3 Costco Fails I'll Never Repeat

Shopping at Costco is something I do pretty much on a weekly basis these days. And as such, I've learned how to approach my shopping savvily.

But that doesn't mean I've never fallen victim to a Costco fail. Here are a few personal finance mistakes I've made in the past that I now know not to repeat.

1. Throwing out spoiled food instead of taking it back

One of the benefits of shopping at Costco is that the store has a very generous return policy. You can take back most items at any time for a full refund, with limited exceptions (electronics, for example, must be returned within 90 days).

Costco will also take back items that have quality issues -- such as food that spoils ahead of its expiration date. But years ago, I neglected to take advantage of that return policy. 

I'd purchased a premade fruit platter that went bad a good 36 hours before its sell-by date. Not wanting rotting fruit in my fridge, I dumped it and then realized my mistake. I lost out financially because I could've easily gotten my money back.

These days, if I'm in a situation where I have visibly spoiled food on my hands that was purchased from Costco, if I can't make it back to the store right away, I'll take a picture showing that it went bad ahead of its expiration date and take that to customer service instead of the item itself. I did this recently with milk that spoiled and got clumpy several days before its sell-by date so I didn't have to store it in my fridge. 

2. Impulse-buying cheesecake that made me sick

A few years ago, Costco had a red velvet Junior's cheesecake available for an unbelievable price. I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was considerably less than the regular price of that item.

The problem, though, is that I bought it to largely eat myself. My kids don't like cheesecake and my husband happened to be training for an athletic event at the time and wasn't really interested in eating it.

Now, I've found that many of Costco's desserts freeze really well. But cheesecake isn't one of them. You can freeze it, but it's not as good and creamy after being defrosted. 

As such, I tried to consume an entire cheesecake myself within a few days…and failed. I won't go into the details, but let's just say that eating even a single large slice several days in a row led to a world of digestive upheaval. (And no, I'm not lactose intolerant. This was just some really rich cheesecake.)

Nowadays, I have a rule that I'll only buy large-sized Costco desserts if I'm feeding a crowd. The only exception is Costco's muffins. Though you have to buy 12 at a time, those freeze beautifully, and every single member of my household enjoys them.

3. Not ordering a sheet cake on time

Costco's legendary sheet cakes cost $24.99 these days, but years ago, they were even cheaper. Given that they can easily feed a few dozen people, for me, they were my go-to option any time I was hosting a birthday party for my kids.

But Costco's sheet cake ordering system is a bit archaic. You can't place orders by phone or online. Instead, you have to physically go to a Costco store at least 48 hours before you want to pick up your cake, write down your order on a card, and drop it in a box outside the bakery. A while back, I forgot about that rule and tried to buy my cake on the same day, not realizing that I couldn't.

To be clear, my mistake was that I thought I could find a non-customized sheet cake at the last minute. But you generally cannot buy a sheet cake at all if you don't order it in advance. Instead, I had to rack up a larger credit card tab buying several birthday cakes at my regular supermarket to accommodate our guests. 

Because I'm now super familiar with Costco's rules -- and also, my own digestive limitations -- I'm less likely to repeat these specific mistakes. But I'm sharing them with you so that you can avoid them as well. 

If you ever find yourself with spoiled food, know that Costco will make it right, and resist the urge to dump it. Also, resist the urge to bring home desserts no single human should attempt to consume solo, and know the system for ordering sheet cakes if you're looking to feed a crowd.