Costco Is Now Refusing Returns on High-Demand Items Like Rice And Toilet Paper

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Notices posted at Costco this week indicate the store is no longer accepting returns on key items that many are stocking up on the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The signs, posted by several Costco Instagram accounts (not affiliated with the store itself), indicate that returns are not being accepted on toilet paper, paper towels, rice, water, sanitizing wipes, and Lysol.

It's not clear if the new policy is store-by-store or part of a national corporate push. Costco announced limits earlier this week on certain items that have seen a spike in purchases as customers stock up. This could be part of that policy, but we've reached out to Costco for more information. For the time being, it's best to refer to your local Costco for more information on its policies.

Regardless, commenters had positive things to say about the new policy, hoping that it will lead to fewer people panic-buying these items, as well as risking unnecessary contact by attempting to return them later.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/costco-now-refusing-returns-high-163400256.html

[spanone]

1. who returns food or toilet paper?

[bullwinkle428]

4. My guess is, profiteering assholes who hoped to make a quick buck, and realizing that

their scheme wasn't going to quite work out.

Good for Costco. Make the shitheads stand on a street corner, trying to sell their extra booty at cost.

[oasis]

18. +1

[Leghorn21]

25. Make them stand on a street corner and EAT their sanitizer and toilet paper

Oh damn, put it on PPV, who wouldn’t pay to watch THAT?!

Then take the cash and buy tp and sanitizer for ALL!!!!

miserable fkrs

[rufus dog]

34. Exactly

Deal with it MoFos

[onecaliberal]

36. Good for Costco

[relayerbob]

43. This

[NurseJackie]

8. I've returned food to Costco on several occasions.

If it's something that tastes awful, then I'm not going to power-through 20 more servings. I'm also not going to feed that many servings to the raccoons either (they only get table scraps).

Costco cheerfully accepts returns... and that keeps me wanting to try new things because I know it's "risk free" if I really don't like it. Costco's return policy basically means that I end up buying more, rather than playing it safe and only buying things (standards and staples) that I know we'll like.

[MissB]

15. Costco is particularly generous about returns

Ridiculously so. I’m glad they are limiting returns on these items

[customerserviceguy]

37. We all pay

for generous return policies.

[Dream Girl]

33. Costco accepts almost everything.iveseen this policy badly abused. After Memorial Day people return

Hamburger, chicken and other food item. Of course they are destroyed.

[lunasun]

59. Eeewww do they think chicken etc. will go back out on the floor for sale ?

Don’t have a freezer or can’t work into meal plans for the week ?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I, for one, wholeheartedly support Costco's decision not to accept returned toilet paper.

[NoMoreRepugs]

14. Subtle yet hilarious. Kudos.

[Thekaspervote]

38. +1000

[BeckyDem]

39. lol +1

[unblock]

58. wisecrack

[George II]

70. But, but, but.....it's only been used once. Almost brand new!

[jimfields33]

3. Good for them.

All stores should do the same.

[OriginalGeek]

20. Publix is

the big grocery chain in FL.

As someone who has been trying to find TP for the last week (not to hoard but because I'm almost out) I also applaud this decision. Make the hoarding shits choke on their own greed and thoughtlessness.

[jimfields33]

21. Awesome! That's my go to grocery store. Winn Dixie also.

[rockfordfile]

46. Publix is a terrible company. Been in their stores and they are nasty

[OriginalGeek]

54. No idea what stores you've been to

but every one I go to all over Orlando is always the clean and has great service. I think you're thinking of Winn-Dixie - I have never been in a WD that had clean floors and usually everything else looks dingy.

Even when they built a brand new WD across the street from our original neighborhood Publix that had been there for years. Within a week the WD was dirty but the Publix was clean and sharp. Within 3 years the WD closed. Because why go to filthy floor WD when there's a shiny Publix right there?

[PennyK]

63. No, it's good!

I've been living in Florida for a little over ten years now, and although Publix does seem to own the grocery world here, there's very little I can complain about. Clean, well stocked, friendly workers that will always assist you.
I got up early today and i was there when they opened...they had everything! We scored toilet paper, tissues, meat, chicken, everything on my list. Workers were disinfecting everything.

