A parody video mocking Costco’s easygoing attitude toward customer returns prompted dozens of people to share the most egregious abuses of the mega-retailer’s returns policy they’ve ever encountered.
Brian Herzog, a comedian from Toronto, shared a 37-second skit to his TikTok account, impersonating several Costco customers looking to take advantage of the store’s notoriously flexible return policy.
‘I saw a video about someone who returned a sofa without a receipt after years. “The comment section said Costco is returning everything,” Brian captioned the video, referencing a woman’s viral TikTok video in which she revealed she had returned a seven-year-old couch to the retail giant.
His first character demanded to “give back this nonstick pan.”
Toronto comedian Brian Herzog shared a satirical skit poking fun at Costco’s return policy
Costco has nearly 900 locations worldwide. Pictured is a stock photo
‘Reason of return?’ Brian’s Costco worker asked.
“It’s sticky now,” the customer replied, showing visible food residue on the item.
The return has been approved.
Brian then dressed up as a woman who wanted to return a couch she bought at Costco “maybe seven years ago,” with no proof of purchase.
Her reason: “I just don’t like it anymore.”
Once again, the Costco employee agreed to the refund. A little later she asked to be directed to the banking area.
Brian’s most concerning parody customers were a man who brought the remains of a “rotisserie chicken” he had purchased 24 hours earlier in a brown paper bag.
Still, the return was approved in Brian’s law.
Brian’s parody prompted many to share stories of people blatantly abusing Costco’s lax return policy
Judging from the reactions to the video, it appears that Brian’s satirical take on Costco’s return policy may not have been so far-fetched.
‘I worked there. A lady returned a book because she didn’t like the ending,” one person claimed.
“Costco employee here, the worst part is when someone brings back a pile of unopened food like meat, ‘we bought too much,’ and we have to throw it away,” a second complained.
“As a Costco employee, I’ve seen someone return a used toilet,” said a third.
“I worked at Costco, someone brought back a plant he killed months later,” a fourth volunteered.
“My dad bought old lawn mowers at the flea market and returned them to Costco. Bro was a threat,” a fifth shared, making their example sound straight up like a scam.
“Have you seen someone return a mattress after seven years and get the money back, they actually take it all back, lol,” a sixth chuckled.
“Former employee here: We repossessed a sofa with bed bugs. And a pile of scrap wood claimed to be a playground,” described a seventh.
“We have Canadians who come to Montana for the summer, buy kayaks for the summer and then return them before they go back,” someone else offered yet another creative way to game the returns system at Costco.
‘People have no shame. At my Costco, people return Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations after the celebration,” chides another.
Costco, which has nearly 900 locations worldwide, advertises a ‘Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee’ return promise on its website – with some specific exceptions, including a 90-day limit for electronics; and stricter rules regarding the return of diamonds larger than 1.00 ct.
Still, some claimed to have legitimate reasons for their Costco returns.
‘I returned a Nespresso machine that didn’t work properly and I still feel guilty. What gives people the courage?’ people wondered.
And as another protested: ‘I actually sent back a rotisserie chicken because it was completely raw inside.’
Still, some swore they had legitimate reasons to return their Costco purchases
In January, a Seattle mother of one documented her successful attempt to return a seven-year-old couch to the store without a receipt
Jackie Nguyen filmed herself loading the gray L-shaped sofa and chaise longue onto a trailer, and admitted she was a little nervous about the big return
In January, a Seattle mother of one documented her successful attempt to return a seven-year-old couch to the store without a receipt, admitting that she opted to try out the loose return policy because she could no longer accept it. liked the piece of furniture.
Jackie Nguyen filmed herself loading the gray L-shaped sofa and chaise lounge onto a trailer, and admitted she was a little nervous about the big return.
Once she got to the store, Jackie explained that she knew the approximate date she purchased the sofa because she had some photos showing the delivery on her phone, and a sales assistant was able to look it up for her.
“I told her around the date I bought it, she looked it up on the computer and told me exactly which one it was,” she said.
“I’m willing to say it’s very intimidating to go in there with a big purchase and then have to send it back,” Jackie admitted as she showed off the couch on the trailer.
She added, “A lot of people are staring at you.”
However, Jackie urged Costco customers to overcome their shame and return the item if they no longer want the item.
‘Bring it back. They have a great return policy,” she encouraged, though she advised customers to check their policies online first.
And she’s not the only customer taking advantage of the lax rules.
This week, an image of a customer bringing back an old TV from the 2000s also went viral on social media.
The image shows a vintage Samsung television on an iconic orange Costco flatbed cart in a Pennsylvania store.