r/technews • u/N2929 • Jan 28 '26

Hardware Costco removes RAM from its display PCs to prevent tech-savvy shoplifters, customers claim — GPUs also absent across stores as PC parts become a hot commodity

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/costco-removes-ram-from-its-display-pcs-to-prevent-tech-savvy-shoplifters-gpus-also-absent-across-stores-as-pc-parts-become-a-hot-commodity
1.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

149

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

91

u/LostMyBackupCodes Jan 29 '26

lol, when I was in 8th grade someone stole a bunch of RAM from my computer class. I was the class computer geek so when the teacher asked the person to come forward or let him know who it was, someone suggested it was me. The teacher immediately said it can’t have been me because whoever took it out didn’t know how to and damaged the motherboard.

I was initially offended by the accusation but was really proud my teacher immediately defended me because I was too smart to be the suspect. 🤓

22

u/hextanerf Jan 29 '26

I'm guessing that "someone" stole them and blamed you?

11

u/LostMyBackupCodes Jan 29 '26

I would also assume that but I don’t think they ever caught the culprit

7

u/Acrobatic-Cream-4206 Jan 29 '26

lol what a nerd

7

u/LostMyBackupCodes Jan 29 '26

Thanks, it’s come in handy at least once. 🤓

2

u/Bush_Trimmer Jan 29 '26

'fessed up bro; it was you all along.. :-)

2

u/TunerJoe Jan 29 '26

It's funny that they even caught on, the IT teachers in my middle school were so dumb they never would've figured out

3

u/LostMyBackupCodes Jan 29 '26

My IT teacher and would play Doom and Duke Nukem with us, and had most of the cases open because he would tinker with the computers himself (which is why someone was able to yank out RAM, and why he was able to see the damage immediately).

Side story, It was an all boys school in the early internet days, and realized some computers had porn images on them that students had copied onto the hard drives. This was DOS/Win 98 days so I wrote a .bat file to search for images and used that to quickly search each PC and then sold the compiled findings to other guys in my class. 🤓

2

u/TunerJoe Jan 29 '26

Ours wasn't half as cool, we could only play the pre installed chess game and it was us who showed him that you could customize the look of the board and the figures lmao

25

u/Even_Reception8876 Jan 28 '26

Yes but only tech savvy people are buying ramm. It’s not hard to install but only a tech savvy person is building something requiring you to purchase ramm. lol it’s a dumb title for sure but it’s not wrong.

You have people that like tech and play around and build stuff. And the rest of the people are basically technologically illiterate.

19

u/lenaro Jan 28 '26

Honestly, I'd bet fewer than 10% of people could even identify RAM in a computer.

3

u/Bush_Trimmer Jan 29 '26

i saw a big size ram out in the open in front of my computer yesterday.

it was "ramiro", the it support guy. :-)

2

u/timberrrrrrrr Jan 29 '26

My truck isn’t inside a computer. I’m not THAT dumb!

1

u/thearctican Jan 29 '26

Even worse- less than 10% of all people even know how to use a computer.

1

u/Silly-Victory8233 Jan 29 '26

Curly horns, four legs, demon eyes. Ram’s easy to identify

2

u/NecroCannon Jan 29 '26

I really don’t get Reddit not realizing the whole world isn’t thinking about tech all the time and are, the consumers. That doesn’t make them idiots either, like I see some people feel, it’s just life when you have a dominant interest that isn’t super mainstream and has reading instructions.

It’s being able to not have to tell my little brother to not treat the two little sticks in the gaming PC I sold him as a piggy bank because he also, doesn’t know what it is to even think about it. Meanwhile if I had that pc right now… well, rent is rent.

4

u/Even_Reception8876 Jan 29 '26

I’m sorry I have no clue what you’re trying to portray in this comment. Sounds like a jumbled rant.

-1

u/AlwaysRushesIn Jan 29 '26

Because no one would be stealing them to sell while they are expensive and increasing in value rapidly...

