Costco didn’t send you a memo. There was no big announcement taped to the door, no email you actually read. But if you’ve shopped there in the last few months, you’ve probably bumped into at least one new rule and wondered when that happened. Turns out the warehouse chain has been busy. Between the entrance, the checkout line, the food court, and even the bakery, a bunch of things changed this year. Some of it is genuinely helpful. Some of it is going to annoy the person who’s been sharing a card with their neighbor. Here’s the full rundown.
You Have to Scan Your Card at the Door Now
For decades, getting into Costco was a quick nod and a flash of your card at the greeter. That’s over. Digital scanners started showing up at entrances in late 2024, and this is the first full year they’re running nationwide. Now every person walking in has to scan a physical or digital card at a tablet by the door. Trying to use a screenshot of your buddy’s card? That’ll get you blocked at the entrance. If your card doesn’t have a photo on it, expect to show a valid photo ID. The whole point is to stop non-members from sneaking in on someone else’s dime, since membership fees are basically what keeps Costco’s prices low.
The Food Court Wants to See Your Membership Too
The $1.50 hot dog and the pizza slice used to be a loophole. You could walk up, grab food, and never flash a card. Not anymore. Warehouses are adding membership scanners right at the food court, so you have to prove you’re a member before you buy a chicken bake or a hot dog combo. This isn’t brand new, exactly. Back in 2024 a Florida store started enforcing an old rule and put up signs turning away non-members, and it caused a stir. Now the scanners are making it official everywhere. For context, Costco sold more than 245 million hot dog combos in 2025, so this is a lot of scans.
Your Hot Dog Combo Might Come With Water
Relax, the price isn’t moving. The legendary $1.50 hot dog combo is staying exactly where it’s been since the Reagan era. What’s changing is the drink. In select locations, especially areas with soda taxes, Costco is rolling out a bottled water option so the total still lands at $1.50. The classic refillable soda cup isn’t going anywhere either, so you can still fill up on Coke if that’s your thing. If you see a water bottle listed on the menu board, that’s why. Think of it as a swap, not a downgrade.
Your Phone Is Now Your Card and Your Wallet
The Costco app used to be an afterthought. Now it’s doing real work. You can store your digital membership card on it, and here’s the useful part: you can link an eligible Visa card so one QR code handles both your membership ID and your payment. One scan, done. They’re also adding password-less sign-in so you’re not fumbling to log in while a line builds behind you. If you’re the type who leaves your physical card in the other pants, this is the update that actually saves you a headache. The app is quietly becoming the thing you can’t shop without, so it’s worth downloading and updating before your next trip.
Cake and Party Platter Orders Moved to the App
If you’ve ever stood at the bakery counter filling out a little paper slip for a birthday cake, you’ll appreciate this one. Costco ditched the paper forms and moved custom orders into the app under the Warehouse tab. You can now order custom cakes, cookie trays, and some deli party platters right from your couch, anywhere from three days to two weeks ahead. CEO Ron Vachris said he hoped it would reduce the clunkiness of the old process, and honestly, it does. Paper forms still work if you prefer them. For reference, sheet cakes run about $24.99 to $27.99 in 2026 and feed up to 48 people, which is still an absurd amount of cake for the money.
Employees Are Scanning Your Cart While You Wait in Line
This one snuck up on people. If you’ve got a small or medium cart, an employee might come down the line and start scanning your items and your membership card before you even reach the register. Then when it’s your turn, the cashier just scans your card again and pulls up the whole order. It’s meant to shrink those brutal weekend checkout lines. Costco is also piloting a Scan and Go feature that lets you scan items with the app as you shop and pay digitally, plus automated pay stations in a few test warehouses. Keep in mind, some states have new self-checkout rules with item limits, so a big overflowing cart may get sent to a staffed lane.
Returns Are Getting a Closer Look
Costco’s famous return policy is still around, but the days of truly no-questions-asked are fading in practice. Workers are now asking for extra proof of purchase on some returns, and managers are keeping an eye on how often certain members bring stuff back. If you’re the kind of person who returns things constantly, or tries to hand back heavily worn merchandise, you could get a written warning or, in extreme cases, lose your membership. Electronics still have that firm 90-day return window, so mark your calendar if you buy a TV or laptop. The generous policy isn’t gone, it’s just being enforced with more consistency than it used to be.
Executive Members Get to Shop Early
Here’s the change that ruffled the most feathers. Executive members now get into the store before everyone else. They can enter up to an hour earlier on weekdays and Sundays, and 30 minutes earlier on Saturdays. Regular Gold Star members typically still wait until 10 a.m. The policy started June 30, 2025, with a grace period, and became strictly enforced at the end of August 2025. Some standard members were not happy, and neither were some workers, but management says it’s here to stay. Why? Because it works. People are upgrading to Executive to get that early access. Costco had 81 million paying members at its 2025 fiscal year end, and 38.7 million of them were already Executive cardholders.
Prescription Pricing Got More See-Through
At the start of 2026, Costco teamed up with a company called Navitus and switched its pharmacy to what’s called cost-plus pricing. In plain English, that means the price you pay is based on the actual cost plus a set markup, so it’s easier to see what you’re really paying and compare it against other places. The pricing applies whether you fill a prescription at the counter or by mail order. If you’ve ever squinted at a receipt trying to figure out why one pharmacy charges triple what another does, this is Costco’s attempt at making the math less mysterious. It’s a money thing more than anything, and a rare bit of straight talk in an industry known for the opposite.
The People Ringing You Up Are Getting Paid More
Not every rule is about your wallet. Early in 2026, Costco bumped its starting hourly wage to $20, then quickly raised it again to $21. Experience and tenure push that number higher. Costco has long had a reputation for paying warehouse workers better than most retail gives, and this keeps that going. It’s the kind of change you won’t notice at the register, but it’s part of why the staff there tends to stick around and actually knows where things are. Combine that with the pay structure and the perks piling up for members, and you get a picture of a company spending to keep people, both shoppers and employees, loyal.
So What Does All This Mean for You?
Put it all together and it’s the biggest wave of operational changes Costco shoppers have seen in years. Most of it comes down to two goals: stop people who aren’t paying from using the perks, and make the store faster and more digital. Membership fees are the engine here, bringing in over $1.3 billion a year from more than 81 million members, so it makes sense Costco is guarding that gate harder. The practical advice is simple. Bring your card and a photo ID every time, because scanners are everywhere now. Download the app and keep it updated, since it handles cake orders, payment, and your membership card. Hang on to receipts for big-ticket buys. And if you’re on the fence about upgrading to Executive, the early shopping hours and the $10 monthly credits might finally tip you over. Whether these rules annoy you or help you, they’re not going anywhere. Costco decided, and Costco makes the rules.
