(NEWSnet) - If you shop at Costco Wholesale, the chances are pretty good you have noticed an increased membership verification process during the past few months.

Shopping at that retailer, which is considered a membership club, is a unique experience compared to typical stores. Only those with membership cards are allowed to shop at Costco; those on the Gold or Executive plans allowed to get one additional membership card for another family member in the same household.

In limited cases, specific items such as prescription drugs can be purchased by nonmembers.

The membership fee is $60 a year for Gold or $120 for Executive.

Last summer, according to media reports, Costco announced it would more strictly enforce its membership card policy among shoppers.

“Our membership policy states that our membership cards are not transferable and since expanding our self-service checkout, we’ve noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them,” Costco told The Hill.

The steps that Reddit users noticed in recent months, and discussed on a /Costco subreddit forum, include employees asking to physically scan a membership card upon entry to the store, rather than just at the checkout lane.

This step seems to be catching people who forgot to bring their cards, or who perhaps didn’t have a valid card to begin with; as some shoppers said on Reddit they had noticed checkout lanes halted and slowed when people who couldn’t show a valid card in their name at the register.

The company’s policy was last updated Nov. 1 on its website.

“You will be required to show your membership card when entering any Costco warehouse and when checking out at a payment register,” the store’s policy said. “Bar codes, photos or other copies are not acceptable.”

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