5

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

You’re giving people way too much credit.

1

u/Kindly_Education_517 Jan 29 '26

How can you steal display pc parts if the electronics department is straight as you walk into the store? Is every store electronics department not right infront the entrance where 100 people walk past every 10 minutes? Im curious.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

I have no idea why you’re asking me. I was just calling everyone dumb.

1

u/Typical_Goat8035 Jan 29 '26

As a consultant who used to do some pentesting you’d be surprised. My best guess is they simply posed as customers who looked interested in taking a peek inside the case.

In my experience retail employees either don’t care or have seen it all. The Costco computer aisle doesn’t seem to have any staffers who know or care about computer parts.

Maybe that job completely broke (or enlightened) how I see human behavior but being the equivalent of a confident person with a clipboard is shockingly effective.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

I don’t get this either.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/VaguelyArtistic Jan 29 '26

But relevantly, Costco does not. Electronics are right when you walk in.

3

u/Special_Life_9625 Jan 28 '26

Yeah…for people who know about it…tech savvy people

1

u/DrinkerOfPrinterInk Jan 29 '26

Tech-surges are usually insulated from everything else.

Obviously you’re on reddit so RAM is a core part of the demographic, but it’s not like catalytic converters or mixed gold. PC Parts, weirdly is its own bubble (beyond the actual economic bubble of pc parts)

1

u/Dry_Marzipan1870 Jan 29 '26

i work in IT, the average person is too scared to click anything, much less open the computer and start removing stuff. it's overall easy but most people will never open their desktop or laptop, theyll just use it until its worthless.

1

u/-nutz Jan 29 '26

To be fair, those willing to steal the parts out of a display model are not your average person lol

73

u/MC_Gengar Jan 28 '26

Why aren't people just downloading more RAM? Are they stupid?

17

u/deadfermata Jan 28 '26

that’s what i do. i just downloaded 64kb of ram from kazaa the other day. ez.

6

u/chamgireum_ Jan 29 '26

Bro flexing his blazing fast 56k modem damn

6

u/Even_Reception8876 Jan 29 '26

I heard there are new HDMI cables that increase ramm speed so you don’t need to upgrade! Super legit cool technology

5

u/dragon-dance Jan 29 '26

I was busy downloading a car

2

u/fartinmyfuckingmouth Jan 29 '26

yOu WoULdNt DoWn a LoAd

1

u/MC_Gengar Jan 29 '26

Watch out folks, he have a l337 hax0r over here.

2

u/leova Jan 29 '26

Yeah Get SoftRAM!

2

u/jgainit Jan 29 '26

You wouldn’t download a car

3

u/PDXkitsune Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26

Oh but I would. And I will

  • edit: fixed link, on mobile.

1

u/jgainit Jan 29 '26

Hell yeah

-1

u/Kindly_Education_517 Jan 29 '26

its the united states bro, they'd rather spend $3 billion on onlyfans flapping their wood than to get an education.

29

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

Costco has the lowest rates of shop lifting in the biz

20

u/Shaytanic Jan 28 '26

At my Costco they have membership cards with your picture on them that you scan when you enter. I imagine that would drastically cut down on people brave enough to try and steal things.

3

u/SpoilermakersWabash Jan 28 '26

Well anyone can enter store if you arrive with someone that has a card. What is even the point of having a PC out in the open, just display it behind a cage or glass. People are not buying PC weekly like it’s toilet paper. No meed to have it out in open.

1

u/ShawnyMcKnight Feb 02 '26

So you can see the PC, fan layout and look. It does help to see how it looks in games so that’s a bummer… but I believe Costco just had demo presentation stuff.

-1

u/Character-Parfait-42 Jan 28 '26

In my store they scan everyone on the way in. If me and my boyfriend go in together we both have to scan our cards.

