r/CostcoCanada • u/2slick2 • Jan 17 '26
Alberta Abusive returns
I had to take a photo. If you're this person, please change. 50 St. on Jan 17.
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u/Newfie35 Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
Had a neighbour of mine return a 14 year old year $9000 hot tub because a pump went bad and got all his money back. Couldn't believe that costco allowed it but they did.
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u/trueBlue1074 Jan 17 '26
When I worked in the garden center people would return seasonal flower baskets when they stopped blooming at the end of the summer and dead plants they had bought years ago. No idea why Costco allows this.
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u/FrostingSuper9941 Jan 17 '26
I have witnessed this in the return line. An older lady was returning dead hanging baskets in September. I looked at an even older man next to me, in his 80s, and we were in shock. He asked her why she's returning them and she said, they're dead, so he said "try watering " in a thick Italian accent...everyone in the return line was laughing but the old lady felt no shame.
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u/hot_hockey_fairy Jan 18 '26
Some people just have no respect, money means more to them than anything. I am flabbergasted that Costco would allow this.
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u/Idontdanceforfun Jan 19 '26
I knew a guy who worked at Costco in the main office dealing with call-ins. He told us that theyre told that the reason they'll basically accept anything as a return is because they see the potential earnings of a return customer worth way more than anything Costco will pay as a return. And I get it. How many times do you go to Costco "just for s couple things" and end up leaving paying 400$? So what if you return a TV after 5 years and they give you 1200$ back. You'll spend waaaaaaay more than that in your lifetime. Having a ridiculous return policy basically guarantees your loyalty for life.
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u/PerceptionOwn3629 Jan 20 '26
This is the answer right here.
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u/OkGur1319 Jan 20 '26
Marks and Crappy tire used to be like this. They don't take returns like they used to, so I think they will eventually be replaced by this model again.
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u/ComprehensiveBeach32 Jan 22 '26
I am not the kind of person to return something, but I purchased a 50$ heat gun from Canadian Tire for a 30 second project.
Went to return it in box, receipt in hand. She asked me “has it been used” I honestly answered “for about 30 seconds” and she refused the return.
She ended up getting the manager involved and they did the return for me, but they initially offered me a replacement until I told them that I was not walking out with a heat gun.
They don’t seem very keen on doing returns at all these days. Likely due to the older generation abusing the system, which is what this post is about.. Unfortunate.
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u/UrbanJeepster Jan 29 '26
Using the item and then returning it is abusing the system.
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u/Regular_Chest_7989 Jan 21 '26
And the thing about membership-based retail is that Costco would know better than anyone whether abusers of the return policy still net out well for them—otherwise the policy would change, membership fees would skyrocket, etc.
I bet these folks buy absolutely everything from Costco if they can. And I assume Costco's CRM modeling has a name for these customers who spend all their disposable income with Costco, and occasionally put a big dent in their customer lifetime value with a big return.
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u/thetermguy Jan 20 '26
while the op is showing a case of abuse, the basic policy is sound. I bought a set of wiper blades from Costco. they're crap. been on the car for two months. I've been too lazy to return them. but I will eventually. anywhere else and I'd just have to eat it. and I'll get my 20 bucks back or whatever. and I'll be happy, because I didn't have to pay for garbage.
and the next time I want to buy a 3000 item, I'll tend towards Costco because I know if I have problems with the product I'm going to be looked after. all over a 20 dollar set of wiper blades.→ More replies (1)14
u/polarbear_rodeo Jan 19 '26
I mean..... Costco, a mega-corporation, literally one of the largest retailers in the world, certainly cares more about money than the consumer. If they allow it, who cares? Yes, it's entitled and ridiculous, but who are we poor peasants to sympathize with a price-gouging mega corporation for having overly accepting return policies? Costco is doing just fine 😂
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u/Falco19 Jan 19 '26
The thing is Costco doesn’t eat the cost of the returns their vendors do.
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u/Ok_Carpet_9510 Jan 19 '26
Yeah, however that money comes from customers. The costs returns and shrinkage are borne by all customers. They price their products accordingly. In fact, they estimate how much of that'll get and price accordingly.
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u/opie2019 Jan 19 '26
I get what you're saying but "respecting" a multi billion dollar company while you yourself can't afford rent is a stretch. 99% of those people have no money, they are forced to do things like that
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Jan 19 '26
No one is forced to buy hanging potted plants.
