My advice is to try out all the free food!
Also if you bought something recently and it goes on sale afterwards, then go and bring it to the return desk and ask if they can reduce the price to the sale cost. I did this multiple times.
going to returns is by far the worst thing to do at Costco. The lines are always so long, seemingly intentional.
We have a new Costco in our area. I think official opening is Saturday but I have heard noise about pre-opening and free samples. I am looking forward to checking it out and probably joining because it is relatively close. If we don’t get enough use out of it we might not renew, but will likely join now.
@ProfessorPlum168 That’s because they have an excellent return policy. I wouldn’t mind waiting in a long line if I could get the item I bought for cheaper or a refund on something I don’t want.
Yes the return policy. I have heard some one returned an item that was bought 5 years ago. I just returned a broken vacuum cleaner that was bought year and half ago, they did not even ask for a receipt, they just process the return. I have gotten $50 discounts for items I bought months ago and it went on sale when I got in. I did not bring the item because it was installed and I don’t have the receipt, all I have to do is to buy the item on sale and go to the return counter, they process the return which I have just bought at the higher price.
They have your entire purchase history probably when you first join.
@artloversplus I heard that one person turned in a phone that was 8 years old. I don’t think they ever opened the box but still. That’s pretty outdated.
I found a list of crazy things people tried to return to Costco. I thought 7 was the funniest.
https://www.thethings.com/15-craziest-things-people-tried-return-costco/
I returned the remainder of a bottle of store brand allergy medication since the side effects didn’t abate after 2 weeks. No problem getting a full refund, no receipt needed.
I think it’s inappropriate to return a used bottle of medicine to a retailer. That kind of stuff is what leads to price increases. I can’t imagine doing something like that.
Thought I’d share this for Costco regulars…I posted it on the Dressing Young thread as well because someone mentioned Birkenstocks…
Speaking of Birkenstocks, Costco apparently is going through a slew of them. I saw a posting on Instagram showing they were online - 3 different styles and the price point was around $55 - one of them was sort of a slide. I just happened to be in Costco after work and I heard someone ask a store worker if they had them . He said they had some last week but that they went FAST. He also told her that the Ann Arbor store was going to be getting 100 pair tomorrow if she wanted to make the trip. 100 pair in Ann Arbor - those are history!!!
I also thought it was interesting that he knew what another store was getting.
So if you have any interest keep checking online for restocks or your store if you get there at the right moment!
@MomofWildChild , It was their over-the-counter store brand allergy medicine that had side effects not present on the name brand. It was a big bottle and I used it for maybe two weeks. I don’t think the return was inappropriate. If I couldn’t try and return if dissatisfied, I would never have tried it. And I used the money from the return to buy the alternative over-the-counter store brand allergy medicine which worked great. Why would that lead to price increases any more than any other return that can’t be resold?
I just wouldn’t return a consumable because it didn’t work out for me. You stop using it, put it under the counter and maybe another family member can use it at some point. To me it’s like returning a half container of yogurt because you didn’t like the taste. This is just my view. I guess you and others might disagree. It honestly would never occur to me to return something like that unless it was rancid or had an expired date on it.
Never assume that generics would be equivalent to a brand name med! Generics =/= brand name. The API is the same, the dose is the same, but there could be slight differences in formulation affecting how that drug gets absorbed by certain populations. That said, I would never return half consumed bottle of pills. Or food that has been half eaten - unless it was recalled.
If you push these stores too far though, they will end your membership.
I overheard a lady returning food that she purchased for a party. She overbought and didn’t want the extra. They made the return, but they told her they would have to throw out any items that require refrigeration. Didn’t bother the lady one bit. I could never expect a store to lose money by covering my overestimated need.
I used 14 out of 365 tablets. I keep feeling the need to justify - LOL. And obviously, I would never return something like an unused expired epipen (In fact, every time I dispose of an expired one, I am thankful we didn’t have to use it!) I also have never returned food because I over-purchased nor have I returned half-eaten food. Actually, I don’t think I have ever returned food, full stop.
@BunsenBurner , good point about generics. Lesson learned!
OK, I’m done justifying now. Moving on to other things I love about Costco!
I’m the opposite I rarely return anything.
Back to Costco- I need a car rental for August in Seattle. Costco has the lowest prices of the three spots I’ve checked.
We get gas, tires, glasses, contacts, otc medications, prescription medications, toilet paper, paper towels, saran wrap, ketchup, mustard, k-cups at Costco. We’ve also bought a computer monitor, dvd player, and a tv at Costco. Other then that we don’t buy much food there…way too much for our family. And we don’t have a ton of room in our fridge, freezer or pantry. Someone suggested getting a second freezer, but that seems frivolous. We just buy less. We have enough stuff piling up in our freezer as it is…
@abasket Not all of us have a freezer large enough to keep putting stuff in…our freezer is full of stuff that’s been put in and forgotten about. I’d rather buy the quantity of bacon that we’ll eat. We’re trying to shop better and not waste so much food or just throw stuff in the freezer where it piles up. We do buy condiments and stuff that lasts forever at Costco… Also, unless you use chicken stock often, you don’t need 12 cans. I rarely use chicken stock, so I’ll go buy a can when I need it.
@doschicos I’m with you, repackaging stuff to freeze can be a hassle. And then you have to throw away all the excess packaging.
I love the Costco chickens, but S and I are the only ones who eat it. H doesn’t like chicken. D doesn’t live with us and she’s not a huge fan of chicken either. So just S and I eat it…