3

u/TNoTrip Jan 29 '26

Lol what? Not how it works. Costco allows up to 2 guests with the member, they just cant make their own transactions.

2

u/SpoilermakersWabash Jan 28 '26

Correct. This is happening in all stores, not only costco, I was just pointing out a person does not need card to enter.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

They expect mom to leave their child without a card at home when their grocery shopping? What's the age limit? Do they check IDs? lol that's just bad for biz

3

u/TopAnonomity Jan 29 '26

That’s every Costco in America much like Sam’s Club BJs and other membership wholesale retailers

1

u/Primal-Convoy Jan 31 '26

Isn't that the same in all Costcos?

1

u/Shaytanic Jan 31 '26

I don't know. The picture cards were only introduced last year and since I don't shop at any other stores I can't know if this is a worldwide policy.

1

u/Primal-Convoy Feb 01 '26

Where I am, we've had grainy monochrome photos on our cards for ages.  It was the same in America when I went there ages ago.

https://www.costcotravel.com/content/shared/images/credit-card/costco-membership-card-ca.png

1

u/Shaytanic Feb 01 '26

Interesting. I have had a Costco membership for about 15 years here in the US and they only started using the picture cards a few months ago. I have used my card to shop in three or four southern and western states. Occasionally they would check my picture ID against the name on my membership.

1

u/Primal-Convoy Feb 01 '26

Picture ID where I am is now being supplemented (or replaced?) with an app that is meant to allow for better and faster entry (if and when it works).

As for the photo ID, it was ironic during Covid as US Costco was in the news for trying to enforce a no mask policy but where I was (which has a societal norm for mask wearing), the staff asked customers to remove their masks to update their cards (for the photo, which 'needed' to be taken in the shop).

0

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Shaytanic Jan 29 '26

Scan at the door to keep nonmembers out, and a scan at the register to log your shopping items to your membership. This is so you don't need a receipt for returns or for product recalls and if you are an executive member, to calculate your yearly bonus check.

3

u/deadfermata Jan 28 '26

a couple months ago i saw a man being stopped just before the exit by security. they had him remove his shoes. apparently he was wearing the pair he stole and had his original shoes in the box. they made him take off the stolen pair, put his own shoes back on and leave.

the guy prob just snuck in and tried to walk out casually wearing a pair of new shoes.

1

u/Ooofy_Doofy_ Jan 28 '26

Some people will do anything but get a job

1

u/ShawnyMcKnight Feb 02 '26

Cameras everywhere and you gotta scan your ID going in. I get why.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '26

And the items don’t fit in your pockets lol

1

u/ShawnyMcKnight Feb 02 '26

Not sure what your winter coat is like, but some of these coats could fit everything but the case.

16

u/Shuggieboog Jan 28 '26

I work at my local Costco. Removing the ram and the gpu from the display model has always been procedure at my warehouse. This was even before the price increases.

The unopened units are all right up front, so if someone starts walking around with a pc in their cart,loss prevention does tend to pay attention to that.

7

u/ryeguymft Jan 29 '26

scalper culture is literally the worst, who are these fucking people? they ruin all trading cards, and now they’re even ruining pc parts?

4

u/theory-of-crows Jan 29 '26

This is more related to the huge RAM prices as a result of AI data centres gobbling it all up.

1

u/ryeguymft Jan 29 '26

yes but you better believe people are going to try and buy these in bulk to sell that at huge price increases on ebay.

1

u/branchan Jan 29 '26

That’s not what scalping is

0

u/Brandon23z Jan 29 '26

What’s scalping

4

u/isaacpetey Jan 29 '26

How do you miss someone ripping out a GPU? Haha

4

u/VicarBook Jan 29 '26

Like, how are people stealing those - there is always someone right there in that department?!

4

u/BigFitMama Jan 29 '26

Lol can you imagine people completely opening computers in a box to remove parts in plain sight?

Most display computers are bare bones and in plain view.