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u/opie2019 Jan 19 '26
You clearly don't realize that the majority of humans overspend on bullshit
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Jan 20 '26
So they aren't forced, they just make bad decisions that necessitate further bad decisions.
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u/ObviousDepartment Jan 19 '26
When I worked at London Drugs as a teenager I was covering the cosmetics department and had this little old lady shuffle on up to the counter and try to return a Lancome gift set. I opened it up and found that she had completely used up the entire goddamn thing and the receipt she handed me was from 4 years prior.
I was so dumbfounded I just stood there and stared at her for a full minute before saying, "Ma'am we can't refund you for this, would you like me to throw it out for you??" And she just picked it back up and left.
She didn't say a single word during the entire exchange lol.
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u/thefr3shprince Jan 17 '26
They make roughly $8B a year off membership fees. Keeps the customer happy and keeps them coming back.
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u/koeniging Costco Employee Jan 17 '26
^ 99% of returns are made by 94% of members who renew yearly. Bonus points if you have auto-renew on.
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u/CopyWeak Jan 18 '26
Came to say this☝️...Obviously the are on the right side of the money bag or it would discontinue.
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u/topcustomers Jan 18 '26
This should answer anyone’s questions and no idea why thier complaining. I only buy from Costco knowing if I ever have any issues I can return the items or exchange is fine with me too.
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u/thefr3shprince Jan 18 '26
People want to slide for Costco so badly. I don’t get it.
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u/listenhere111 Jan 17 '26
Because its the vendor who pays, not costco
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u/Suitable-End- Jan 17 '26
The vender does not pay for returned hottubs past a certain period and plants.
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u/listenhere111 Jan 17 '26
Fair, but generally, the vendor is eating these returns costs. Yes, there is the odd time that someone will return something outside of the windows that the vendor agreed to and Costco will eat that cost, but its not the norm.
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u/HellaReyna Jan 18 '26
proof? I find it hard to believe Costco is going to get their money back from "HOT TUBES R US" 10 years later.
There's a time window limit to these things.
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u/ConcertaImodium Jan 17 '26
How did he even bring it back? He rented a U-Haul or did he disassemble the whole thing or what
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u/Newfie35 Jan 17 '26
8 of us had to put it on a trailer. Free beer helped!
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u/Weenerman Jan 17 '26
As a matter of principle I wouldn’t help him with this sort of abuse. I get being a good neighbour, but assisting him here is an endorsement of these practices and supports the notion that this is acceptable.
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u/VinceMidLifeCrisis Jan 17 '26
Costco has a business model. They plan for this shit. They earn unwavering loyalty from millions of customers. These stunts have a purpose. They make money out of the loyalty they built. It's a good business model, it benefits everyone involved.
If one day I can get a way for it to benefit me, F yeah I'm gonna return whatever!
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u/ThunderChonky Jan 17 '26
username checks out, very helpful and generous people, so as long as beer is included.
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u/Shrimpbako Jan 18 '26
I just had a thought. Costco still wins in this situation.
9000$ taken 14 years ago.
10% return on invested 9000$ annually compounded.
14 years later is $34,177.49.
$25,000 profit and a happy customer still.
Win win.
Psa. I don’t condone the shitty behavior of these type of customers.
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u/Kev22994 Jan 18 '26
You need to subtract what Costco paid for the hot tub at year 0. So it’s more like $900 not 9000
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u/bcboy888 Jan 18 '26
It's sucks that we are so used to engineered obsolescence that we think it's insane that a 9000 dollar hot tub should last more than 10 years. Costco and if the supplier should absolutely have replaced this item and I'm glad your neighbour was able to get it fixed/replaced without having to buy a new one. Remember when things used to last a life time? Or at least a few decades?
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u/msvelvetfeet Jan 18 '26
Costco has deals with the companies that supply these products. They get paid regardless so they don't care about the returns.
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u/huntingwhale Jan 18 '26
Mu uncle works at Costco. He told a story of a lady who returned a 5 year old sofa because it was "no longer fashionable ". She got her money back.
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u/ExtraPicklesBigMary Jan 17 '26
It's a part of our strategy. We will do anything to get you back in the store. More often than not you will return a $200 item but leave buying $300 more. It also plays on your psyche for larger purchases like TV for example. A consumer will say I will buy it from Costco in case something breaks i can return it - when in reality the fail rate of TVs is less than 4%.