[TwilightZone]

65. Publix is routinely named one of the best stores in the country.

They've also been among the best companies to work for for 23 years straight.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/11/20/most-popular-grocery-store-in-every-state/40615695/

https://www.floridatrend.com/article/28778/publix-makes-fortunes-100-best-companies-to-work-for-list-for-23rd-straight-year-ranks-no-7-among-best-big-companies

[RobinA]

5. Take It Back!

I am a week away from needing toilet paper and the shelves are still bare!

[lagomorph777]

24. Hoarders will be selling it on street corners once the supply chain catches up.

[Thekaspervote]

41. When a Ntl lock down comes, they better not get caught!!

It’s rumored that here in Illinois we are 48 hrs away from a complete lock down (grocery, pharmacy, gasoline, banks)

Frankly, I welcome it! We have to stop this! Hoarding too followed by price gouging.

Think about the guy in TN that hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer. He was shut down by amazon and eBay, and when the TN AG got word of it, they confiscated all of it.

Price gouging is illegal during times of national emergency

[lagomorph777]

45. Even Italy has not locked down food stores and pharmacies

We'd kill way more people that way, than from the virus itself.

It does not seem plausible.

[Thekaspervote]

47. Did you read what posted? Don't imply that I posted what you are writing!!

[obamanut2012]

60. What you wrote reads like that -- the poster is correct

[lagomorph777]

81. "complete lock down (grocery, pharmacy, gasoline, banks)"

That's what you posted.

[DonaldsRump]

75. You are missing an "except"

...in the first line of your post in the parenthetical.

[former9thward]

80. The rumor you are trying to spread is false.

IL is not going on a lockdown nor will it.

[Tipperary]

6. Good. No patience for the hoarders.

Serves them right.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. While Looking For A New Thermometer...

...I've been to a Jewel-Osco, Meijer, & a Walmart that all had signs saying they were suspending their return policies.
One that I read completely said that if the return was for a defective product, people should hold onto it, until the policy was resumed, and returns would be honored no matter the amount of time passed.

[shanti]

17. Was looking at a kinsa smart thermometer

on Ebay. There is no 'buy it now', everything is bids, and the highest bid is at $255 for one now. It was being showcased on MSNBC a few days ago because it's bluetooth, and tracks fever trends. Bit too high for me though.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Bought A Braun

Pricey. $60. Only thing I could find.
But it works great & fast.
Goes in the ear.

[AtheistCrusader]

62. Mine seems... unreliable.

Wildly different readings minute to minute.

I've switched back to under-tongue thermometers for now.

[ProfessorGAC]

66. Really?

I know we've had it only a day. But, the scientist in me made me do multiple checks on both us. Over 2 days, probably 6 each, in duplicate.
I'm seeing +/- 0.2 F.
It's super important to keep the lens cap clean. Assuming you know, that, just double checking.

[AtheistCrusader]

68. It's basically brand new still.

And has the little disposable transparent hats.

I'll clean it again, and if it's not stable, I'll just assume I got a bad one somehow.

[ProfessorGAC]

69. I Suppose Any Product...

...has it's lemons.

[shanti]

72. That's the kind I have

It works just fine.

[ProfessorGAC]

73. Pretty Expensive For Thermometer

Isn't it? But, I had a Braun razor that lasted 10 years or more. And that was using it any day I didn't feel like blade shaving before work.
So, after this crisis, we might only use the thing 5 times a year.
Might last forever for us.

[shanti]

74. Yes, it is a bit pricey

But Braun is a reliable brand. I think I paid around that too. I have a Braun coffee grinder that is 25 years old and runs like a top. The touchless ones are the state of the art now though...if you can find one!

[lagomorph777]

26. Who needs a bluetooth thermometer?

That's just silly.

[Ilsa]

48. It's used to assist the CDC in tracking flu outbreaks. nt

[jberryhill]

76. Then they can pay the data providers

[AtheistCrusader]

71. My blood pressure cuff, blood oximeter, and blood sugar tester are all bluetooth enabled.

Pushes all records right to Apple Health. Can keep track of everything automatically.

It's mostly a matter of convenience, but it eliminates human error in the record keeping department.

[brewens]

9. I bought some masks online and got gouged, but only for $25 for 50. I now know I don't

really need them. I figure if I hear our hospital is short, I'll offer to donate them. I didn't even open the package yet thinking I could return them, but I'd have to ship to China.

[redwitch]

19. Your hospital is short.

Donate them ASAP.

