Costco Is Offering Refunds on One of Their Most Popular Drinks—Here's Why
Regular consumers of a specific alcoholic drink available at Costco have been suspecting something is up lately with their beloved beverage of choice. And while customers filed their complaints through hundreds of reports on social media, describing a strange and unusual taste, Costco remained silent on the subject entirely...until now.
Kirkland Signature American Vodka was first reported several weeks ago by customers as severely dropping off in quality and tasting “off.'' On a Reddit post, the claims were racking up by the hundreds about the drink tasting awful, with one customer after another chiming in with their recent experiences. Some people claimed the vodka tasted like chemicals, acetone and Flintstone vitamins. Although maybe that last one isn't so terrible? Nonetheless, it's a collaboration nobody asked for.
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One consumer described how they “drank a portion” thinking it was just in their head, and then ended up pouring the rest out, noting “it was that bad.” Another experienced Costco shopper offered an alternative in this uncertain time, “Kirkland Signature French. Don’t waste time with this one.”
At first, the complaints seemed to not even be on Costco’s radar. The popular membership warehouse issued no recalls for the product and remained remotely silent. On August 15, however, a notice was sent out to customers who had purchased the vodka between June 12 and August 10, detailing their awareness of the foul taste in the popular vodka.
"It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product," the retailer wrote. “While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations."
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While the cause of the drop in quality is still unknown, an alleged employee claimed that the affected vodka batches may have been transported in a container that was not completely cleaned before reuse. This could cause the vodka to take on the flavors of whatever was in the container last. In any case, Costco’s notice left customers just as confused as before, leaving out the details we all needed to solve this case.
The notice does urge customers who purchased the vodka from the affected lots and are unsatisfied with the product to return it to their local Costco warehouse for a full refund. Lot codes are located on the lower portion of the bottle, and if yours matches one of the 27 lot codes detailed in the notice, you might just have one of the awful tasting elixirs in your possession. Now it’s up to you: return the vodka or enjoy your new Flintstones Vitamins-flavored mixed drink?
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