Is there a downside to Costco's generous return policy? Between moldy bacon, spoiled fish, and other culinary horrors, we'd have to say yes.
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00:00Is there a downside to Costco's generous return policy? Between moldy bacon, spoiled fish,
00:05and other culinary horrors, we'd have to say yes. Due to its perishable nature,
00:10this one shouldn't feel too surprising. General produce like spinach, avocados,
00:14oranges, and salad kits appears to be a top-returned food item purchased from Costco.
00:19Across online platforms, alleged employees and shoppers confirmed this,
00:23citing issues such as soggy greens or rotten berries that ultimately end in a customer refund.
00:28One alleged Costco worker offered up an explanation as to the potential why
00:32behind the quality issues associated with the company's fresh produce. They wrote,
00:36Entire problem is the Costco supply chain is not keeping produce well refrigerated.
00:40I'd say 95 percent of boxes of clamshell lettuce I see at Costco are already going
00:45bad while sitting there in a store. Yet I can walk down to the local grocery store
00:49and have zero such problems with clamshell container lettuce. Given the mass piles of
00:53perishables stocked by Costco at any given time, we can certainly see how keeping them
00:57sufficiently chilly might be a hurdle. Still, refrigeration might not be the only problem,
01:02and there are many other factors that could be at play. All we know is that
01:05slimy salad kits are brought back to the warehouse relatively frequently in the Costco universe.
01:10With its competitive prices, there's no better place than Costco to stock up on bottles of wine,
01:15cases of beer, or handles of liquor for a large event.
01:18When they're here picking up groceries and get a case of beer,
01:21bottle of wine, some coolers, it's really good.
01:24But what happens if the crowd drinks less than you anticipated? Well,
01:27thankfully, throngs of customers report that the company's generous return policy
01:31extends to previously purchased alcohol. As long as the state's liquor laws allow for it,
01:36Costco will take back that case of IPA no one touched. And if you're worried it might feel
01:39weird to take advantage of this particular policy, rest assured a number of online threads
01:44suggest shoppers take advantage of this benefit in spades. But just because you can doesn't mean
01:48you should, and some employees appear to hold contempt for the alcohol return policy.
01:52One alleged worker on Reddit described their attempt to talk management into dissolving this
01:56policy. Their reasoning was that liquor, and beer and wine in particular, is sensitive to
02:01temperature changes. For example, drinks that have cooked in the hot sun at a barbecue over
02:05the course of an afternoon might have their taste permanently altered as a result. This
02:09may cause issues for the next shopper, who places them in their cart when they ultimately go back
02:13on the floor for resale. Despite return clerks' disdain, however, the policy still stands.
02:18Between mass event returns and a widespread Costco vodka recall in 2023,
02:23it's safe to say that booze makes the cut as a top-returned item.
02:27It isn't hard to tell when chicken has gone bad, but there's nothing more disheartening
02:30than when it has. It's never fun to peel open that bag of breasts you purchased from Costco,
02:35your pan and seasonings already prepped, only to be sent back reeling by a whiff of stinking poultry.
02:40And while your meal plans may indeed be ruined for the evening, you can at least get your money
02:44back. It's a sad reality that chicken, with its perishable nature, can spoil relatively quickly.
02:49Considering the chicken needs to take the long journey through a processing facility and gets
02:52thrown into the back of a transport truck before it ends up on shelves, it's not particularly
02:57surprising it can turn quickly. Online reports of spoiled chicken breasts abound among Costco-goers,
03:02who usually don't notice the bird's contaminated condition until after they are already home.
03:06As one customer wrote,
03:07I bought a pack of chicken breasts a few days ago from Costco that wasn't supposed to expire
03:11till June 18th. I opened it today and there was a rotten smell and some of the pieces were
03:15starting to go off color. The good news? Under these conditions, Costco will always refund the
03:20affected products. Rather than carting the stinking chicken back to the warehouse in your car,
03:24however, alleged shoppers and employees alike recommend bagging and freezing the
03:28item before transport to eliminate the issue of more bacterial growth.
03:33There's a reason fishermen throw their catches on a big bed of ice the second they pull them
03:36out of the water. Seafood's freshness can be very temperamental. Despite Costco's best efforts to
03:41keep its outsourced seafood in good shape for its crowds of hungry shoppers, many online reports
03:46confirm spoiled fish still happens. Slimy fish with a questionable stench days before its sell-by
03:51date is reported relatively frequently in online discussion forums. And, perhaps unsurprisingly,
03:57the recommended course of action in this situation is to return it. As one Redditor wrote in a thread
04:02discussing a shopper's rancid salmon,
04:04Bag it. Freeze it. Take it in on your next trip. Give them a call now to let them know about it
04:08so they can put comments in your membership that you've already notified them. This way,
04:12they know you're not just bringing in old fish if you can't make the return trip sometime soon.
