The 7 Most Ridiculous Returns Made at Costco
Anyone who has ever worked in retail knows that sometimes, shoppers can be difficult (to put it nicely). So, when asked, "For Costco Employees: What's the most outrageous item that was returned at Costco? And what was the result?" on Reddit, the wholesale company's employees gladly came out of the depths of the Internet to share their most ridiculous return stories. Here, we've rounded up seven of the best of 'em.
1. An Empty Wine Bottle
One Reddit user, jb2255, writes that he once saw a woman return an empty bottle of wine because "it gave her a headache." Maybe we're wrong, but we think the woman might have been suffering from what we call a "hangover."
2. A "Vintage" Boombox
The wine bottle isn't the only shocking return that jb2255 has seen at Costco: The user also reported someone who returned a Sony boombox that was more than 10 years old - and they still had the receipt!
3. An Old Laptop
When an online return for a brand-new laptop crossed Reddit user bloodsponge's desk, it was approved - but what was actually shipped to the store was not so new. "The guy had peeled off the serial sticker from his brand new laptop and taped it onto [an 8-year-old] laptop," bloodsponge writes.
4. An Even Older Fish
Reddit user Xianricca's horrific Costco return story just might take the cake: The user writes that a woman once tried to return a 13-year-old fish after leaving it in her freezer and forgetting about it. She threatened to call corporate if she wasn't allowed to return it - so return it, she did.
5. An Already-Eaten Steak
After buying (and evidently eating) a $200 vacuum-packed ribeye steak, one Costco member returned a container of cooked bones and fat. And according to this Reddit user, they were entirely reimbursed for their return.
6. A Smelly Safe
Reddit user iheartrms had to call the police after receiving this unexpected return: The large safe, which was originally purchased online, was brought back to the store smelling strongly of marijuana.
7. A Dead Plant
A few months after Costco's Garden Centers close, Reddit user ManicHispanic85 writes that members are known to return dead plants. Because why take responsibility for not properly taking care of them, right? (Ugh.)
[h/t Reddit]
