Costco reportedly removing RAM from display PCs amid theft concerns

According to some shoppers, Costco has been displaying PCs without RAM installed amid growing concerns of theft as prices skyrocket.

Back in December 2025, reports warned that as AI demand keeps rising, RAM and storage shortages aren’t going away anytime soon.

We’re already seeing the impact across PC, smartphone, and possibly gaming console markets, soon joining the mix too. And now, with prices climbing, there’s another side effect.

Recent incidents suggest RAM is increasingly becoming a target for thieves, which may explain why Costco has reportedly started removing RAM from its display PCs.

Costco has reportedly begun removing RAM from its display PCs

Unsplash: omar abascal

Costco customers spend an average of $1.75 every minute they are in the store.

The discussion kicked off on a Reddit thread after a user shared images of pre-built PCs on display with their memory slots left empty. 

While shoplifting isn’t exactly new, many commenters claimed that RAM theft already seems to be happening more often. There were also users who questioned the photos, suggesting the RAM might have already been stolen or gone in the first place. 

But there was one commenter who shared a firsthand experience, saying that just days earlier, RAM had been taken from a display PC at a Costco they visited.

According to the user, the theft was caught on camera. They added that the suspect appeared to be an Instacart shopper, which would allow entry without a Costco membership.

For plenty of users, displaying pre-built PCs without RAM wasn’t surprising at all. Some were already getting flashbacks to the 2021 GPU crisis era.

In that time, some stores also went as far as removing GPUs entirely to stop thieves from pulling them out of display systems.

“In certain stores where I’m from, they would just display an empty case with the build specs taped to it,” one user commented.

A different user chimed in, noting that this is for safety purposes, and “it is up to the individual managers if they feel it is a risk.” As for what happens, the sticks that are still available are stored safely in the warehouse.