For many Costco members, a shopping trip feels less like a quick errand and more like a carefully planned expedition. The warehouse format encourages bulk purchasing, which means navigating massive aisles stacked high with oversized packages, seasonal items, and rotating specials that can easily turn a short visit into an hour-long experience. Shoppers weave past pallets of bottled water, stacks of paper towels taller than most people, and freezers filled with family-sized portions meant to last weeks. By the time members reach the checkout line, carts are often heavy, crowded, and packed with dozens of items in unusual quantities. After waiting through checkout, scanning membership cards, loading everything back into the cart, and inching toward the exit, it’s natural for shoppers to feel that the journey is finally over. That’s why the moment at the door—when an employee asks to see the receipt—can feel like an unnecessary final hurdle. To some customers, especially first-time visitors or those unfamiliar with Costco’s model, the practice may feel redundant or even mildly intrusive. However, this brief pause at the exit is not rooted in suspicion or an assumption of wrongdoing. Instead, it is a deliberate part of Costco’s operational system, one designed to ensure accuracy, fairness, and customer satisfaction in an environment where traditional retail safeguards don’t always apply.