04:16While salmon seems to have the most consistent issues, products like sea bass or Dungeness crab
04:20pop up on occasion as well. Keep this information in mind before your next Costco seafood run.
04:25This sounds fishy.
04:27Despite its bad reputation, red meat can be worked healthfully into many diets. Rich in iron,
04:32protein, zinc, and more, the occasional serving of ground beef, steak, or lamb can serve up some
04:36great-tasting vitamins and minerals. But what should a juicy slab of steak decidedly not serve
04:41up? Well, food poisoning for a start. Eating spoiled red meat can lead to illness if consumed,
04:45which is why many Costco patrons who crack open a smelly pack of beef immediately wrap it up and
04:50bring it back to the warehouse for a refund. Unfortunately, incidents regarding bad red meat
04:54ending in returns pop up relatively frequently on online platforms. But should you be on the
04:59receiving end of a spoiled rack of lamb in the future, it's worth noting that alleged Costco
05:03employees insist the item in question must be brought back to the warehouse from which it was
05:07purchased to receive your money back. This is obviously not the easiest task where dripping,
05:12deteriorating meat is involved, so you may want to consider wrapping it in multiple bags or freezing
05:17prior to making the trek. A 40-ounce bag of mixed nuts from Costco averages around $14.99. While
05:24this is an economical price for such a large bag of portable, healthy fats and proteins,
05:28it still means $15 for nothing if said bag is inedible. Sadly, many Costco members have been
05:34left mourning their cash after tasting their almonds, pistachios, or cashews at home. Brancid
05:39or burned batches of various roasted nuts from the wholesaler are commonly brought up in Costco
05:44return discussions on online platforms like Reddit.
05:46"...uh, nuts."
05:48My first Costco food return in 21 years reads the title of one of these threads,
05:52which features a photo of Kirkland's fancy mixed nuts product. The thread was littered
05:56with customers calling out the retailer's walnuts, pecans, cashews, and other nut varieties
06:01for flavor and texture issues that have ended in issued refunds. It's worth noting that it is not
06:05unusual for high-fat, high-oil foods like nuts to go bad more quickly. These products are chock
06:11full of lipids, which oxidate, so it's perfectly natural for there to be a few spoiled bags among
06:16Costco's copious good ones. If you happen to snag a bad bag in the future, don't despair. You can
06:21always return it and grab another. Chances are, this second batch will be just perfect for your
06:26next healthy homemade snack.
06:27We've all done it. Opened a pack of savory bacon intent on fixing a breakfast to die for,
06:32only to be met with a collection of pork slices covered in slime. Sadly, spoiled bacon happens
06:37often, and no grocery store is immune from putting out a bad pack every now and then.
06:41"...what the hell is this?"
06:44Since this is just the way the pork sizzles, it shouldn't come as too big of a shock that
06:48bacon is included among the top returned food items from the wholesale company. The internet
06:52is littered with posts created by consumers reporting moldy, stinky, and slimy bags of
06:57bacon from their favorite membership club. As one customer wrote,
07:00I buy the Kirkland brand bags of bacon bits quite regularly. Great for salads.
07:04I opened a new bag this past week and was a little horrified at the fact that the
07:07bacon was rampant with mold. Obviously need to return. But I can't get to a Costco soon,
07:12and now this bag is fully open, the meat will deteriorate even faster.
07:16Luckily, there's plenty of advice on how to go about getting a refund for that bad
07:20batch of bacon online as well. Either zipping the affected bacon into a plastic bag, freezing
07:24prior to transport, or taking a close-up photo of the putrid slices seem to be acceptable methods.
07:30Of course, the best way to go will depend on your individual Costco and its requirements.
07:34While we certainly hope you're spared the disappointment of a ruined breakfast,
07:37we encourage you to follow in your fellow shopper's footsteps and get a
07:40refund for your pork-induced sorrow if you're not.
07:43It's a done deal. It's pretty much a done deal."
07:45We all dream of a perfectly cold, fresh pour of milk to dump over our morning cereal,
07:49but when it comes to Costco's dairy or almond milk variants, this dream is not
07:52always a reality for shoppers. Issues like broken safety seals resulting in leaking
07:57containers and spoiled contents are reported relatively frequently by warehouse shoppers.
