Although Costco has avoided raising membership prices, it has recently taken measures to crack down on loopholes used by nonmembers to benefit from the store’s deals. In April, Costco’s food court, which offers popular deals like $1.50 for a hot dog and a drink, began checking membership cards for access. And last month, the company announced it was requiring photographic identification from members at all checkout registers, closing an often-exploited workaround in which nonmembers sometimes avoided identification requirements at self-checkout lanes.

Just days after informing employees that hourly wage workers would be getting a $1 salary bump, Costco has announced that it is increasing membership fees for the first time since 2017.

Costco Wholesale has announced a plan to raise annual membership fees by $5 to $10 in the U.S. and Canada, starting September 1. This marks the first increase in seven years. The "gold star" and business memberships will rise to $65, while executive memberships will increase from $120 to $130. According to Costco's press release, these fee adjustments will affect approximately 52 million memberships, with over half being Executive.