[Leghorn21]

27. Your hospital is short, or will be very, very soon

Please donate your masks to them, brew - you could literally be SAVING LIVES

for real

[h2ebits]

55. Please donate your masks today! Someone's life may depend upon it--perhaps yours

[Kingofalldems]

10. Destroy the selfish hoarders!

[Siwsan]

11. Not like there's a short shelf life on any of those.

I've always bought rice in 20lb bags. I transfer it into gallon size zip lock bags and store them in sealed tins. Some of my favorite foods are best served on rice.

[Brainfodder]

12. Someone posted a picture of the Costco sign yesterday?

Hopefully all stores do this!

[hlthe2b]

13. No store should be taking returns on ANYTHING right now.

[grantcart]

49. All the stores I go to stopped accepting returns

Don't slice meats at their deli

No place to sit and eat in store

I was able to get TP because one store opened an hour early for seniors.

Never thought of myself as a senior before!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

51. K&R. They can't guarantee non-contamination and....

they sure as hell don't have the means to decontaminate tons of returned goods.

It's bad enough for them to be worried about products shipped in to them as being safe for sale AND protecting their employees from being exposed.

KY

[frazzled]

16. It's probably a safety measure

Just guessing.

[Hortensis]

29. THIS. And guessing would supersede all other reasons.

[Dream Girl]

35. No they imposed limits on it s and it isn't work. People over purchased anyway thinking I could jus

Return unused items later. This will help to curb some of that behavior

[Aquaria]

77. Space, too.

If all these idiots who bought 200 rolls of toilet paper try to bring back stuff, where would Costco put it all? They don't have unlimited room on the sales floor, the warerooms or their warehouses.

And then the time and effort to process the returns that could be used for other business they need to conduct?

Just a huge headache all around. They have enough to worry about these days. Let idiots face the consequences of their idiocy.

[LisaL]

22. Is anybody really trying to return toilet paper right now?

[PoliticAverse]

28. Hey, she hardly used it...

[doc03]

30. I haven't been to a sporting goods store I wonder if

guns and ammo are being hoarded again.

[dalton99a]

31. Big time.

[doc03]

32. I have enough ammo for a zombie apocalypse

but this could be worse.

[zackymilly]

64. I stocked up way back when it was legal to buy foreign military surplus ammo.

Dirty ammo, but it was very cheap.

[IronLionZion]

40. Hoarders should be put in the stocks and flogged

due to social distancing we can live stream it online

[William769]

42. Kick & highly recommended.

[C Moon]

44. Woo hoo! I hope they are doing that to those who bought out the stores last week, too!

[DemoTex]

50. Happened during the Y2K hoarding frenzy too.

n/t

[grantcart]

52. Went to Costco yesterday and they had elaborate procedures for

Sanitation and customer "distancing"

[onenote]

53. They can't be certain about the safety of returned items.

They can sanitize what they control. But they can't safely have employees handle stuff brought in from outside.

[Cha]

56. Our Kauai store had the sign last night.

As many of us were looking for TOILET PAPER!!!

[Ilsa]

57. Some of us always keep a pantry full of items

we deem necessary or for comfort. We don't panic buy, but I guess some people would consider it "hoarding." The thing is, those of us who do this are usually willing to share with those who haven't prepared. I've already shared paper goods with a neighbor who ran out and couldn't find what they needed.

Sometimes, if a food item gets shoved back on the shelf, it expires and I have to throw it out, but for me, that is the price of staying prepared. I know that most people can't afford a full pantry, and my heart goes out to them.

[Stinky The Clown]

61. Ms Cost and Ms Co are to be commended! Brava!

Seriously, this is good policy.

[bucolic_frolic]

67. Stores should always limit quantities

They serve the public, not just the greedy ones.

[Aquaria]

78. Well, stores will accommodate large orders, in certain instances

My husband has a few regulars who order big for big occasions. There's a fireman who orders a huge quantity of cake mixes to bake at the station when they're not having to put out fires, and I think he also does bake sales to raise money for his kid's sports team. There's a woman who cooks a massive amount of tamales for her parish's events periodically. And some other ones I'm forgetting right now, but who call him up and let him know--hey, time to order up.

But they don't come in and wipe out the shelves of everything the store has. They talk to their point guy, and he arranges the orders for them.

People are always surprised when I tell them all the things that grocery stores will do for them. If they would ask. Even the big, seemingly impersonal chains do a lot of the same things.

Well, before this hoarding crap wiped them out.

[Freethinker65]

79. Good. Perhaps they can add a list of local food pantrys gladly accepting donations