Many shoppers see Costco’s receipt check as a small delay, but it is actually one of the most customer-protective steps in retail. That brief pause at the exit is designed to catch costly mistakes before they affect your wallet.

The check is not about suspicion. It is about accuracy. Costco assumes errors can happen in a high-volume environment and adds a final safeguard to correct them immediately.

One key task is matching item counts to cart contents. Large or bulky items, like toilet paper or bottled water, are the most common sources of scanning errors. A receipt checker can quickly spot when you were charged for more—or less—than you received.

Every Costco receipt also includes unique codes that act as a fingerprint for your transaction. These codes link your purchase to the register, cashier, time, and item list, making returns or billing questions fast and dispute-free.

High-value purchases receive extra oversight. Electronics, jewelry, appliances, and gift cards require supervisor verification. Their initials on the receipt confirm that a second set of eyes approved the price and item, preventing expensive errors.

What the check is not doing is just as important. Staff are not looking for shoplifters, rechecking memberships, or judging what you bought. Loss prevention and membership checks happen elsewhere.

Costco does this because of its business model. As a membership-based retailer with high average purchase totals, even one mistake can cost a customer hundreds of dollars. Accuracy protects long-term trust.

The receipt check is a quiet promise: Costco stands behind every transaction. It is less a barrier and more a handshake—one final step to make sure you leave with exactly what you paid for.