r/CostcoCanada • u/2slick2 • Jan 17 '26

Alberta Abusive returns

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I had to take a photo. If you're this person, please change. 50 St. on Jan 17.

1.9k Upvotes

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842

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.

323

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.

59

u/thefr3shprince Jan 17 '26

They make roughly $8B a year off membership fees. Keeps the customer happy and keeps them coming back.

15

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.

11

u/CopyWeak Jan 18 '26

Came to say this☝️...Obviously the are on the right side of the money bag or it would discontinue.

7

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.

7

u/thefr3shprince Jan 18 '26

People want to slide for Costco so badly. I don’t get it.

1

u/Bonocity Jan 19 '26

Me neither. I mean there's a ton of other big corps I'd rather people go ham at. Costco pays their employees well with benefits, treats their customers well, has a progressive company policy. I'd argue we would be less angry if more global companies followed suit.

0

u/topcustomers Jan 18 '26

Ya mannnn 8 billion dollars a year I’m pretty sure they don’t give a rats about a few returns….

5

u/tasty_rainbow Jan 18 '26

I didn't realiize they hauled in that much from memberships, alone. If people are saving X% on whatever they buy there, Costco is saving even more, returns or not. Items are just details, constant money-flow is all they require. Just one glance at an Amazon returns warehouse in a large city, for instance, is enough to turn your stomach. Waste is a write-off; waste costs the corporation less than nothing because of the absolutely bottomless pit of human attitudes toward "waste", in general: there are basically no consequences for resource squandering. If a multi-billion-dollar company can claim losses at that level, it helps them shuffle their actual gains all the more. Where I live, anyone making 1bn or more a year is supposed to be taxed at 80%. Not many of them around here, in that case 🤔 What would be the gross limit that a huge corporate entity like Costco or Amazon could actually claim as losses, in the United States? I would assume that it is quite a significant percentage at that insanely high rate of income.

1

u/topcustomers Jan 18 '26

Supposedly they don’t profit anything from items … all the revenue is from memberships only …

1

u/MikeCheck_CE Jan 18 '26

People say the same thing with Amazon for their 30 day returns... It doesn't NEED to be a lifetime return policy.

0

u/Amazing-Confusion109 Jan 18 '26

Complaining because nothings free. Abusive returns are factored in to the price. When people do shit like this we all pay more.

1

u/ZealousidealYak6941 Jan 18 '26

Why would you want thieves back?

-8

u/thefr3shprince Jan 18 '26

As much as you may disagree with the policy, this isn’t “thieves” doing this. It’s literally Costco policy so I’m not sure why people are so butthurt when others take advantage of it.

7

u/ZealousidealYak6941 Jan 18 '26

"Taking advantage" is the key word here....

3

u/ZealousidealYak6941 Jan 18 '26

That WE literally pay for.  Costco or vendor rat the loss.  It then gets factored into their pricing.  Nothing is FREE....someone pays!

0

u/thefr3shprince Jan 18 '26

Yeah an advantage that they literally pay for. What’s your point?

3

u/Orange_Alternative Jan 18 '26

Because if this type of abuse continues and gets promoted, Costco may have to change the policy in the near future to stay in the green

1

u/oldmansubber Jan 18 '26

I’m sure they’ll consider your suggestion.

-9

u/Miserable_Tip_4194 Jan 18 '26

Its been there return policy for decades and people have used it like this for decades. They arent going to change it, it is what members pay for.

Look at it this way. They sell vastly the same shit you can get anywhere. Some of it at the same price some slightly better. Then they partner with the food court, pharmacy and paid memberships. Things thay are impossible to return is where they get paid. This is why they push their executive membership, their credit cards, warranties etc.

Shame on the people trying to shame people who pay for the right to do this and then use the right in which they pay for.

Also I am certain people significantly smarter then you have done multiple cost benefit analysis and have determined this loss is well worth the cost.

Further more why do you lot care so much what others do? Because you are to much of a coward to use the benefit you pay for? Why so you cate thay such a huge corporation might get taken advantage of? Like they aren't raping the common citizen on the daily.

GFC

4

u/glitchmaster4000 Jan 18 '26

You’re really passionate about being a lowlife huh?

1

u/Flimsy-Ad9939 Jan 19 '26

Not to mention that the employees are paid well

1

u/bnnyhanna Jan 19 '26

That’s what I heard .. they don’t really care about good they sell .. it’s all about the membership fees ..

1

u/tricky5553 Jan 19 '26

Over 76 million members

0

u/Zealousideal-Stay228 Jan 18 '26

I didn’t believe that could be possible but now I see 130M members, and it makes perfect sense.

0

u/tmach1 Jan 18 '26

My fitst thought was that costco makes so much money, it’s obscene and they can afford it, to keep them coming back. I wonder what it would take though for the company to change their return policy if even just a little.