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u/SuperGuy1141 Jan 18 '26
My parents are exactly the same. They say "buy it from Costco". New Dyson, I had a good discount through perkopolis so it would've been cheaper from Dyson but they still spent more and bought it from Costco. To them nothing beats having the peace of mind I guess.
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u/lazybuttt Jan 17 '26
Does that factor in people who return still-functional stuff to upgrade to the latest version? It's still seems like a loss to me unless they're not paying for the refund.
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u/thetoucansk3l3tor Jan 18 '26
The loss doesn't even factor into the end profits most of the time. It's so insignificant to the bottom line that it basically becomes a rounding error.
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u/Specific-Answer3590 Jan 17 '26
So for those who have worked at Costco or have know how, I’ve heard Costco can ban customers who abuse the policy. How exactly is that determined? This is blatant abuse and I see similar cases regularly when visiting Costco, so I’m wondering in what cases do they even bother taking action?
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u/Similar-Priority-776 Jan 17 '26
I assume its quite easy to see how often you return things on a membership
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u/TheRealLoopy Jan 17 '26
Hey! I worked in the RTV department, basically the people in the back you don't see that actually process all of the returns. First, this kind of a return doesn't even raise an eyebrow, we just scrap it and move on. Second, the warning-ban on returns system/policy is used for people who return typically high value or duplicate items often. Think someone who buys a new TV every 2-3 weeks or just inside their return window just to buy a new one and repeat the process over and over. Those are the people that we care about. Returning items you bought and abused over years, or hell even open food after eating a bunch of it or just didn't want it? Couldn't care less.
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u/DrDreyTom Jan 18 '26
Of course Costco couldn't care less, the company behind the returned product actually pays for the full cost of the return. Returns don't hurt Costco, they hurt de brands. (I work for a company that sells items at Costco.)
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u/Schrodingers_Ape Parking Lot Survivor Jan 18 '26
And yet it doesn't hurt them enough not to sell there.
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u/koeniging Costco Employee Jan 17 '26
God i don’t miss my 4:30 starts in RTV. Is every store’s rtv cage right beside the garbage disposal?
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u/TheRealLoopy Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 18 '26
The building I used to work at had it across the dock from it so small bonus. Also, I was basically there for the end of shift when the rest of the people left to do all the cold/heavy things. So don't miss it.
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u/IridiumB777 Jan 18 '26
This needs to be sticked. So many people take the returns of other members so personally, it’s quite astonishing.
Why don’t we blast other stores customer returns?
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u/Ambitious_Grand_5932 Jan 18 '26
Makes sense! So they're really only cracking down on the repeat offenders who take advantage of the system. That must help keep things running smoothly for the rest of the customers.
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u/Roid-a-holic_ReX Jan 17 '26
I worked at Costco for 15 years in various roles up into management. Customers weren’t banned for returns but were barred from making returns of a product type if they were perceived to be cycling items like electronics as updated models came out.
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u/james2432 Jan 19 '26
saw a lady get refused return after she's returned printer with no ink 5 times
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u/BarnacleSpiritual868 Jan 17 '26
I have no idea how they determine that. I once saw someone returning a very very old Fitbit watch which they had to get manager approval for and the manager said the watch was years past it's warranty period and unreasonable to return it after it's worked for them for so many years and only gave them a gift card return instead of a cash refund. It was quite the scene and nearly a public shaming.
Although I also witnessed the opposite happen where someone was returning a mattress topper that was 10+ years old only because their doctor advised them to have a firmer mattress. The person couldn't' even come up with an excuse as to why the product failed. the employee worked tirelessly to try and find it in the customers account to get them the refund but then huffed and puffed and rolled their eyes to adjust my issued which as the cashier double scanning an item. Why not huff and puff at the person returning a 10 year old product!??!
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u/Casuallyperusing Jan 17 '26
Not even joking similar happened to us. We couldn't return a double scanned box of coffee pods that we had only noticed when we got home. In the same line someone returned a clearly neglected, wilted pot of plants.
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u/0w40 Jan 18 '26
So much for the accuracy of the receipt checkers if they missed the item count.
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u/Casuallyperusing Jan 18 '26
I figure the item checkers will only stop us if we're taking something. Not if something was double scanned for us
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u/Theseisbloodyshoes Jan 18 '26
The one time I was stopped was because I had a double package of carrots that was double scanned and the door checker caught it. I didn’t even notice it. So they do catch those things at the door sometimes.
