‘With my name on it’: Woman goes to Sam’s Club, gets asked by stranger to use membership card. Then she sees what the lady does at self-checkout
A woman might be rethinking her decision to be kind to a stranger at Sam’s Club. She says the other woman did something truly shocking after she did her a favor.
Tanecia (@tanecia_relocates) was having a normal day shopping at Sam’s Club when a stranger approached and asked if she could use her membership card. The other woman claimed that hers wasn’t working, Tanecia says.
“So me being the person I am, I’m like, ‘Sure,'” Tanecia says in a TikTok she posted about the experience.
The woman’s next move had Tanecia’s jaw on the floor.
“She proceeds to start scanning stuff and then she also proceeds to start stealing,” Tanecia says. “Literally like will scan one thing and throw three other things in her box.”
She alleges that the woman kept this up the entire time she was checking out. Tanecia was stunned by the audacity.
“Like I scan my card for you and you’re going to steal?” she says in the post.
Her TikTok concludes with a quick clip of the woman she accuses of stealing. The text overlay reads, “This is her saying thanks and me trying to play it cool.”
Paying to shop
Sam’s Club is a members-only store that sells items in bulk. A membership card costs $50 or $110 annually, depending on which level you select. At the lower price point, you can shop at Sam’s Clubs. For the higher price point, you can get free shipping and delivery, earlier store hours, and additional discounts.
People like Sam’s because they get to buy items in larger quantities and typically at lower prices per unit. The retailer also has something of a cult following for its $1.38 hot dog combos and the veritable buffet of free food samples for which Sam’s Club is famous.
Sam’s enforces its membership requirement by requiring people to scan their cards at checkout. As Tanecia’s story illustrates, this isn’t an entirely foolproof system.
The five-finger discount
While larceny has declined across the board over the last several decades, per the Brennan Center for Justice, shoplifting remains a major focus for retailers.
At Sam’s Club, it should arguably be more difficult to pilfer items because, in addition to the membership requirement, every customer’s receipt is supposed to be audited by staff. The company still has to grapple with shoplifting, however.
Last year, Forbes reported that Sam’s Club had rolled out a pilot program using AI to photograph shoppers’ carts as they depart. “The photo is instantaneously analyzed by AI algorithms and electronically verified against their receipt,” Forbes wrote.
The hope is to streamline the exit process, saving customers’ and employees’ time, while also curbing shoplifting.
As of April, Sam’s is purportedly rolling out this AI system in all 600 of its stores. It’s unknown if the store where Tanecia shops has implemented AI.
@tanecia_relocates I know times are hard but DONT ASK TO USE SOMEONE ELSE’s MEMBERSHIP CARD if you tryna get a 5 finger discount ? #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – Realtor_Tanecia
‘I’ll never let anyone use my card again’
Tanecia’s story is serving as a cautionary tale.
One person thanked her and said that they’d “never let anyone use my card again.”
Others suggested that Sam’s Club should be more strict about enforcing its policy that memberships are nontransferable.
Many believe that the woman is a professional scammer. They warned Tanecia that she could face consequences for her act of kindness.
“They use stolen credit card which leads back to you,” a person named Vickie cautioned. “Be careful who [you] let use your membership card.”
Another woman said that she would have asked the store to cancel the woman’s purchase.
“I should have!” Tanecia replied.
Tanecia didn’t immediately respond to an email sent Tuesday morning.
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