Costco is well-known for its God-tier return policy. The renowned lenient policy made headlines last year after folks tested just how far the warehouse club would go to keep customers happy. Shoppers were caught returning 5-year-old mattresses, playsets that had outgrown the kids, and even a charred grill.
This return policy turned into an unofficial litmus test of how good a person you are, depending on how deplorable your return was. Several urged folks to stop taking advantage of Costco returns, lest they see a stricter policy in the future.
While this TikToker wasn’t returning something that questionable, the Costco worker still warned him to rethink his choices in the future. In a viral TikTok, Milo (@povbymilo) recorded his quick trip to Costco to return some Kirkland chips.
As he tosses the bag on the counter, the worker asks, “What’s wrong with them?” Milo replies that he just got an extra bag by mistake.
“Just so you know, because this is perishable, I do have to throw it away,” the worker tells him. “So, in the future, if you could just be mindful about that.
The worker adds that Costco will “start cracking down on perishables being returned unless there’s something wrong with them.”
She then processes Milo’s return, and he’s on his way with $16 more in his pocket.
People are torn over Costco return
Milo’s comments section had viewers debating whether the worker was out of line. Several thought she should’ve “minded her business” and that it wouldn’t keep them from returning items. Others, however, were glad that she said something.
“Low key good that they tell you it’s gonna be thrown out so you rethink your return,” one user wrote. Another added, “She’s just wanting to warn people that it’ll be wasteful asf nothing against him.”
“He said the reason for return is bc he has an extra bag. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to remind someone their carelessness is contributing to food waste in this situation since the product is perfectly fine,” a third user said.
@povbymilo Costco has the best return policy! #POV #costco #returnpolicy #sad #alone #dayinmylife ♬ growth – Gede Yudis
How bad is food waste in the retail industry?
Grocery stores and supermarkets throw away between 2.5% to 4% of their potential earnings in extra food, per Food Logistics. Every year, around 16 billion pounds of wood waste is produced. The retail industry contributes a significant percentage to that. In 2021, Costco generated 1,373 thousand tons of food waste, according to Global Data. This was a 26% increase from the previous year.
Food waste vastly affects global warming due to the resources it takes to produce it. Link Retail writes that “by preventing one ton of food waste from going to a landfill, we can stop approximately 5 tonnes of CO2e from being produced.”
Costco has since promised to divert 80% of waste generated, and one part of this is donating unsold bakery goods to Feeding America.
The Mary Sue reached out to Costco via media request form and Milo via Instagram direct message.
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