Why Some People Don't Let Costco Employees Check Their Receipts

If you've spent any time shopping at Costco, Walmart, or other big box stores, you've likely encountered a receipt checker or two in your day. As part of the routine loss-prevention staff, receipt checkers stand by the exit to ensure that customers departing with large items or carts packed to the gills have paid for everything before they leave the store.

While some people can find this process a bit frustrating, most shoppers are afforded the luxury of exiting with nothing more than a smile and wave, rarely paying any mind to the brief inconvenience of stopping to have their receipts checked. Of course, this is not the case for everyone. A TikTok video has been circulating, courtesy of a furious former Costco shopper who refuses, under any circumstance, to let any loss-prevention employee examine their receipt, sparking questions as to why someone would stand so firm on such a minor issue.

Apparently, the shopper stopped allowing receipt checkers to monitor their purchases years ago, since they used permanent markers to check off the list of purchases. This made it difficult or impossible for the shopper to scan the receipts into their Net Annual Savings software, which they use to track purchases and savings for tax and documentation purposes.

Many financially-minded people watching the video seemed to take issue with the TikToker's staunch position on receipt checking, explaining that they too keep track of their purchases, without being rude to the loss prevention staff.

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One video comment reads, "You could ask the cashier for a duplicate," while another states, "I could see if like we were forced to shop at Costco but they're Costco rules if you don't follow them don't shop at Costco."

Additionally, the increase in electronic purchases and advancements in technology have contributed to doing away with the old Sharpie method that the original poster loathes so much. In fact, the video concludes with the user explaining that they have found a method for digitally scanning their receipt on their cell phone, circumnavigating the need to save the physical receipts once they leave the store. Of course, most shoppers don't tend to take issue with this practice in the first place, but receipt scanning software could serve as a valuable resource for those who wish to make stringent records of their spending and savings.