It’s no surprise that Costco has a generous return policy, which is a favorite for customers. Across social media, we have seen customers successfully return all kinds of products without question, from a six-year-old couch to a slime-covered rug. After all, the wholesaler boasts of its ‘Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.’ The limit seems endless.
However, we have seen this policy provoke the ire of other customers, who believe it has gone too far. When a woman’s return stalled a line at the customer service desk, a man put her on blast, dividing viewers.
What happened at this Costco?
TikToker @j_man707 stands inside a California Costco, filming a woman at the return desk to PinkPantheress’ famous song, ‘Illegal.’ In front of her is a pile of folded kids’ clothes he says she is attempting to return at the customer service desk, while a plastic bag full of more items sits in her cart. Behind her, a line of agitated customers stands impatiently. Because of this, the content creator condemns the woman in the text overlay.
“Life hack: buy all your kids clothes at Costco so later they grow out of them, you can hold up the customer service line for an hour, returning them all. [Money] saved,” he wrote.
He continues to express his frustration in the caption, “How would you feel if you saw this? Years worth of clothing all well worn and used being returned. I was just mostly bothered by how long it held up the line.”
What did viewers think?
The video racked up over 336,000 views as of Wednesday. Most sided with the woman, defending her for using the policy to her advantage.
“She’s getting her money back from a multi billion dollar corporation. Calm down bro, I know you wish you thought of this,” one viewer commented.
“You’re mad at the wrong people! These greedy corporations rip us all off everyday so good on her for taking advantage of a policy they create themselves,” another agreed.
“Literally good for her. That’s a boss budgeting move,” a third stated.
However, others feared the consequences of exploiting the return policy.
“The reason the return policy will be changed soon. Thank all those taking advantage,” one commenter remarked.
“And this is why companies change policies. Costco returns will soon be like everywhere else,” a second echoed.
What are the financial effects of returns?
There are real ramifications of exploiting return policies. CNBC reported that retailers lost a whopping $890 billion in returns last year, accounting for about 17% of all goods sold. In fact, the outlet reported that processing a return accounts for 30% of the item’s original price. As a result, some companies have adopted stricter policies, reducing the number of days to return a product. But this is the tip of the iceberg. When businesses lose revenue, they may increase prices to make up for it. Sometimes, a significant amount of returns can drive a company out of business.
What happens if you make too many returns at Costco?
According to Costco’s website, this can result in the termination of your membership: “Costco reserves the right to refuse membership to any applicant, and membership may be terminated at Costco’s discretion and without cause.” Through the membership, employees can track purchases. This is why employees can find a transaction history and process returns without a receipt. However, the website doesn’t state the return limit.
@j_man707 How would you feel if you saw this? Years worth of clothing all well worn and used being returned. I was just mostly bothered by how long it held up the line. ##costco##scam##lifehack##savemoneytips##loser ♬ Illegal – PinkPantheress
The Mary Sue reached out to @j_man707 via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Costco via media contact form.
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