A Missouri woman says she had a “disappointing” interaction with a Costco worker when she tried to sign up for the warehouse’s basic membership. Viewers discuss Costco’s membership structure in the comments of her viral video.
In a TikTok with over 212,000 views, Elizabeth (@elizabethdopp) says she went to Costco with her neighbor, who has an “exclusive,” executive membership. She decides that she wants her own membership as well.
“The cashier told me, ‘If you sign up for a basic membership right now, it’s $65 a year, but we’ll give you a $30 gift card,'” she recounts.
After she checks out with her neighbor, she heads over to the membership counter, where she asks a worker to sign her up for the basic membership. However, she says the worker began pushing her to upgrade to the executive membership, which costs $130 annually.
Why did the Costco worker push the executive membership?
Elizabeth says she noticed that the worker at the counter was having a “rough day” and experiencing an “allergic reaction.”
“We were not her main focus in any kind of conversation,” she says. “So she’s telling me, ‘You’re getting the basic, but you should really look into getting the [executive].'”
Elizabeth says the worker “tied” the exclusive membership with the Costco credit card, urging her to consider both.
“She’s trying to sell me on this. It’s a little confusing because she’s not explaining it well. She’s telling me that I’m going to get 2% back on every purchase,” she says. “I don’t know if that was the membership card or if that was the credit card.”
According to Costco’s website, the executive membership alone gives customers 2% back on purchases up to $1,250. The basic membership does not include cash back.
Elizabeth clarifies “three times” that she is only interested in the basic membership. But the Costco worker won’t take no for an answer.
“She said, ‘I’m not trying to be pushy,'” she says. Eventually, the worker gives in and tells Elizabeth she can upgrade her membership at any time.
“I work in sales, so I understand if she is working on commission,” Elizabeth shares. “But what I don’t get is either way, she did a really bad job of selling it to me and understanding my needs.”
Do Costco members prefer the basic or executive level?
In the comments, viewers discuss Elizabeth’s choice to stick to the basic membership. Many say they feel that they get everything they need from the lower tier.
“Single household and I only have the basic membership. I don’t go enough to make it worth it for the executive membership. I go about once a quarter and stock up on my meat and some frozen stuff,” one writes.
Some say they prefer the executive membership.
“If you shop Costco a lot, the executive is worth it for cash back,” a member says.
“I’m going to tell you this. You’re losing money not having the executive. But I get it, great customer service goes a long way!” another writes.
Others say that they experienced similar customer service when trying to sign up for the basic membership.
“My husband and I happened upon a Costco booth at our state fair and decided we were gonna renew our membership. We stood in there for an hour because she wouldn’t accept that we only wanted the basic membership,” a commenter shares.
“I’ve had a similar experiance but they wanted me to upgrade my membership,while at checkout, with a big line behind me, and when I said I wasn’t interested they were so offended for idek what reason,” another says.
“When I went to sign up I knew I wanted the basic and that was it. My lady not only insisted multiple times I get the upgrade, but waited till I was distracted for a moment and pulled that one up on the register so I paid for the upgrade without realizing it till they handed me the receipt. Then they were upset I was holding up the line when I insisted they refund me immediately,” a third writes.
@elizabethdopp Satisfied with my basic membership @Costco Wholesale #stl #costco ♬ original sound – elizabeth ✨
The Mary Sue reached out to Elizabeth via Instagram direct message and to Costco via media form.
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