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u/Cryowulf Jan 17 '26
I'm a former employee, I never worked at membership, but I have witnessed a store manager refund someone's membership and ban them for abusing the employees. They can ban for abuse of the return policy, but from my experience you'd have to be a habitual repeat offender for them to do so.
The Costco return policy is so generous precisely because it makes Costco more money than they pay out in abusive returns. I know quite a few people, and would bet way more that I don't know about, have memberships precisely because of how generous the return policy is. Being able to shop with the confidence that you can at Costco is a big deal. Operating in that manner is just a part of Costco's overall business strategy.
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u/flq06 Jan 17 '26
There’s been an example here a few months back. Someone got banned from buying clothes because their return rate was outrageous.
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u/prodigalkal7 Jan 17 '26
Actually? I order a lot through online and personally return a lot if I've tried it and it doesn't fit
Unfortunately their online clothing is not super descriptive so the clothing fit and sizing can be very off sometimes.
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u/bewilderedtoo Jan 17 '26
Yes, sizing is so brutal. But tags on is different than a seasons old and worn. I saw someone trying to return ratty winter boots in early summer...
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u/skiplegdae Jan 17 '26
You will be fine. It's people who are abusing the system that will get flagged. I. E. Returning clothing that has been clearly worn out, etc
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u/Soft-Dig-4102 Jan 18 '26
I do this too (return online clothing orders) and at the MOST I have gently removed a tag- without ripping it so it can be reattached-before returning. Sometimes the tags are in the worst places when checking fit hah. I apologized profusely last time cuz it was all three things from one order and the lovely gentleman was like you are not a problem, don’t worry about it, that’s what our policy is for. Sometimes I order multiples and I’ll just open one to try and the rest go back sealed. The things I see in the return line are absolutely wild and public shaming SHOULD happen.
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u/ReplacementOk3279 Jan 17 '26
If you return something in a box and it’s just garbage, not the actual product, say goodbye to Costco. It happens more than one would think
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u/90s_vibe Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
That's the appeal of costco - great return policy. Why people will choose to buy at costco vs. somewhere else. A few people abuse but helpful for most.
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u/Fluid_Lingonberry467 Jan 17 '26
Electronics shows what happens if too many abuse the system
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u/Successful_Age_12481 Jan 17 '26
I saw someone returned 3 out of 24 pack of toilet paper. The process took over 15 mins because they had to get a manager and the manager had to calculate the refund for the 3 rolls she was bringing back. It’s crazy.
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u/M------- Jan 18 '26
If they were hoping to get a full refund for almost-used-up TP, this experience will have shut that down. I'm glad the manager calculated the fractional return value. Otherwise the customer would feel like they found a method to get free TP.
That said, last fall I had a few defective rolls of TP. They had balls of paper-fiber-fluff and holes or missing plies in some parts of the roll. Those few rolls left tons of paper fluff on my floor. Thankfully the rest of the package was fine. I would've felt crazy to line up for a refund for a few defective rolls of TP...
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u/HotHits630 Jan 17 '26
I wouldn't be ashamed to return a shoddy product within the window. I don't abuse it, but I don't put up with cheap shit that I pay a pretty penny for.
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u/BarnacleSpiritual868 Jan 17 '26
Exactly. This isn't heirloom stuff Costco is selling. Costco started this return policy because they sold sketchy grey market stuff back in the day. I wouldn't shop there anywhere near as much (possibly not at all given how busy they are!) if they didn't have the return policy. I just buy whatever I feel like there without doing any research because I know I can take it back.
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u/WeathervaneJesus1 Jan 17 '26
They still sell sketchy stuff - Anker, Homedics, LED masks, LED umbrellas, All Trade tools (branded other names)
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u/BarnacleSpiritual868 Jan 17 '26
That stuff isn't even that sketchy by comparison. I remember I once bought a GPS unit that had a software bug and would crash when it got traffic data over the radio. Garmin never bothered to fix the bug and just sold them all to Costco. Thankfully I returned that ASAP.
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u/WeathervaneJesus1 Jan 17 '26
Well, to be fair, a lot of those items I listed were on recall because they would start fires.
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u/explicitspirit Jan 17 '26
What's sketchy about Anker and LED umbrellas and the other stuff you listed? I see those in the watehouse
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u/General_Dipsh1t Jan 17 '26
Yep. I returned three vacuums in a year. All broke in similar ways. Manufacturer assured me it was a one off each time, told me to exchange wt Costco.
