With regard to the OP's being told their membership had expired. Very same thing happened to me. I had renewed for a LIFETIME a few months back but I had not received my new cards. They insisted mine was expired. So we left the items on the counter and prepared to depart. It was a big purchase and we weren't going to make it without our discount. Hmmmm. . . Guess what? They found it in the system. Hmmmm. Imagine that. Even then, it took three phone calls and one year before I got my new cards. That's what I call service. :M
Dale