08:01In fact, one Costco-goer posted to Reddit about an even weirder milk mishap they experienced.
08:07They wrote,
08:07"...we recently bought the three-pack of 2% organic milk, and upon opening the pack,
08:11we realized one of the cartons was totally empty yet sealed like the rest of the cartons."
08:15And given Costco's gracious return policy, there's no reason to simply toss that gallon
08:20you cannot use into the garbage when you can have your money refunded. Members can,
08:24and do, take advantage of this benefit when they receive blemished milk,
08:27and the Costco return desk employees don't blame them. As one self-professed employee
08:31on Reddit wrote in response to a customer's post complaining about a drippy carton,
08:35"...honestly, at my membership desk, I'd give you the refund purely for the hassle
08:39of needing to deal with a leaky gallon of milk, regardless of if you brought it back."
08:42While this particular customer probably regretted buying milk at Costco at that
08:46moment, we're sure that these incidents are the exception, and not the norm.
08:50We wish you luck in selecting one with proper freshness in the future.
08:53Bread
08:54You may know it as the outer layer of your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,
08:57or the vessel for our avocado toast. From wheat to white to sourdough,
09:01bread is featured in diets all around the globe. And since Costco is one of the leading membership
09:05retailers, it's safe to say a large chunk of the world's bread is purchased from the wholesaler.
09:09But if you're planning a bulk buy of some Dave's Killer Bread from the warehouse anytime soon,
09:14you may want to brace yourself for the possibility of return. Recently,
09:17various types of Costco bread have come under fire for quality issues.
09:21Online reports of moldy products from both the bakery and bread aisles abound,
09:25and consumers don't hesitate to throw the fuzzy-looking loaves right back into their
09:29trunks for a refund. Some people, however, insist that mold growth on Costco's bread
09:33isn't necessarily a bad thing. For example, one Redditor noting that bagels that haven't
09:38been processed as much as other options will mold faster. To stave off some less-than-stellar spores
09:43following your next fresh bread purchase, you may want to consider refrigerating or freezing
09:48your haul to extend its shelf life. Avoiding storage on the counter might be the way to go
09:52if you want to avoid the hassle of a moldy return.
09:55Yogurt
09:55Yogurt is a delicious, easy way to scoop some extra protein and probiotics into your diet.
09:59If you're particularly fond of the smooth, dairy-based treat,
10:02Costco is a great spot to stock up on large amounts of yogurt for cheap.
10:06From large tubs to single-serving cups, Costco Wholesale has got you covered for your yogurt
10:10needs. At least, it seems that way. But after you get your haul home, grab a spoon, and peel
10:15off the safety seal, the contents might not be what you expect. Posts made by disappointed shoppers
10:20on online platforms declaring the presence of mold in their various yogurt products from Costco
10:25go back years. More recently, the issue of moldy dairy from the company was staggeringly widespread.
10:31Everybody stop! Put down your gooseberry and cinnamon yogurts!"
10:35In September 2024, a nationwide recall on strawberry-flavored Greek yogurt cups from
10:40Costco was issued in Canada. Notably, returns were granted to all customers who had made a
10:44purchase from the affected batches. Between this event and the more isolated incidents that came
10:48before, Costco yogurt appears to have gained a reputation as a frequently returned item.
10:54Whether it's enchilada or burrito night, you're going to need tortillas. It may seem like a
10:58no-brainer to add the grain product to your Costco list. However, customer reports indicate
11:03the track record of Costco's assorted tortilla selection is less than perfect, and often ends
11:07in returns. In one Reddit thread, a user reported that they'd been buying the same brand of tortillas
11:12from the wholesaler for years. But recently, they started encountering issues. They wrote,
11:16About three months ago, I bought a bag and it developed this mold. I returned it and got another
11:20one. Same thing in one bag, and spotted green mold in the other. The third time, I purposefully used
11:25both bags quickly and still had to toss a few at the end. They went on to say they held off on
11:30buying another bag for a month, in case the issue had to do with the singular batch. Sadly, they
11:34encountered the same problem and posted a picture of the moldy tortillas as proof. Unfortunately,
11:38this consumer is not alone in their experiences, and mold appears to routinely be the cause for
11:43tortilla refunds. The next time you buy your wraps from Costco, maybe consider sectioning them out
11:48and popping them in the freezer to preserve shelf life. Doing so might just save you an
11:52inconvenient ride back to the warehouse, after all.