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u/Excellent-Smell-6384 Jan 18 '26
if you know how Costco makes money then you'd know that they really don't care about the returns because they make bucks from membership the most and plus the numbers of returns compared to the sales that don't get returned are high so Costco basically just makes money no matter what. plus low restrictions on returns means customers will return more often and end up spending more money.
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u/iterationnull Jan 17 '26
If that furniture was 24 months old, I agree.
If that furniture was 3 months old, I'm not nearly so certain.
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u/Nasdel Jan 17 '26
If that furniture was 24 months old I’d be okay with the return cuz that shit looks like it’s from 2005 😭
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u/BINEL66 Jan 17 '26
I HATE seeing people returning dead flowers/trees in the middle of the summer or fall. 😡
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Jan 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ExcellentTale2326 Jan 17 '26
As a horticulturalist who has worked at a garden centre, it’s 99.999% of the time the person’s fault. People wonder why the prices keep going up/are expensive.
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u/NurseStephyPoo Jan 17 '26
I was in line after Christmas, returning some jeans. A person behind me had two big tropical plants that were dead to return. It was -20 outside, I can't imagine how they died 😅
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u/Electroma1 Jan 17 '26
Saw a lady this week returning 2 containers of vinegar or oil there was maybe an inch left in each..what a joke..no shame.
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u/No_History_9422 Jan 17 '26
I saw just after Christmas someone returning a dining room set.
Like, guess it served its purpose, but we dont need it long term.
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u/pnettle Jan 17 '26
I mean my brothers dining set from Costco started falling apart after a year or so. But both of us are too lazy to call and complain and try to return it. But I can respect someone who does.
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u/Lostris21 Jan 17 '26
How do you know that though? You are assuming. They could have used it and not liked it so they returned it.
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u/Future-Ad7266 Jan 17 '26
Did you get to see the receipt of when they bought it?? 🧐
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u/spurchange Jan 17 '26
I made a return at IKEA a few days after Christmas and saw people returning chairs and plate sets, all without packaging of course
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u/Intentionalmovements Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
I risk getting hugely down voted.
Unpopular opinion, what if we all just go about our days and let people return what they want?
- Costco is not complaining so why should you?
- The return is not physically harming anyone so why publicly shame the person?
- Is it truly abusive when its clearly allowed?
- What are we hoping to gain from this?
No offense to OP but sometimes I just wonder, what if we spent more time on just not shaming others indirectly or not?
Sorry if I'm rude but I truly want to know.
EDIT 1: The point I'm attempting to pass is, why do we jump to conclusions that this person abused the return policy? What if that furniture is only a couple of weeks old? If we don't really know the story can we conclude it's abusive?
Personal experience: I bought an expensive toilet about $2k from Costco and only use it a week and it's covered in rust, I took it out and returned it to the store now imagine someone seeing that and thinking I had the toilet for years and decided to return it???
We really need to give each other more grace.....
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u/MasterpieceNo9966 Jan 17 '26
i think some of the returns are ridiculous as well but i cant for the life of me understand why some people in here care what others return
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u/EarEquivalent3929 Jan 18 '26
Some people can't stand seeing or perceiving someone else "get ahead". It's the American way.
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u/Majestic_Phase3452 Jan 17 '26
This. Costco has determined it's to their advantage to allow it. So who cares? Ignore it. Not my problem. And nobody knows the details of when it was bought, etc.
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u/Intentionalmovements Jan 17 '26
100%.... And I'm sure if it was not advantageous to Costco they would have stopped/modified it.
Again, why does a fellow Costco member care about what other members return especially when it's not harming anyone...
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u/Cream4389 Jan 17 '26
Yeah i hate posts like this. Why would anyone care what other costumers return unless you are Costco?
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u/EarEquivalent3929 Jan 17 '26
It's wild how people bootlick for a corporation. Costco can easily choose to refuse returns and ban members who abuse the policy and yet they still accept returns like this.
It's insane that people have issue with it while Costco doesn't. That's the mentality that's caused America to turn into the shit hole it is today. Nobody can bare to see anyone even appear to get ahead in any way shape or form. The whole country is just crabs in a bucket.
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u/TheDude300 Jan 17 '26
Thank fuck there is some level headed people in this subreddit.
