Costco expert Kosuko gives a thorough explanation! "For first-time customers" How to join, payment methods, and points to note

Hello! I'm Kosuko, a housewife who loves the members-only warehouse store Costco.

Costco Wholesale's 36th warehouse store in Japan, the Costco Ogori Warehouse, will finally open on Thursday, November 21, 2024!

For me, this is the third Costco warehouse in my hometown of Fukuoka, so I have a special attachment to it.

★For more information on Costco Ogori Warehouse, click here!★

With the opening of the new warehouse store, I think there are more and more people who are now interested in Costco.

So, this time, we will provide a thorough explanation of Costco, from how to become a member to how to pay, for those who have never heard of Costco before or are going for the first time!

This is just my perspective as a Costco user, but if you want to know more about Costco or are going to Costco for the first time, please use this as a reference.

Image: Kosuko ※Hisayama Warehouse Store

What is Costco?

Costco is an American-born, membership-based warehouse-style store with over 890 stores around the world. Its official name in Japan is Costco Wholesale Japan. Wholesale means "wholesale." In other words, Costco is an American-born wholesaler.

Costco's style is to purchase products in large quantities and sell them in the sales area in the "as is" condition they were received, "still on the pallets" used for transportation, thereby reducing the costs of management and display, and passing the savings on to our members!

Image: Kosuko

About Costco's Membership Program

Image: Kosuko

The crucial difference between a regular supermarket and Costco is that it is a "membership-based" store. Not everyone can just go to the warehouse store and shop there. Please note that unless you go through the membership process and become a Costco member, you will not be able to shop, let alone enter the warehouse store.

... I know that may sound a little scary, but you can join on the day. Anyone over the age of 18 who lives in Japan can become a member.

<How to join>

You can either have it made at the warehouse store or apply online through the Costco website.

If you want to make it at the warehouse store, please bring your ID to the membership counter. It will take about 5 minutes including taking the photo.

The process will be smoother if you make a provisional registration on the Costco website in advance.

Once you receive your membership card, you can start shopping at Costco.

*Membership cards must have a photo on them and can only be used by the member themselves. One "family membership card" can be issued free of charge to anyone living at the same address.

<Types of Membership>

There are three types of membership.

There is the "Gold Star" card for individuals (annual fee: 4,840 yen), the "Business" card for corporations (annual fee: 4,235 yen), and upgraded versions of each card, the "Executive Gold Star" and "Executive Business" (annual fee: 9,900 yen each).

The validity period for both plans is one year from the month of joining. The services offered vary, so please check the official website for details.

By the way, Costco membership cards can be used at Costco warehouse stores not only in Japan but all over the world. If you carry your Costco membership card in your wallet when you travel abroad, you can buy souvenirs at a discount at the local Costco.

Image: Kosuko

<Special deals exclusive to members>

Furthermore, when you become a member, you will have access to many exclusive services that are only available to members.

For example, you can fill up with high-quality gasoline at a reasonable price at the gas station (exclusive to Costco members) attached to the Costco warehouse store, or enjoy shopping at Costco from the comfort of your own home by using Costco Online (mail order). (*) Kirkland Signature Gasoline (Regular/High Octane): The first gasoline in Asia to be certified as "TOP TIER(TM)" (Top Tier), a standard for gasoline containing detergents established in the United States.

There are so many great services available that I could not list them all here, but my personal opinion is that if you use them wisely, you will quickly recoup the cost of the annual membership fee.

Image: Kosuko

Payment

Costco's cash registers are American style, where customers load their items onto a conveyor belt themselves.

You can then place the item on the lane and have the cashier scan your membership card before you can pay.

There are four payment methods: cash, credit card, Costco Shop Card (prepaid card), and Apple Pay. However, only MasterCard credit cards are accepted. Please note that VISA and JCB cards cannot be used.

As an exception, Executive Members can earn up to 2% cash back rewards (points that can be used for shopping at Costco) on their purchases every time they shop, so they can also use the accumulated rewards to shop. *Rewards are awarded in February of the year following the year of use.

Image: Kosuko

Shopping at Costco can easily end up being more expensive than you'd expect, so you often find yourself at the register saying you don't have enough cash.

However, Costco has bank ATMs near the registers, so you don't have to worry if you run out of money.

I also recommend getting a Costco-affiliated credit card called the Costco Global Card (I use it myself).

Of course, this credit card can be used outside of Costco, but it is a very advantageous card for Costco users as it offers a high cashback rate when used at Costco, allows you to accumulate rewards, and can use those accumulated rewards to pay at Costco.

Image: Kosuko

Things to note

Costco is often different from your average supermarket, but there are three things you should be especially careful of:

■ No plastic bags

Costco doesn't have plastic bags... or rather, you probably can't fit all of Costco's products into a regular plastic bag. All the products are so big! (laughs)

You can either bring your own eco-bag and pack your items in it, or purchase a Costco original shopping bag or cooler bag at the register. These can be prepared for you by simply asking the cashier.

Image: Kosuko

Or, if you ask for a box at the register, you can get a large empty cardboard box for free. The empty boxes that originally contained Costco products are very convenient for carrying large-sized Costco products! Another advantage of packing your items in a box is that you can hold it with both hands. Please give it a try.

■Only the person who presents the membership card can pay.

Only the person whose name appears on the membership card that is scanned at the register may make a payment.

There may be cases where you want to share purchased items with multiple people or go with non-member friends (one membership card allows entry to up to three people over the age of 18, including yourself), but please note that one membership card cannot be used to split the bill into more than two payments (two receipts).

If you absolutely must split your receipt into two or more pieces, you will have to line up at the register again.

■ Don't throw away receipts

When you leave the store, there will be a receipt check before you go outside the warehouse.

You will need to show the receipt you received at the cash register and the items you purchased to the staff waiting in front of the exit (because the amount of purchases is so large, most people leave the items in their carts even after paying).

Once the staff has checked your purchases, they will return the receipt to you with the "purchase points" marked.

It only takes a few seconds for them to check it, so it doesn't feel like a hassle. In any case, just remember not to throw away your receipt right away after purchasing.

Image: Kosuko

By the way, it is said that the reason for checking receipts is to ensure that the transaction is being done correctly at the cash register and to prevent mistakes such as using the wrong cart or theft.

This is not a common practice in Japan, but it is common in large American supermarkets and home improvement stores to check your receipt when you leave the store. It seems that the American style has been adopted by Costco in Japan as well.

This time, for those who are going to Costco for the first time, we have compiled information on how to become a member and how to pay.

At first, I thought that it would only be useful if you had a large family, or that you didn't need it if your house wasn't big, but as I started going to Costco, I gradually learned how to use it in my own way, and the more I go, the more fun it becomes.

By incorporating Costco products into my daily life, I have made many discoveries, learned many things, and felt inspired. Thanks to this, I now really enjoy household chores that I wasn't very good at before, such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning.

I think this is all thanks to Costco. I hope you all enjoy the exciting shopping experience at Costco too!

I hope this article will be helpful for those who are going to Costco for the first time. (Text by Kosuko)

★For your shopping reference! Check out the recommended Costco products carefully selected by Kosuko! ★

*This article is current as of the time of publication. For the latest information, please check Costco's website (https://www.costco.co.jp/).
* Any secondary use of the content of this site (images, text, etc.) such as duplication, reproduction, conversion, or modification without permission is strictly prohibited. If found to be in violation of this rule, legal action may be taken.

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