What Costco Doesn’t Tell You About Those Receipt Checks at the Door Revealed!

Ever noticed those Costco exit gate employees wielding markers, casually “validating” your receipt as you stroll out? At first glance, it might feel like you’re caught in a wild west showdown—everyone’s a suspect until proven innocent. But hold your horses! These receipt-checkers aren’t out to finger the next shoplifter; instead, their silent mission is to save *you* from being shortchanged. Yup, that’s right—before you even get a chance to grumble about getting charged for more toilet paper than what’s actually in your cart, these folks steamroll the possibility of a cashier’s slip-up turning into a hefty surprise on your bill. Intriguing, isn’t it? So next time you see that marker coming your way, just remember—they’re less about suspicion and more about protection. Who knew retail vigilance could come with a sprinkle of customer care? LEARN MORE

If shoppers have one complaint about Costco—the vast discount warehouse chain with a notoriously permissive return policy and speedy checkout lanes—it’s that the employees posted at the exits to take a marker to customers’ receipts seem vaguely insulting. Is the premise that everyone is a shoplifter until proven otherwise?

Not exactly. A rundown of Costco’s policy from The Takeout (via Cheat Sheet) points out that the true motivation of these exit-door sentries isn’t to identify potential thieves. It’s to make sure that Costco isn’t picking the pockets of its customers.

According to employees who have made not-for-attribution comments, the retailer is actually examining receipts to make sure a shopper hasn’t been overcharged for their Costco purchases. Someone with three giant bundles of toilet paper in their cart, for example, might have been charged for four. By giving the receipt a cursory glance, the employee can make sure a cashier didn’t inadvertently ring up phantom crates of canned tuna.