In the past few weeks, signs have been appearing at Costco locations across the United States notifying visitors that beginning in mid-March, a Costco store membership card will be required to purchase items from the Costco food court, Business Insider reports.
Previously, the Costco food court was accessible by anyone, even without a store membership.
An Instagram account that follows Costco closely, @costcodeals, posted a photo of one of the signs, saying they are unsure if it will apply to all locations or if the policy will roll out at the same time in all locations.
Considering many people enjoy the Costco food court for its cheap prices — only $1.50 for a hot dog or $2 for a slice of pizza — and KTLA reports Costco most basic membership starts at $60 a year, many people are upset about the change, calling it classist and money-motivated.
A customer service representative told Fox Business that the policy of exclusively serving Costco members at their food courts was already in place but had been difficult to enforce, but the official Costco corporate spokes-team refused to comment on any previous or future policy regarding membership requirements for the food court.
While Costco has made no official statement regarding the issue, that hasn’t stopped the internet from creating memes about the rumor.
Unless Costco releases an official statement, all that’s left to do is wait and see what March brings.