By KHT Staff. AI illustration image.
KAOHSIUNG — Customers will have to scan a Costco membership card before purchasing food-court items at almost every Costco warehouse in Taiwan beginning Oct. 1.
The new policy will apply nationwide, including at Costco’s two Kaohsiung warehouses and its Neihu (內湖) and Beitou (北投) locations in Taipei. The Taichung Nantun warehouse (台中南屯店) is the only announced exception.
Customers may scan either a physical membership card or the barcode in the Costco Taiwan mobile app before ordering hot dogs, pizza, soft-serve ice cream and other food-court items.
Costco Taiwan announced the change on Sept. 14. Marketing and Planning Department Manager Liu Heng-chia (劉恒嘉) said the requirement was intended to protect membership benefits and improve the shopping experience.
The practical effect is that non-members will no longer be able to purchase food independently at affected food courts. Until now, food courts accessible without entering the main warehouse have also attracted nearby office workers and other customers without Costco memberships.
Costco did not provide a detailed reason for exempting its Nantun location, saying only that rules may differ according to individual warehouses’ opening conditions and operational needs.
The Nantun warehouse was developed through a build-operate-transfer agreement on public market land. Government records cited by CNA state that part of its first floor, including retail and dining areas, is intended for general public use.
Although some members expect the checks to reduce food-court lines, Costco has not released figures on non-member use or estimated how the policy will affect waiting times.