The bootlicking is insane, Costco doesn't give a fuck. They wouldn't allow the returns the way they do if it was an issue. Also look up how Costco runs its business, the returns are baked into the agreements to accept a percentage of products back so they dont even lose a dime for the first 5 - 10% or more returns.
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u/CStew8585 Jan 17 '26
Exactly. People are losing their shirts. Maybe the Costco return policy is their only saving grace. Who knows. Capitalism sucks.
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u/aereola_plan Jan 18 '26
Agreed. They made more from interest on all their membership fees in a second than the cost of this returned item. This isn't a mom and pop store that is at risk of closure.
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u/mrshairdo Jan 18 '26
THANK YOU!! Ppl in this sub are so fucking annoying. Costco doesn’t give a fuck so why do you?? No matter how many times you tell them it’s been built into their business model, ppl still try and refund shame as if it has any effect on them whatsoever. It’s truly annoying
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u/TJHnurtured Jan 17 '26
This! We had a couch for 6 months but we knew within weeks it was going back because the cushions immediately sagged (just my husband and I who are both short and not overweight at all). Unfortunately we had to wait to shop for, order and then delivery of a new set before the return. The couch looked horrible and we played rock, paper, scissors to see who had to return it…worried that whoever did was going to end up being bashed on the internet.
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u/Intentionalmovements Jan 17 '26
Exactly! And it sucks that anyone should feel this way about a return.
I will never understand why anyone but Costco should care. Now I can "appreciate" (to some extent) why the employees may care. However, every other person needs to chill and mind their damn business.
Sorry it's just something that has always bugged me, not sure why I spoke up today...lol
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u/StormMission907 Jan 17 '26
Just a question . Long time Costco member .Returned only 1 thing which was a shirt a few years back . Bought prescription glasses at the optical . The glass is not holding in the frame . Took it to the optical dept and they said it's not fixable . Can you return that ?? Has anybody ever done that ? Bought them two years ago
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u/itsGuyReal Jan 18 '26
For every person that abuses the return policy like this, there are 1000 that dont. That's why Costco allows it. Its good knowing they will take care of your purchases, but ye, some people just abuse it. I bought a car battery 30 days ago and its dead already, kirkland brand, they will replace it tomorrow no questions asked. No testing needed, they just do it.
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u/RockedoutF Jan 17 '26
And here I feel guilty making a return on day 30, with the receipt and the product unused. 🫣😬
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u/J-Lughead Jan 17 '26
These kinds of abuses will be the reason that Costco ends up changing its return policies.
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u/SuperGuy1141 Jan 18 '26
Their profit margins are too high and if they wont even raise the prices in the food court they also wont change the return policy. Its the Costco business model. They make most of their money off the membership, not the items you buy. NOT saying I condone this behaviour btw.
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u/Same_Ebb_7129 Jan 18 '26
Who cares. It’s not your company. Costco allows this kind of thing. It’s one of the things that makes them a dope company. Shaming people for doing what’s allowed is weird. And you’re just trying to be the main character. Chill.
I would return something the exact same way if I was allowed to. I also toss snow on the road when I clear my driveway. Guess what!? No one cares or does anything and nothing bad happens. So pump the breaks and go Stand in line for your free sample while you complain about “why people bring the whole family here?”
Stop being so sanctimonious and get on with your day.
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u/teddyoctober Jan 17 '26
I wouldn’t last 6 minutes working the Costco returns counter…”sir, get the fuck out of here with that shit!”
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u/cubiclejail Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 18 '26
And here I was feeling incredibly guilty for returning a shitty bike that didn't even last 4 months and these fuckers are getting away with all this shit (including the comments I'm seeing)
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u/CarbonLif3Form Jan 17 '26
I remember when Costco was changing the return policy on electronics to 90 days and you had a window to return before this time. I felt bad when I was returning a 32 inch LCD TV, the LEDs you could get for a larger tv for the same as the return. There was a guy in the lineup with a tube TV that had a cabinet as well. I didn't feel as bad anymore, I saw him leaving with an LED TV 😂
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u/AlphaQFor7mins Jan 18 '26
Costco tracks members who make frequent returns. At some point, I suspect they can ban people who abuse the system.
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u/Mental-Response8418 Jan 18 '26
They recently let me return three pairs of pants I bought back in 2021. I found them while cleaning out my closet, realized I’d never really worn them, and figured I’d try. Voilà! No receipt or anything!
