‘I am not sure I feel comfortable doing that’: Ohio woman makes a Costco return. Then she’s shocked by Costco’s return policy in action
Costco members love to brag about the warehouse club’s return policy–and for good reason. A plethora of TikToks show folks returning decade-old couches, dead flowers, and even a completely charred grill, among several purchases. So it’s no surprise that when one Ohio woman asked about Costco’s return policy, folks were quick to educate her.
In a viral clip, Kristen (@simply.diy.home), a DIY enthusiast, asked viewers whether they truly returned items at Costco only to upgrade to a newer version. Kristen was addressing a comment on a TikTok of hers where she informed her followers that Costco will have a new Christmas Tree this year. In that video, Kristen urges her followers to purchase the Costco tree over Home Depot’s. As she “already owns [a tree],” Kristen says she wouldn’t be getting the twinkling one.
This led a commenter to reveal that they would return their 3-year-old tree. Then, they would simply trade it for the new twinkling one.
“I’m just 100% curious: has anybody ever returned something [like that]?” Kristen asks in response to the comment. “I don’t know if I know anybody in person who has actually returned something like that.”
While she says she’s seen videos of people returning all sorts of purchases to get brand-new ones “for free,” Kristen admits she’s not “100% sure [she] feels comfortable doing that.”
It seems her viewers side-eye those who do return, too.
The ‘morality debate’ on Costco’s return policy
Much like the shopping cart theory, it seems Kristen’s viewers judge customers based on whether they return items. Several thought customers were abusing Costco’s return policy.
“I feel like those are the kind of people who will cause these types of return policies to end,” one stated. “I can 100% understand returning something after a year that should’ve held up but didn’t. But returning something perfectly fine just because you want something new feels wrong.”
Others had more personal experiences with the returns folks made.
“I worked there for 10 years. People would bring in trees after new years with tinsel still on it and rusted grills after summer ended,” a user shared. “We’d get all sorts of ridiculous stuff. People taking advantage of the lenient return policy is what made them change their electronic policy to only within 90 days.”
“My son works at Costco – the things he sees being returned is insane (shrubs dead at the end of the season, for example),” a second user wrote.
A viewer simply stated, “It comes down to morals. They know it’s wrong, but do it anyway.”
Many think this is the reason Costco changed its return policy.
“You definitely can return, the question is should you?” one asked. “Costcos and other companies know that good customer service keeps customers coming back and spending. It’s a marketing ploy. This seems abusive and returns like these are the reason Costco stopped letting you return everything, now certain items have limited return windows.”
Did Costco change its return policy?
In short, no. Costco hasn’t really diverged from its “Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee” return policy. There are a few exceptions, like electronics and diamonds, etc. However, according to reports, it has gotten stricter. A The Street article reported how “Costco has been known to cancel the memberships of people who abuse the company’s policy.”
Staff can track whether you return items regularly and can use their discretion to either deny your return. Or, they can cancel your membership entirely.
@simply.diy.home Replying to @Brett Guercio Is this really true? Is this how Costco’s return policy works? Do they just say okay or is it total chaos? ? #costcofinds #costcoreturnpolicy #christmastree ♬ sonido original – user69314024372
The Mary Sue reached out to Costco via media request form and to Kristen via email.
Update Sep. 9, 2025
In an email to the Mary Sue, Kristen shares that despite Costco’s general return policy, she wouldn’t use it to that extent.
“I love a good deal, but I also try to be fair,” she wrote. “If something was truly defective or didn’t work the way it was supposed to, I would take advantage of a return, but only within a reasonable time. I wouldn’t be bringing something back after two or three years just to swap it out for the newest version.”
When asked whether she thinks returning things at Costco is morally wrong, Kristen said she agrees.
“Costco is incredibly generous with their policy, and that’s one of the reasons people love shopping there,” she said. “But if too many people abuse it, at some point they’ll have to tighten the rules, and then nobody wins. I think it’s all about balance and using the policy as it was intended, not as a loophole.”
While she didn’t expect her video to gain the attention–and debate–it did, Kristen said it was “fun” to see how “something as simple as Christmas décor can spark such big conversations online.”
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