‘They’ll put it on file’: Former Costco worker shares how you can get banned from making returns

Costco, known and loved for its variety of merchandise and affordability, has recently enjoyed some time in the spotlight for another aspect of its service to customers: An excellent return policy.

From returning Christmas trees and decorations after the holiday is over, to a whole couch after using it for two years, customers have flaunted their ability to utilize the bulk item store's policy.

But overusing this policy might lead to some customers being barred from making additional, more legitimate returns in the future, according to a former Costco employee. Previously, TikToker @psychoz28 has garnered attention for providing commentary on a customer's claim that they were able to return a play set used by their child since 2008. Now, the former Costco and Aldi manager is providing additional information for customers who may be abusing the retailer's return policy.

Beware of abusing the return policy

In a video shared to TikTok that has drawn over 62,000 views on the platform, @psychoz28 advises viewers that while it may get noted somewhere that a customer repeatedly returns items and eventually they may get blocked from making returns at all after a point, they will most likely not have their membership impacted.

"I get questions like this all the time," he says in the video. "No matter how many times you return something, they won't ever really kick you out. They'll put it on file that you keep trying to return things, and there will be a block in there so it won't allow you to return anything anymore, but your membership will still be active, you can still use it at the register."

Being barred from making returns will not come after a series of legitimate returns, he said.

"My last example was about somebody returning a play set, something like this," he says. "So in order to get blocked here, you'd have to do something like returning your electronics every 87 days just to get a new one so you wouldn't have to actually pay it outright. That would get you blocked. That's what they would consider something like a pattern of returns."

Whether or not a customer gets banned from making returns can also boil down to how the returns are noted by an employee, he said.

"Whenever you do go to return something there's a section at the bottom of the return screen on the employee side that says 'reason for return,'" he says.

The creator claims that most of the time the employee will leave it blank, but if they deem the reason for return "crazy," they'll fill it out.

"For example, that play set we just saw, you would put in the comments something like, 'returned a play set because his kid grew up, be careful of anything he tries to return going forward,'" he says.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @psychoz28 via comment on the video and TikTok direct message as well as to Costco via contact form regarding the video.

@psychoz28 Replying to @mywifemademe costco returns clarification!#greenscreen #costco #wholesale #retail #returns #membership #customerservice ♬ original sound - PsychoZ28

Should you return items repeatedly?

Even if Costco did accept these returns of heavily used products, there may still be an element of fraud involved. The practice of purchasing and returning items with the direct intent of using them for only a short time before taking them back to the store is a form of fraud known as "wardrobing." While customers are likely not wearing the play set or couch they purchased from Costco, using the product to its fullest and intending to return it to the retailer may represent a different version of this kind of fraud.

Some viewers shared that they had seen returns at Costco and similar retailers that crossed the line from legitimate return to abuse of the policy—and some resulted in the customer being banned.

"My costco had a guy return snow blower, then go buy lawn tractor. return that in fall to buy a new snow plower, repeat cycle till caught," one commenter wrote.

"I’ve seen on their screen it says 'customer notes exist' they also blocked me from purchasing anything online," another commented.

"Frmr employee:it's the used BBQ the Monday morning of the long weekends or super bowl," a commenter wrote.

Other viewers shared that they had made similar returns of large items with no issue.

"My mom did something similar," a commenter wrote. "Had a play set for a year, two at max, but it became a home to black widows and grandkids couldn't ever use it. Returned it no problem."

"i returned an inflatable hot tub after 3-4 years," another wrote. "No problemo."

"I returned a Christmas tree cause the bottom lights all burnt out 3 years later," one said.

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