You Won't Believe Some of the Wild Things I've Returned to Costco

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As someone who's been shopping at Costco every week for many years, I can honestly say that I'm super impressed with the store's offerings. Whether it's baked goods, snacks, clothing, or home goods, I'm happy with my purchases more than 99% of the time.

But there are, of course, exceptions. Sometimes, a Costco purchase of mine won't work out, like when I purchased milk that spoiled well ahead of its sell-by date. The good news, though, is that Costco is extremely generous with its return policy. And if you're taking something back due to quality issues, like clumpy milk multiple days before the sell-by date, you can bet on getting a hassle-free refund -- and an apology, too.

But sometimes, I feel that Costco's return policy is almost too generous for its own good. Here are some of the wild things I've returned to the store for a full refund.

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1. Half-eaten cheese

Years back, I bought a two-pack of feta cheese and consumed the first pack without issue. The second pack, however, grew mold well before its sell-by date, so I took it back and got refunded.

In this case, my return wasn't so outlandish -- there was a clear quality issue at hand. What I couldn't believe, though, was that Costco refunded my entire purchase when I explained that I'd clearly eaten half of it.

I didn't even ask for my money back in full. All I wanted was a 50% refund. But Costco's rule is either you're 100% satisfied or you get 100% of your money back. There's no such thing as a partial refund when you make a return.

2. Unused burgers and hot dogs

Last year, we were hosting a barbecue and weren't sure how many guests to expect. We stocked up on meat the day before and wound up with a ton of burgers and hot dogs left over that we hadn't removed from the fridge or cooked.

We couldn't freeze our extras -- we were all out of room. So my husband suggested we return the unused burgers and hot dogs to Costco the next day. I didn't think that would fly, but it did.

To be fair, there was still plenty of time before that meat's sell-by date. But we're talking about a highly perishable product here. I doubt Costco is able to resell returned meat because it can't guarantee that it was properly refrigerated outside of the store.

I still feel kind of bad that we took that meat back. But I guess if that's the policy, so be it. Also, it was the only time I've returned perishable food due to having bought too many groceries. Any other food-related return I've made has been related to early spoilage or another obvious problem.

3. A child's dress that sat in my closet for more than 12 months

When my cousin got married years ago, I ordered a pair of matching party dresses from Costco for my twin girls. One of my daughters loved the dress, and the other one hated it -- because of course. So I went and ordered a replacement dress, stuck the rejected Costco dress in the back of my daughters' closet, and proceeded to forget all about it.

It was more than a year later when I discovered that unworn dress during a closet cleanout. I was convinced Costco wouldn't take it back due to the amount of time I'd had it, but lo and behold, I was able to get a refund without an issue.

Know how Costco's return policy works -- and don't abuse it

Clearly, Costco is pretty great about taking items back. But as a member, you should know that not every item is eligible to be returned. You can't bring back cigarettes, alcohol, or gift cards. And you only get 90 days to return electronics.

You should also know that abusing Costco's return policy could put you at risk of having your membership revoked. But you do have to go to some extremes for that to happen. Occasionally returning food on the basis of not liking it won't cause you to lose your membership as long as you're clearly bringing the bulk of that item back, nor will returning clothing 14 months after the fact like I did here and there.

But if you're bringing back partially eaten food every week, Costco may start to take notice. And if you consistently return items that have clearly been used, that, too, could become an issue.

However, you should never hesitate to bring items back to Costco that are defective or to return food with a clear quality issue, like my moldy feta. Groceries are super expensive these days, and you may be on a tight budget. So there's no need to settle for spoiled food when Costco allows you to bring it back.

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