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Comment by __derek__ | Hacker News Reader

My local Costco doesn't check for membership at the tire pumps. YMMV.

Sometimes you can also sneak in the exit and buy yourself a hot dog.

Don't know about the states, but in Canada, you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy, that gets you in for samples and everything.

Plus, their pharmacy is a great deal.

This is true, but if you run into an officious gatekeeper, they will block you 'while they get the approval of the manager' before they will allow you to proceed. I hate going to Costco stores generally but their online operation is generally awesome, including prescriptions by mail.

I think this is true in the US as well. And possibly liquor in some states (meaning a subset of the states that offer it in the first place).

There's no sneaking, you can go buy a hot dog without a Costco membership.

(Vegetarian here, who also doesn't like cheap-ass pizza, so it is possible this has changed in the last few years without my knowledge.)

Just before the pandemic blew up in the US, Costco changed its rules to require showing a membership card to access the food court. (You still don't have to scan a membership card to use the food court kiosks, just show it to get in the door.)

https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-03/costco-food-co...

In locations with the food court outside, they generally scan it when ordering at the food court window or at the kiosks.

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