote a bit ago about Costco cracking down on members sharing their cards which happens too frequently. When you check out at an attended checkout stand they always ask for your card and check that it's you. But, at the self-checkout lanes you have the machine read the card. Now, Costco employees are regularly asking self-checkout users to see their card to make sure it's really them.

USA Today quoted Costco saying:

"We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members. Costco is able to keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help offset our operational expenses, making our membership fee and structure important to us."