Costco members share wild product-return stories on social media, from opened food to years-old furniture

Costco customers often search for deals on food and furniture by buying in bulk, but it is the lenient return policy that seems to have grabbed the attention of some members.

The wholesaler ranked as one of the top six stores with a stellar return policy, according to a 2023 ranking by U.S. News and World Report. 

"Costco has the most generous policy among big-box retailers, even allowing returns years later," Nick Gausling, retail consultant and managing director of consulting firm Romy Group LLC, told the news source.

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"Their membership system offsets losses from returns processing and encourages good relations between the store and consumers, which is a win for everyone."

Many social media users have shared their personal experiences with this policy along with the wildest returns they've witnessed.

Costco members cannot stop talking about how generous the customer satisfaction and return policy is at the wholesaler; people are revealing that shoppers can return just about anything. (Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Costco's return policy does not reveal certain items that must be returned within a specified time frame or in a certain condition.

Costco did not immediately return Gxstocks' request for comment.

Even if shoppers do not have a physical receipt from the original purchase, they can still return an item with a Costco membership card and a history check. (Scott McIntyre/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Costco has a "Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee" return policy, according to its website. 

"We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price*, with the following exceptions," the site says, listing electronics, diamonds, cigarettes and alcohol, among other items that are either non-returnable, or have specified time frames in which they must be returned.

Costco's return policy page does not mention policies on returning food.

Take a look at some interesting returns allegedly accepted at Costco.

1. A dead Christmas tree

One Costco return grabbed attention in 2018 when a California woman returned her dried up Christmas tree on Jan. 4, Fox News Digital reported at the time.

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The story made headlines after the customer behind her posted a photo of the return on his Facebook page.

In 2018, a California Costco member was seen returning a Christmas tree on Jan. 4 (not pictured) "because it is dead." (iStock / iStock)

"Woman in line at a Costco, totally nonchalant, to return her Christmas tree 'because it is dead' on January 4th," the Facebook user captioned the post at the time.

"If I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t believe that someone had so little moral values or lack of conscience."

2. A 5-year-old mattress

Costco has no time limit on items, so members can return a used item no matter how long they've owned it.

Earlier this month, a couple documented their Costco return on TikTok after they brought back their 5-year-old queen mattress because it was "uncomfortable."

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"Desperate times [come] for desperate measures," the wife, who posts under the handle @purrfectreads captioned the video.

"We decided to try the theory … can you return stuff that's been more than couple years at Costco and without a receipt…" the caption continued.

A couple recently made headlines after they successfully returned a queen-sized mattress to Costco (not pictured) that they'd slept on for five years. (iStock / iStock)

The return was accepted.

The husband and wife used the money that was put on a Costco gift card to go toward a new king mattress, according to the TikTok video.

3. An empty box

One Costco member took to TikTok claiming she witnessed a customer's strange return while waiting in line at the wholesaler.

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The TikTok user, @negzzy, posted a video recalling the time she saw a woman at Costco return an empty box.

"I see she's holding a box, like a candy bar box, but [there's] nothing in the box," the social media user @negzzy said in the video.

One TikTok creator told a story about a woman who returned an empty box because she did not like the candy bars that were once in the box. Eventually she received a full refund even though the bars were not physically returned. (Dominic Bracco II for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The shopper told the return agent that she did not like the bars she had purchased and wanted to make a return even though there were no bars in the box to physically return.

The witness said that even though the customer did not have the actual product, she was given her money back.

The TikTok user said she was left "baffled" after witnessing the return and publicly encouraged the wholesaler to set up "boundaries" regarding what returns can or should be accepted.

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4. Opened and unopened food

Costco does not have any rules against returning food, even if the product has already been opened or even eaten.

Several TikTok users have shared their favorite bizarre food returns at Costco; one included a half-eaten birthday cake that was found to be "too sweet."

Reddit users and TikTok creators referenced a Costco return that they will never forget: a half-eaten birthday cake (not pictured). (iStock)

Another social media creator, @astridcabas, shared a story about the time she returned her package of food.

She said her family returned two boxes of Kevin's chicken after buying a pack of three at a local Costco.

"I tried these Kevin's meats, and they were terrible," she said on TikTok.

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"I just think I paid like $35 [to] $40 and just doesn't seem worth it, so I'm taking them back."

She claimed she ended up getting her money back.

5. A used bidet

Some people online have claimed that Costco does not ask questions when it comes to returns, even if a customer used an item only a few hours before the return.

A social media user posted a video of her friend returning a Costco bidet (not shown), even though she had just used it that morning. (iStock / iStock)

TikTok user @valll_nicole shared a video about a bidet that was successfully returned even though it was already used inside her bathroom.

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The TikTok user captioned the video, "Costco's the REAL mvp."

6. A 2-year-old couch

A woman returned her used couch after more than two years — and the response on social media sparked debate.

One TikTok creator caused a stir on social media after she videoed herself returning a two-and-a-half-year-old couch. (Costco/Fox News Digital; iStock / Fox News)

In the viral video that garnered some three million views, the Costco member was nervous to return the item and face judgment from others in line, but she ended up doing so successfully.

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"But who cares. Return it. They have an awesome return policy," she told her followers.

"Buy your furniture from Costco, girl. You can return it when you don't like it anymore."

Social media users have shared their wildest Costco returns — and some of them are almost too bizarre to believe. (iStock / iStock)

Other Tiktok users have addressed Costco's apparent leniency by noting that these returns are part of the company's satisfaction policy, Gxstocks previously reported.

"My husband works for Costco and says that the Co. receives money from all of the returned items. I am not ashamed to return my items," one person commented on a TikTok video.

"We should get our money's worth and get our money back if we can."

"They are a multi-billion dollar company. The amount of returns they get probably doesn't touch the amount of profits they have, so it's not that big of a deal. Why are we caring so much about this huge corporation and about the money they make? When we are literally all like dirt poor compared to them," another social media user wrote online. 

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"We should get our money's worth and get our money back if we can. I would totally do the same," the user added.

 

Gxstocks reached out to TikTok users @negzzy, @astridcabas and @valll_nicole for comment.