Independent shoppers alarmed as Costco tightens its return rules
Costco is tightening its famously generous return policy, and independent members are finding that some returns now require extra proof of purchase and manager review — a shift retailers say comes amid heavy losses from fraudulent returns.
Independent: Managers are checking how often customers return items
For years, members could return nearly anything and receive a full refund regardless of how long ago the purchase was made or whether they had a receipt. That practice is changing: employees are asking for additional information for certain returns, and managers are checking customer return frequency before approving refunds.
How social media examples and fraud numbers pushed the change
The shift follows widespread social media stories of customers returning unusual items well after purchase — shoppers bringing back Christmas trees long after the holiday season has passed and other shoppers exploiting the 90-day electronics window. In 2024, fraudulent returns and claims cost U. S. retailers about $104 billion, Appriss Retail and Deloitte say, and companies are tightening rules in response.
What members experienced at the returns counter
Some members who were used to a lax policy found returns denied when they could not provide extra information or a receipt. Shoppers have posted viral examples of returned items ranging from dead plants to half-eaten meals and even 15-year-old couches. One member wrote on Reddit that the "former ‘no questions asked’ return policy of 10+ years ago has tightened up" and that employees now dig in on some items; another user said a perishable food return was refused after they opened a sealed box of bone-in goat meat and showed staff they had not touched the product.
Higher-priced categories are also seeing clearer time limits and documentation rules. Electronics bought online and in warehouses commonly fall under a 90-day return window, and jewelry and other big-ticket items are being handled with stricter proof requirements.
Orders and membership rules are changing too
Costco is also changing in-store processes: customers who used to fill out paper forms for custom cakes and deli trays will soon have to place those orders on the retailer's mobile app. The company continues to reserve the right to revoke memberships for those who abuse the return policy.
Members venting on Reddit and other platforms say the experience no longer feels like the easy, friendly return process they remember, and some customers were surprised to be turned away when they could not produce receipts or additional purchase details.
What’s next: the mobile app requirement for custom cakes and deli trays will roll out soon, and stores are applying tighter documentation checks at the returns counter while membership revocation remains an available enforcement tool for repeat abusers.
