Costco Wholesale — Local services in Burnsville

This Costco location needs to be held accountable for racial discrimination. What I experienced was not just unacceptable—it was illegal.

As I was leaving the store, I got in line for the standard receipt check. The employee checking receipts completely ignored my greeting, yanked my cart forward, and began digging through every single item I had purchased. This was not standard procedure. The customer in front of me had their receipt glanced at and was sent on their way, but I was singled out and treated like a suspect. When I asked why I was being subjected to this excessive scrutiny, the employee ignored me and continued.

For context, Costco has two types of receipts: blue for self-checkout and white for purchases made through a cashier. I had a white receipt, meaning a Costco employee had already handled my transaction. There was absolutely no justification for this level of inspection—other than racial profiling.

When I went to customer service to report it, the first supervisor dismissed my concerns, offering only to “talk” to the employee. I had to insist that something be documented, and even then, I was directed to a comment box—a clear attempt to downplay what happened. It wasn’t until the customer service manager came over that someone actually took me seriously, apologized, and took my information.

Let me be clear: Racial profiling is not just unethical—it is illegal under federal and state law. No business, including Costco, has the right to subject Black customers to different treatment based on race. This kind of discrimination needs to be addressed at the corporate level, with real consequences for employees who engage in it.

I will not support a business that allows its employees to violate customers’ civil rights. Costco needs to do better, and I will be following up to ensure this is addressed.

Update 3/31:

The customer service manager still hasn’t called me. Instead, I received a call from another manager, Tim, who was following up on a survey I had completed that same day. While he did apologize and said he would look into the situation, he quickly started making excuses.

First, he mentioned that the customer service manager was out that day—but that doesn’t explain why I wasn’t contacted the same day or the next. Clearly, this issue was not a priority. Then, Tim brought up the camera footage, claiming that the associate spent even more time checking the carts of the people behind me. He also stated something to the effect of, maybe the associate was going fast because of how busy it was.

At this point, it became clear that Tim wasn’t taking my concerns seriously. I reminded him that the associate ignored my greeting and refused to answer my direct question about why she was scrutinizing my items when she hadn’t done the same for others. If that isn’t prejudice, then what exactly was her reasoning?

To be fair, Tim wasn’t directly responsible for what happened, but the way he handled this call made things worse. He wasn’t outright rude, but it was clear he was downplaying my experience rather than addressing the real issue. Because of this, I have decided to cancel my Costco membership. No customer should have to deal with racial profiling, let alone have their concerns brushed aside.

Oh by the way, I’m a manager in customer service. I know what good service looks like. Been doing this a long time. I’m going to be signing up for Sam’s Club and will make sure my family/friends...

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