Costco Shoppers Stunned by These Most Ridiculous Returns Ever
Costco's generous returns policy is one of the most well-known and appreciated perks of membership, with the chain allowing most things to be replaced or refunded within a few months as part of its "Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee". Shoppers frequently express their surprise at just how broad the returns policy is, with one Redditor detailing an incident where a fellow customer returned a container of pickles, half of it already eaten. According to Costco employees, that's nothing—they really have seen it all, and so have some shoppers. Here are 7 ridiculous Costco returns you won't believe.
A Used Boat
One Redditor posted a picture of a filthy, used inflatable boat, with the caption, "Someone was attempting to return their boat today." When intrigued commenters asked how it turned out, the original poster said it didn't look good, "I don't [know], the buyer was pleading his case while the Costco employee stood shaking his head 'no', causing the buyer to become more animated until the employee called his supervisor." The Redditor went on to say, "I almost died from second hand embarrassment just walking by this scene. I couldn't imagine have the complete and utter lack of shame necessary to pull off a caper like this one. This is Curb Your Enthusiasm levels of shamelessness."
11-Year-Old Car Battery
One Costco shopper saw someone trying to return a used car battery that was a lot older than they claimed. "At my local, I saw a guy returning a used car battery, saying it didn't hold a charge, and he didn't remember when he purchased it but that it wasn't that long ago," another Redditor shared. "The rep lifted a little tab on it, and the manufacturing date was under it. She says 'the battery is 11 years old.'"
Dead Christmas Trees
More than one employee said people brought back dead Christmas trees for a refund after New Years. "That was the wildest thing to me when I saw people returning Christmas trees a week after. No shame," one commenter said. "I had to return a broken artificial tree a week after Christmas and I was so embarrassed! I don't know how people do it with the real trees!" another responded.
Old Used Mattresses
Some employees said customers would return old mattresses that looked like "a crime scene". "We get old used mattresses almost daily," one Redditor said. "I was behind a guy returning the dirtiest nasty mattress I have ever seen.. I stood back 10 feet because it was so filthy.. They took it back and I was shocked. I get the great return policy, but they should really have a line in the sand on taking back garbage," said another.
Ten-Year-Old Couch
One employee saw a Costco member returning a couch after using it for almost a decade. "My 2 favorites was someone returning a live Xmas tree because the needles were falling off. It was January 15. The other was someone returning a 7 piece sectional sofa because they didn't like how it felt. They had purchased it over 9 years ago," one Redditor shared.
Empty Wine Bottle
One Costco employee said they saw people returning items that were a clear abuse of the returns policy. "Work at Costco here. We take anything. People will return mattresses after using them 10 years. Someone returned a bottle of empty wine with the comment 'gave me a headache'. Although we do take everything back if you make a ridiculous return that is [a] clear abuse of policy we will happily refund you and then revoke your membership 😀," one Redditor said.
Half-Eaten Food Items
The pickle lady's story is sadly not unusual. "I saw a guy return a half case of bottled water – got a full refund," one Redditor said. "The next customer returned: a half eaten container of potato salad, half eaten bag of chips, a package of hot dog buns with a bunch missing and a bunch of fruit that was starting to go bad. That lady got a full refund on everything. And I was feeling guilty beforehand as I was returning a couple pairs of brand new pants that I never worn that were purchased a year ago."
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