This Costco TikTok Hack Could Get Your Membership Canceled

Recently, a TikTok video went viral after the woman in the video returned a couch to Costco that was over two years old. The woman (named Jackie) indicated that she felt nervous when returning the old sofa and that she no longer had the receipt, but she'd decided she no longer liked it. The store took they couch back after looking up the purchase in the computer system.

Millions of viewers watched the video, with some commenting that this was abuse of the return policy. But others supported the returner since her behavior was technically within Costco's guidelines.

But while Costco is generous about allowing people to bring back items, the reality is that doing so could sometimes come with consequences -- including revocation of a Costco membership.

Costco's return policy is flexible but there could be a downside to ridiculous returns

It might surprise you to learn that Costco's return policy technically does allow for customers to return couches because they've changed their mind about whether they like them years after charging them on their credit cards.

The store's website promises there's a 100% satisfaction guarantee and says that Costco will refund your purchase price any time. (There are limited exceptions where there's a tighter timeline, such as for electronics and major appliances. And some items can't be returned to Costco at all, including alcohol, cigarettes, and event tickets.)

And the store did take back the sofa, and has taken back a number of other items that it may seem ridiculous to provide a refund for. In fact, Reddit threads are full of stories of returns that most people wouldn't find justified, including old mattresses, empty wine bottles (because the wine gave the drinker a headache), and plants that died.

However, just because the warehouse club does aim to ensure customers are satisfied -- and provides a remedy if they aren't -- doesn't mean anyone can just return everything all the time. That's because the store also has another important policy worth knowing about.

Costco's membership conditions make clear that the store can "refuse membership to any applicant, and membership may be terminated at Costco's discretion and without cause." And reports indicate that abuse of the return policy is one of the leading reasons for memberships to be terminated and customers to get a ban on renewing.

When does a ridiculous return justify a Costco ban?

There's no hard-and-fast rule about when you might be banned from Costco for returns that don't make much sense (like taking back a two-year-old couch). And ultimately, it's at the discretion of the store managers to determine when abuse of the return policy goes too far and a customer will have their account canceled because of it.

Returning one couch that's two years old might, by itself, not be enough to get an account shut down. But customers who have a pattern of purchasing and returning lots of expensive items or even the bulk of what they buy are very likely to be flagged in the system and potentially find themselves persona non grata at their Costco warehouse club.

For the most part, it's better to be safe than sorry and not make a return that seems, on its face, to be an unreasonable one. If you've used and enjoyed an item for a while, don't try to get the money put back into your bank account for it just because you can. Otherwise, you could end up costing your personal finances more later when your membership is canceled and you can't take advantage of Costco's deals in the future.