A COSTCO buyer successfully returned a 20-year-old car part he found in his garage.
Although other shoppers were perplexed, Costco likely accepted the return because it ultimately benefits the retailer.
Costco is known for being very lenient with its return policy, which many shoppers fail to understand.
From half-eaten food to used mattresses, the retailer accepted many questionable items without hesitation.
Another such item was a 20-year-old car cassette radio that a Costco customer found in his garage.
One shopper shared the story with the r/Costco subreddit, surprised that the retailer refunded the customer the original $300 price.
Many shoppers are shocked by these types of returns, and some even consider them an abuse of Costco policy.
However, others speculate that the retailer may benefit in some way from the exorbitant returns.
One user noted that when a buyer arrives and makes a return, they will likely spend money while in the warehouse.
“When you return items, Costco anticipates that you will return to the warehouse and spend at least 50% of what they return,” they wrote.
“So… who’s the real winner now? And you’ll tell your friends about it.”
Another Redditor speculated that when Costco accepts returns, they don’t lose much money compared to how much the customer spends in the store.
“My store will look at the member’s total purchase history with these ridiculous returns to decide to accept it. If they spent $12,000 a year for the last 20 years with very few returns, my store would be happy to accept a 20-year $300 return. ,” they wrote.
“But if they spend like $200 every two years or so, my manager will probably pass. I bet something like that happened.”
Ultimately, Costco makes thousands off each customer and is probably willing to accept some ridiculous returns to get customers to come back and spend more money.
The retailer made a huge US$242.29 billion in 2023, therefore, returning items will not make or break the wholesaler.
COSTCO CHANGE
While the big-box retailer isn’t strapped for cash, Costco is taking steps to ensure non-members don’t reap the same benefits as members.
Non-members will no longer be able to shop at Costco’s food court as the retailer now requires shoppers to present their membership card.
Costco’s Crazy Comeback
Costco has a highly lenient return policy, leading many shoppers to return odd items to get their money back — including items that are years old.
Several notable comebacks include:
Now, only paying members can get food court deals, like an 18-inch pizza for $9.95 or a 20-ounce soda for 69 cents.
On April 8, the change was reportedly implemented at Costco stores in Orlando, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
In other Costco news, an employee shares how he gets “secret pizzas” at the food court and how members can rate them too.
Plus, Costco gets the green light to open one of the largest warehouses in the world — and you could see faster delivery.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
