The food court doesn’t ask for your membership card when ordering, but they might not let you enter the building without one.
Having said that, the food court counter in the Makuhari Costco faces the outside, so you can order food without entering the building.
The Hiroshima one always asks for a card before ordering. Just FYI
Best tip is to go in through the exit and act you belong, they generally won’t check your membership card then and you don’t need the card to buy food. Bring cash to pay.
I’m not a member but I have had to do work events at Costco, I’ve never had trouble buying lunch. As another poster mentioned, its pretty common to go in and out for refills etc. so its not weird for people to be going in an out.
In Hiroshima I had to produce my card to do so, in Gifu and Maebashi I didn’t have to
Even if they ask for ID just say you desperately need to go to the toilet
They ask in Makuhari as you line up.. others have seen too especially during peak times
Kawasaki they won’t let you in without a card.
Yes you can. I like their cheap pizza and ice cream. Hot dog is so-so.
You can even enter through the exit and eat their samples at the store. Avoid eye contact and just walk in. The croissant and cakes makes you want to be a member so you actually buy and eat them.
Kanazawa one doesn’t ask the card if you go directly to food court via the exit.
In Nagoya, they ask to see card when you enter through exit, but don’t ask at the food counter.
What I used to do, is go in asking about signing up for the membership, they’ll bring you right in, then take a pamphlet and start reading. Exit bouncer will have to leave you to do their job. It helps if where you stand to read pamphlet is a bit away from where the bouncer stands. It helps greatly if you go to the bathroom as you read the pamphlet, then line up for the food after coming out.
U need the membership card to enter
Hiroshima has the food court outside if you happen to be there
I eat at the food court before I shop, and they do not ask me for my card. Try it. See if you can get in. Chances are you can get in and buy your pizza and then go home.
I just went to the new Meiwa location for lunch and wasn’t carded. I have been carded before at the food court entrance. It’s hit or miss.
TIL Costco requires a membership. And I’ve shopped there before too.
A friend I went with is a member, but it never occured to me it was a necessity.
yes. They don’t check on the way in to the food court
Short answer: no. They sometimes ask for your member card.
ULPT tell the staff at the entrance you are purchasing a membership, pretend to walk to the service counter and sneak off to the food court
They used to allow it at my location, then they clamped down as the food court became full of non-members, taking seats from standing members in waiting, people were eating their food in the cars, families would be eating a pizza in their micro cars/vans.
My Costco is weird in that… it increased seating 50%, then reduced it 75%. I got totally pissed now that we are down to a whimsical amount of picnic-style benches.
Question regarding question, in the US, we would get Costco gift cards so we could shop at Costco without membership as they let you in with it. Is that something possible here?
Here’s the trick. Become a member for one year. Let it lapse after that. You can still enter and buy all the takeaway stuff.
In ascending order of success rate:
1. Just line up and buy the hotdog. YMMV
2. Buy a membership once and continue using the card after it expires. (This works a lot, since most people who check just glance at the existence of a card)
3. Buy a membership and actively renew it when it expires (100% success rate!)
Costco has been designed internationally so that the food court is through the exit the exit is where you enter to purchase a membership and access the bathrooms. You should be able to eat at the food court use the bathrooms use an ATM and purchase membership without having membership in the first place but if you want to shop in the store you will need a membership. In America Costco had a one-day free membership for people in the USA. Costco in Japan does not honor this. But you can still get the hot dog and soda deal
24 comments
The food court doesn’t ask for your membership card when ordering, but they might not let you enter the building without one.
Having said that, the food court counter in the Makuhari Costco faces the outside, so you can order food without entering the building.
The Hiroshima one always asks for a card before ordering. Just FYI
Best tip is to go in through the exit and act you belong, they generally won’t check your membership card then and you don’t need the card to buy food. Bring cash to pay.
I’m not a member but I have had to do work events at Costco, I’ve never had trouble buying lunch. As another poster mentioned, its pretty common to go in and out for refills etc. so its not weird for people to be going in an out.
In Hiroshima I had to produce my card to do so, in Gifu and Maebashi I didn’t have to
Even if they ask for ID just say you desperately need to go to the toilet
They ask in Makuhari as you line up.. others have seen too especially during peak times
Kawasaki they won’t let you in without a card.
Yes you can. I like their cheap pizza and ice cream. Hot dog is so-so.
You can even enter through the exit and eat their samples at the store. Avoid eye contact and just walk in. The croissant and cakes makes you want to be a member so you actually buy and eat them.
Kanazawa one doesn’t ask the card if you go directly to food court via the exit.
In Nagoya, they ask to see card when you enter through exit, but don’t ask at the food counter.
What I used to do, is go in asking about signing up for the membership, they’ll bring you right in, then take a pamphlet and start reading. Exit bouncer will have to leave you to do their job. It helps if where you stand to read pamphlet is a bit away from where the bouncer stands. It helps greatly if you go to the bathroom as you read the pamphlet, then line up for the food after coming out.
U need the membership card to enter
Hiroshima has the food court outside if you happen to be there
I eat at the food court before I shop, and they do not ask me for my card. Try it. See if you can get in. Chances are you can get in and buy your pizza and then go home.
I just went to the new Meiwa location for lunch and wasn’t carded. I have been carded before at the food court entrance. It’s hit or miss.
TIL Costco requires a membership. And I’ve shopped there before too.
A friend I went with is a member, but it never occured to me it was a necessity.
yes. They don’t check on the way in to the food court
Short answer: no. They sometimes ask for your member card.
ULPT tell the staff at the entrance you are purchasing a membership, pretend to walk to the service counter and sneak off to the food court
They used to allow it at my location, then they clamped down as the food court became full of non-members, taking seats from standing members in waiting, people were eating their food in the cars, families would be eating a pizza in their micro cars/vans.
My Costco is weird in that… it increased seating 50%, then reduced it 75%. I got totally pissed now that we are down to a whimsical amount of picnic-style benches.
Question regarding question, in the US, we would get Costco gift cards so we could shop at Costco without membership as they let you in with it. Is that something possible here?
Here’s the trick. Become a member for one year. Let it lapse after that. You can still enter and buy all the takeaway stuff.
In ascending order of success rate:
1. Just line up and buy the hotdog. YMMV
2. Buy a membership once and continue using the card after it expires. (This works a lot, since most people who check just glance at the existence of a card)
3. Buy a membership and actively renew it when it expires (100% success rate!)
Costco has been designed internationally so that the food court is through the exit the exit is where you enter to purchase a membership and access the bathrooms. You should be able to eat at the food court use the bathrooms use an ATM and purchase membership without having membership in the first place but if you want to shop in the store you will need a membership. In America Costco had a one-day free membership for people in the USA. Costco in Japan does not honor this. But you can still get the hot dog and soda deal