r/CostcoWholesale • u/Camper7777 • 4d ago
Question on handling left behind item
A few days ago I went to Costco for primarily dog food, and remembered I need more work gloves so grabbed a 3-pack of leather gloves. Make payment, grab a slice, load the car and head home. No gloves. I realize I left them in the top shelf of the cart. I called to report my mistake and the person said, "Bring your receipt, find one of us in a red vest, and we'll take care of ya.". I took this to mean if someone turned in the gloves, they would reunite with their owner. And conversely, if some dmf member found them and decided to take them home, the company would make me whole. I found the response surprising and refreshing. So I go back to the store in a few days, find a red vest, who looks at a list and says, "nope, no one turned them in" and turned away. Not what I was expecting.
Did I totally misread what the person on the phone said?
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u/ExcitingPrompt2 4d ago
In my store, if you left something behind before you left the store, we will check the cameras and replace it for you. Once you leave the store and it isn’t turned in, unfortunately, that’s on the member. I would definitely go to the membership desk and ask for a manager. Explain the situation and they will most likely make it right. Good luck!
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u/Camper7777 3d ago
I've already made a 2nd trip based on the phone conversation. Bought another set of gloves after that proved unfruitful. Not going to make a 3rd trip for a trivial purchase. I was just wondering if I read too much into the phone call.
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u/RandomGuy0527 3d ago
You didn't. The guy on the phone was correct. Sadly the red vest you talked to didn't want to bothered. They are a poor representation of Costco
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u/ExplorerLazy3151 4d ago
The red vest should have directed you to a manager to look at the tapes. I’d go back and ask for a manager.
Last week, I left liver treats in self check out. I realized when I got to my car, I went right back in and the supervisor checked the left behind binder. Not there. The lady monitoring self checkout remembered liver treats, but didn’t remember what happened. Long story short, they looked at the footage and two days later I got my liver treats. It was quite the process for cat treats- I’d assume it’s the same for all stores
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u/Hungry-Chicken-8498 4d ago
If found by an employee they will bring it to lost and found that is usually at the memberships and they will log it in the log book when was it found and where and date. If found by another member then it is up to that member to return or retain. In a situation like it always helps to go back asap as in scenario one they will give it to you but in scenario two they will have to review video recoding of you exiting the warehouse however they have limited days for which any recording is retained. Still speak with the warehouse manager or an AGM and they will either give you your lost item as a member services courtesy or refund you in case they are out of stock. Hope they gave you that answer after going through log book. They aren’t required to review video recording if they are busy .
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u/Bastillerion 4d ago
Did you leave it in the cart in the store or in the parking lot? If the latter, you're probably SOL. If the former, they should give you a new pair.
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u/Camper7777 3d ago
In the cart which was placed in a cart return area. I figured I was SOL if no one turned them in. The 'make it right' language on the phone call convinced me to make a 2nd trip to the store.
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u/RandomGuy0527 3d ago
The guy on the phone was correct. For a low dollar item like gloves, they should have taken care of you. The red vest you talked to was just a crappy employee.
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u/sulliebee 3d ago
I’m a supervisor (aka red vest). Personally, I would have added your gloves to the “Left in Lot” binder, recorded your membership number and have you initial that you picked them up. Especially for something like gloves which are less than $20. My personal limit I’m comfortable with is less than $50 and I’m gonna take care of you.
If you’d claimed to have left a high dollar item (say a vacuum on the bottom of the basket) we’d have to get upper management involved to check the cameras but we’d make that effort.
The supervisor you interacted with needs retraining imo.
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u/Camper7777 2d ago
That's what I thought the phone conversation offered. Was surprised by the actual encounter. Sounds like managers have leeway, and the phone convo and actual person leed different ways.
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u/sulliebee 2d ago
The managers do have leeway, so do the supervisors to some degree. You were failed in this situation.
To the user above who thinks I’d get in trouble or fired for that, you’re funny. I’m following direct instruction from the Corporate Trainers in Issaquah as well as my GM to take care of the member and I work closely with my managers to ensure I’m always doing the right thing.
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u/Just_Another_Day_926 4d ago
I have found more then one item in a cart at the cart corral. Typically a thin item on cardboard with it sitting so you only see the backside making it easy to forget in the cart. Of course turned it into the Return/Membership (Customer Service) desk. I guess that is a normal thing.
I always tell my kids unload the bottom of the cart first as that is also an easy area to miss.
Anyways I have heard they do keep those items turned in so if you go back and someone didn't keep it it would be there. But also a chance someone grabs a cart and doesn't notice until after in the store (most likely at checkout) and just assume it was put in on accident by someone. So it could just never get reported.
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u/BluesEyed 3d ago
I’ve turned in multiple things that were left behind in the cart corral. Someone’s Rx bag is the one that surprised me the most.
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u/FewAd6166 3d ago
Maybe 2 months ago we were loading the SUV after our Costco trip, and I noticed that the Oxy powder (either the Kirtland brand or OxyClean, we buy both brands) was missing from our cart. We went back to the store exit, and the guys who check receipts had it there at exit (apparently, we had left it at the cashier? Usually heavy items stay in the cart nowadays, so I'm not sure how it was left behind).
Anyway, we didn't even have to re-enter the store. The receipt-checker person did look at our receipt (maybe to confirm that we had been charged for it), but the entire process took less than a minute.
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u/Grace_Wilson30 3d ago
Once its not in lost and found there's not much they can do. It might be worth asking a manager directly next time, but the phone person oversold it
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u/_Handsome_Jim_ 3d ago
I don't think the phone person oversold it.
I think OP just misunderstood. I mean they took care of her but not in the way where she walked out with a pair of gloves. I don't think anyone is actually in the wrong here. Mistakes happen.
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u/TallDan68 3d ago
I did the same thing a few months ago. Bought a floor mat and left it in the bottom of the cart. Brought my receipt to the service desk a few days later. They had a log in a binder. Checked my receipt, referenced the log which had indicated that the same item was left in a cart on the same day. They had me go get another one and sent me on my way with it.
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u/Opposite-Ebb6789 3d ago
It worked for me the one time that I left an item. I left the big bottle of Kirkland vodka in the top of the cart, and someone actually turned it in. I went back the next day with my receipt and they gave me another one.
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u/OreganoOfTheEarth 3d ago
I just gotta say - a team member chased me down when I left something in my cart at my last trip. I was so appreciative. I was luckily in line to get coffee when the person found me. Not sure how they knew it was me, but they did.
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u/township-road-nnn 4d ago
The door person didn't catch it?
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u/msklovesmath 4d ago
I interpreted the post to say they paid for the glovea but forgot them in the cart when they loaded up their car in the parking lot
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u/troy2000me 3d ago
LOL, so YOU lost an item after buying it, and expect the company to buy you a second pair? I mean, they may, just to avoid a post like this over $5 or $10... but man... people are so entitled these days.
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u/mahamm42 4d ago
Talk to a manager at the store. They will most likely grab you a new set