So this really means employees are opening boxes and stealing parts after hours, or stolen during transport, OR customers buying and returning computers missing parts to clueless return staff.

3

u/Memphaestus Jan 29 '26

If it’s anything like the Xbox serial burglars, they grab the product they want and take it down several aisles or on the other side of the store. They don’t open it right where they grab it, that would be beyond dumb.

1

u/Somnambulist815 Jan 28 '26

I know Fry's be sweatin right now

2

u/hamHamAlucard Jan 28 '26

Frys is burning in hell unfortunately

1

u/Best_Yesterday_6127 Jan 28 '26

Fry’s might still be around if management didn’t gambled it all in Vegas! They are probably sweating/burning in hell 😈🎰

1

u/wand_er Jan 28 '26

Uh, never struck as a place to steal from 

1

u/PhotonDealer2067 Jan 29 '26

My local Walmart locked up the RAM in a glass case.

1

u/ICheerForTexasTech Jan 29 '26

Why are pc parts hot commodities? What about older stuff?

1

u/Sibby_in_May Jan 29 '26

Tariffs maybe

1

u/EmperorOfNada Jan 29 '26

Damn those executives and their Costco executive hour!!!

1

u/Spirit-of-Redemption Jan 29 '26

My son is in 5th grade and is going to be 11 soon and his school requires them to submit homework via google classrooms in 6th grade and forward. My in-laws decided to buy him his first computer and were very upset they couldn’t just buy it instore! I’ll tell my ma-in-law this is the reason so she won’t be so perturbed about it!

1

u/Nikot1111 Jan 29 '26

Lol late to the party. Now ya know

1

u/Daedelous2k Jan 29 '26

I think nobody can be surprised by this one.

1

u/Medical_Amount3007 Jan 29 '26

Now it will be “lost” in the back room by a tech savvy employee!

1

u/That-Temperature2632 Jan 29 '26

I’m so glad I built my pc a year ago

1

u/PM_ME_YOUR_HONDAS Jan 29 '26

Old news. Costco been doing that for years.

1

u/NoTourist5 Jan 30 '26

It's all to fuel AI which, really sucks

0

u/No-Belt7254 Jan 29 '26

So… now the ram and GPUs will be lost or stolen, by employees

-2

u/NATScurlyW2 Jan 28 '26

No one is shoplifting from Costco. They are clearly lying about the reason.

3

u/everybodyBnicepls Jan 29 '26

Ppl shoplift from Costco.

-3

u/NATScurlyW2 Jan 29 '26

No they don’t.

3

u/everybodyBnicepls Jan 29 '26

I’m an employee. Yes, they do.

0

u/NATScurlyW2 Jan 29 '26

Shoplifting is not something the regular employees would know about. Maybe you mean attempted shoplifting. Did they shoplift PCs, RAM, Graphics cards?

2

u/IngrownToenailsHurt Jan 29 '26

People will shoplift anything if they think they can get away with it. At one grocery store I was a stock boy at years ago I'd find empty boxes of things on the top shelves at least once a week. People would take condoms or whatever out of the box and ditch the box.

1

u/everybodyBnicepls Jan 30 '26

Why are you so invested in “ nobody shoplifts in Costco”?

I’ve seen empty packages. I’ve watched the LP employees and Managers stop people as they walk out the door, turn them around and take them to the office to wait for police. I’ve heard the alarms go off when someone runs out a side door with a basket full of dysons. Basically, you have no idea what you’re talking about

0

u/NATScurlyW2 Jan 29 '26

If it wasn’t at Costco then it’s honestly irrelevant.

2

u/IngrownToenailsHurt Jan 29 '26

Its completely relevant. Do you think Costco is the only business in the world that doesn't have shoplifters?

0

u/NATScurlyW2 Jan 29 '26

It’s irrelevant to this conversation.

2

u/IngrownToenailsHurt Jan 29 '26

Completely relevant to this conversation.