3 Signs You're Taking Advantage of Costco's Generous Return Policy

Shopping at Costco can be a very positive experience -- and not just because of the savings involved. You can also benefit from Costco's exceptional customer service. And that extends to the store's generous return policy.

With very few exceptions, Costco will take any item back at any time that doesn't meet your expectations or is defective in some way. If you bring home a carton of strawberries and find that they've all turned moldy the following morning, you can usually bring them in for a refund without a hassle. And if you bring home a Halloween costume for your child that doesn't end up fitting into, it's really not a problem to return it a month later.

But while Costco's outstanding return policy is a great reason to shop at the store, it's important not to abuse it, as doing so could get your membership revoked. Here are a few signs that you may be pushing your luck when returning items to Costco.

1. You're bringing food back after its expiration date

If you buy Costco bread with a sell-by date of May 20 and find that it's stale by May 17 despite having been in a closed package, that's a valid reason to bring it back to Costco. But bringing back stale bread on May 25 in this same situation isn't going to fly as easily. 

Costco may agree to give you your money back in that situation. But if you pull a similar stunt repeatedly, you may get your membership yanked.

2. You're bringing back food that's more than 50% eaten

Many people buy bulk produce at Costco to help their budgets since many products are cheaper on a per-ounce basis. But if you get a bad batch of a given item, it means you could be out a lot of money. So in a situation like that, it pays to bring your produce back. However, the key is to bring back the bulk of it if you're going to ask for a refund. 

In fact, Costco's general policy is that if you're returning food on the basis of it not tasting good or meeting your expectations, you can only get your money back if you bring back 50% of the item. So let's say you buy a container of 40 blackberries and the first five you eat are sour beyond belief. You'll probably get your money back without a problem if you return the remaining 35. But if you return 12 blackberries out of 40, you may get some pushback (varies by location). 

And to be clear, this policy applies to all food purchases -- not just produce. If you buy a cake whose taste you feel is off, you can bring it back with a missing corner. But don't expect to get your money back if you only bring back one-third of the cake.

3. You're returning products that have clearly been worn or damaged

Costco will take back products even after they've been taken out of their packages and used. But returning items that are worn out or damaged isn't the right thing to do. 

Let's say you bought your child a swimsuit and needed to remove the tags so they could try it on comfortably. If it's a poor fit, you shouldn't hesitate to take it back. Chances are, it'll be in perfectly good condition after having only touched your child's body for the three minutes it took to give it a try. But don't let your child wear a swimsuit all summer long and then take it back to Costco with stains and worn seams.

Abusing Costco's generous return policy could cause the warehouse club giant to revoke your membership. Granted, this generally won't happen if you push the limits once or twice. But a pattern of bogus returns or refund requests could result in that fate, so be careful if you want to keep shopping at Costco.