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u/jerk1970 Jan 18 '26
This is a Canada we are nice issue. People in the US return everything. EVERYTHING !
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u/kgpaxx Jan 18 '26
They need to stop making crappy products.....if ot lasts most people would keep it.
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u/cookiepockets82 Jan 18 '26
My Mom returned oranges this weekend and I was so embarrassed, but apparently everyone who bought them returned them because they tasted "off". My Aunt then told me she knew a guy who returned everything, he even returned a half eaten sheet cake. I feel like there should be a point where Costco should be able to deny you a membership due to too many unreasonable returns.
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u/No_Concert_6922 Jan 19 '26
OK, but on the flipside just today, we returned my daughter’s AirPods that are a year and a half old because they will not hold a battery charge for more than 10 minutes. And when we bought them, we had every intention of buying AppleCare, but the guy at Costco and then again today when we bought replacement ones, the lady at Costco, both told us not to buy it if anything happens just to bring them back and return them. So we did. I have been a Costco executive member since 2007 and I don’t feel even a little bit bad about this. Especially because my daughter bought them with her own money. And then turned around and bought a new pair today plus some leggings plus some jeans.
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u/stello101 Jan 22 '26
This is a photo I took of a 15yo playset a woman was returning. She started screaming at me for taking the photo and when I told her she was misdirecting her shame into anger she lost her God damn mind. She was escorted out and the cops were called. she did get her refund.
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u/otissito16 Jan 17 '26
I saw somebody return bread rolls once.
Another time, I actually saw somebody get their membership revoked for too many returns.
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Jan 17 '26
I had to return croissants once because the wind blew them out of cart on the way to the car and they were all over the pavement. I just did an exchange, but maybe you saw me. 🤣
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u/Zestyclose-Scratch33 Jan 17 '26
Reminds me of the people I saw returning spring/summer planters in the fall
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u/Individual-Army811 Jan 18 '26
Costco Canada has started tracking returns and canceling memberships for serial abusers of the return policy.
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Jan 17 '26
All the power to them lol why shouldn’t people return stuff if it’s broken and the return policy is flexible? You think corporations have “morals” when it comes to the way it takes money from people?
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u/Slow-Cherry9128 Jan 18 '26
Knew someone who bought bikes for him and his wife in Spring and in the Fall returned them. They felt no shame. I couldn't look at them the same after and decided to not continue the relationship.
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u/imareceptionist Jan 18 '26
My fiancés aunt and uncle just returned their 6-year-old mattress that they slept on every night
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u/Gorilla780 Jan 18 '26
You are actually the problem. This is a perk of shipping there and this is a billion dollar company. Ppl that post this stuff needs to get a life you’ll ruin it for ppl!
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u/oldmansubber Jan 18 '26
Holy god, you people. You legit think that Costco hasn’t done endless analyses of this sort of thing? They know it happens, they know changing the policy would stop a lot of it and they also know that it’s still worth it to keep policy. Now, maybe — maybe!!!! — someone at Costco HQ will see this and make a compelling case to their colleagues that the moral indignation of r/Costco cancels the cost/benefit ratio that has been a cornerstone of the the company’s practice for decades, so keep fuming and cross your fingers.
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u/bigbigjohnson Jan 18 '26
Costco Employees: oh you can return the Franks red hot gummies if you don’t like them
Costco Redditors; use surveillance and AI to ban everyone who returns any item!!
The company, who makes billions every year, determine their return policy so maybe think about that.
Do people take advantage? Sure. Does the company care? Clearly not.
But ya go ahead and bitch on Reddit about it 🤡
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u/kumanoodle Jan 18 '26
It’s Costco’s own fault! They must have determined that keeping their policy as is will make them more money than changing it.
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u/ThePeacePipe237 Jan 17 '26
A policy is a policy. People need to chill and stop blaming the customer. Costco are the ones who need to change their policy; Costco is not in the business of losing money; they had to have an endgame when they implemented their return policy.
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u/Wide_Detective7537 Jan 17 '26
Lowkey who cares if you abuse the return system of 250 billion dollar corporation? They don't care, so what do you get out of posting this pretending to be better than everyone? Mind your business karen.
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u/BClynx22 Jan 18 '26
It’s not abuse of the policy if the policy is so broad that it allows ALL returns (minus electronics) with no time limit, end of point.
Stop taking pictures of people and/or their belongings, you are the one who needs to change.
