Downtown Vancouver Costco to start requiring membership to access food court
The era of Costco's famous $1.50 hotdogs is coming to an end in Vancouver — at least for non-Costco members.
The downtown Vancouver Costco on Expo Boulevard has its food court outside the warehouse and has been accessible to anyone, even those without a membership.
Given its location near the SkyTrain station, Rogers Arena and B.C. Place, the food court is a popular spot for concertgoers, sports fan or bargain hunters who want to get its beloved $1.50 hotdog-and-soda deal and other offerings, including pizza, chicken strips, and poutine.
But no longer. Signs have gone up outside the Costco warehouse saying that starting Aug. 5, an active Costco membership card will be required to purchase items from the food court. It then directs people to the membership counter for more information.
The change comes about a year after Costco started using scanners at store entrances to crack down on so-called 'membership moochers' trying to enter or shop at the store without membership.
At the time, Costco officials had said that the warehouses have seen a rise in the number of people sharing membership cards since 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last fall, Costco raised its membership fees in Canada and the U.S. to $65 for individual or business membership, while those with executive membership saw their fees hiked to $130 a year. The last time Costco raised their membership fees was in 2017.
Despite that recent fee increase — and inflation — Costco has not raised the prices on its hotdog combo since introducing it in the 1980s. That has stayed at $1.50, a loss-leader strategy Costco employs to get people in the door, or perhaps as an incentive to get their membership.
According to Costco's 2024 annual report, revenue from membership fees rose five per cent to $4.8 billion, with nearly 137 million members and a 90 per cent renewal rate.
As of the end of last year, Costco had 897 locations around the world including 109 in Canada.
chchan@postmedia.com
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