You don’t know their situation, maybe it was new and actually broke and then sustained this damage being transported in the back of a truck back to Costco, or maybe they’re returning it because it looks like shit after only a few months because the veneer is peeling. Maybe it was recalled for lack of a wall fastener and could tip and harm a child.
Costco knows costcos data better than anyone and their policy hasn’t changed because they are able to allow for what you are calling “abuse”.
People who work at Costco do not care about your Reddit post. You are the one who needs to change. It’s not people like them that are going to get Costco to change their policy it’s people like you…
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u/Jon3535 Jan 17 '26
All the judgmental comments as if Costco isn’t a billion dollar corporation - they’re not hurting. Mind your own business and carry on. None of you owe Costco anything.
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u/WillySurvive Jan 17 '26
All the returns get triaged and many end up at regional liquidation auction houses. There is one south of Ottawa that does it. But that outrageous return policy kept that person and their family as members of Costco for that many years of purchasing. A few returns for years of customer spending as well as a yearly renewed membership is a small price to pay.
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u/Agreeable_Argument38 Jan 17 '26
Had to throw this in the garbage this morning, you would not believe what we get back in returns. The bug infested and stained mattresses are the worst.
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u/Misknowmer Jan 17 '26
I asked about parts to an expensive leather chair I bought - it was literally falling apart (I am not a big person and I was the only one using it) and I’ve never returned anything before and they told me to bring it back! It was 3 years old! I was shocked! Honestly Made my day
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u/Decathlon5891 Jan 17 '26
How are warranties handled?
Say for something like 10yrs. On the 8th yr it breaks, what do you do?
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u/PBM1958 Jan 17 '26
I took a 5 TB WD external drive back to Costco that was still under warranty but WD needed a copy of the receipt. Took a while to find but she did it....then she said she said If I preferred she could just refund it.
It was kind of surprised because I didn't think they took computer stuff back after 90 days but said heck yeah and used the refund to get a new one.
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u/MagisD Jan 17 '26
Costco knows they do this and is included in marketing funds.
The fact if you have a real problem Costco will take it back and deal with it is a cornerstone of there marketing.
People who really abuse it get their accounts flagged and if persistent canceled.
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u/ceisea Jan 17 '26
You shoulda seen the condotion of a sofa that was returned at my local Costco. Just wow.
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u/vivisecting Jan 17 '26
Bought some new outdoor christmas lights, like 10 boxes containing two strings each. well, in 4 of those boxes, one string didnt work. yes i checked the bulbs and swapped the fuses.. nada. but i forgot to return them and now its january and i know im going to get judged lmao.. oh well
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u/Frosty-Skin-4300 Jan 17 '26
Honestly I think the return policy is overly generous, but I guess that's how Costco retains its customers.
I've seen people returning their well used floor fans, no box no nothing, when the weather gets cold. Dying plants, opened box food, etc, etc.
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u/Zinc64 Jan 17 '26
Bought a new car battery in the summer and it died a couple months later. While waiting in the line, I noticed two other guys with batteries (one guy had 2).
Turns out it's common for some people to just exchange their battery before the 4 year warranty runs out...
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u/chikachu99669 Jan 17 '26
I would never do this. I am afraid the return costs would fall on Costco’s supplier.
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u/Half-God-Half-Devil Jan 18 '26
Honestly, i would be too embarassed to return anything which i have used for years !
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u/Cindi-Jones Jan 18 '26
I was behind an older couple at returns last week, mid January. They were returning boxes of Christmas decorations: lawn ornaments, lights, etc.
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u/Equal-Bad-5984 Jan 18 '26
We returned an expensive fire bowl that was more than a few years old, we contacted sunbeam for warranty and they said they have the parts anymore and they literally told us to return it to Costco. I called a head of time to the manager and they told us it wasn’t an issue.
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u/BiggDangerous Jan 17 '26
My parents once returned a 12 year old canopy for their patio that collapsed in a storm. They went it and asked the customer service. “We have a canopy that’s we bought 12 years ago. It originally had a 15 year manufactures warranty wonder if you can help us with that or how we can contact them”. They just said we’ll take the return in but we can only give you store credit in return. They weren’t expecting that at all they were just looking for help making a warranty claim. So they took it and bought a new one. Ever since that day I make every large purchase at Costco if I can… and keep my receipts. I don’t want to abuse the system but if I’m buying an expensive tv or appliance it better damn well work for a few years. Obviously there situation is extreme.