ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Costco customer throws away his receipt before leaving the store — instantly regrets the move

A TikTok creator shared his experience with Costco’s 'receipt of shame' policy after losing proof of purchase.
PUBLISHED AUG 12, 2025
TikTok creator (M) and Costco (Cover image source: TikTok|@_jake.mp4, Getty Images|James Leynse,Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda)
TikTok creator (M) and Costco (Cover image source: TikTok|@_jake.mp4, Getty Images|James Leynse,Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda)

Costco may be a trusted supermarket brand, but some of its policies can annoy customers at times. A lot of people felt that way when a TikTok creator by the name of Jake (@_jake.mp4) shared his experience with one of the store’s policies. Getting some things off the shelves and getting checked out doesn’t end the process of shopping at their stores. One must get the receipt checked by a worker or scanned to exit.

Jake figured this out the hard way, as he had thrown away one of the receipts after shopping and was given what he called the “receipt of shame.” He uploaded a picture on TikTok of himself holding the folded 8.5 by 11-inch piece of paper, as per a report in The Daily Dot. The text overlay on the image read, “Guys don’t throw your receipt away before you leave Costco or you’ll have to wait 8 years for the receipt of shame.”

In the caption, the creator mentioned that he had only purchased a few items, like chicken nuggets, chocolate croissants, and breakfast sammies. Viewers shared their discontent with this policy in the comments section of the post. “I crumble mine up accidentally so many times and then go oh s***,” one user wrote. “Just walk out. If you paid, you paid. They can't hold you in the store lol,” wrote another.

“My receipt for cut off in the machine, and I had to go all the way back for my ONE 'easy in and out' trip to Costco. Apparently, they won’t let you exit without the whole receipt,” a third user wrote. Even the creator shared his thoughts in the comments section. “Waiting shamefully for them to come back with a fully grown 8.5x11 that is literally waving a white surrender flag,” Jake noted.



 

As far as Costco is concerned, it’s a good way of double-checking whether a customer has truly paid for those items and that they have been charged the correct prices. “We do this to double-check that the items purchased have been correctly processed by our cashiers. It’s our most effective method of maintaining accuracy in inventory control, and it’s also a good way to ensure that our members have been charged properly for their purchases,” the company website states.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photos By Joe Raedle
Image Source: Getty Images | Photos By Joe Raedle

However, there are some who refuse to show the bill of purchase at the time of leaving the store. One person who does that is also a TikTok creator with the handle @KernelDump. He said that he avoided having his receipts checked by the people at Costco or any other store, for that matter, since he scans and logs all of the details himself when he gets back home, per another Daily Dot report.

However, at Costco, one has no choice but to do it, and the creator is never comfortable when that happens. “That just eats me up inside, because I still don’t want to do it on principle,” he said in the video.


@kerneldump You will have to pry my sales receipt out from my cold unalived hands. #LossPrevention #Costco #Receipt #OCR #Scanner #infosec #cybersecurity #socialengineering #kerneldump @@CryptoKnight ♬ original sound - KernelDump

 

For more of such content, follow @_jake.mp4 on TikTok.

More on Market Realist:

Costco customer points out how the muffins they’re selling now are different: 'You had to...'

Costco issues list of recalled products that shoppers need to stop using — it could be in your home

If you had invested $1,000 in Costco stock 10 years ago — you’d be sitting on a massive fortune today

RELATED TOPICS COSTCO
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Those who are lucky enough to win it would have perhaps the best Christmas of anyone.
3 hours ago
The FTC stated Instacart misled consumers about costs, falsely advertised free delivery, and charged membership fees without consent.
4 hours ago
“We will never succumb to not being the best price and driving prices down for our members," CEO Ron Vachris said.
6 hours ago
Kiyosaki has time and again asserted that silver is the "most accessible and affordable" investment, as everyone can afford to buy it.
6 hours ago
"Excellent letter selection by Chantal! Congrats to her and her mama Norbit!!" a fan reacted.
11 hours ago
It is a job that requires one to be at their most energetic on every single day they come into work.
21 hours ago
The retailer hopes to make shopping experience a lot smoother for its loyal members.
22 hours ago
The components in the supplement could react with nitrate found in some medicines.
1 day ago
The economy is unpredictable at the moment, and macro policies have affected their spending habits.
1 day ago
The money would be sent to him by a wealthy Israeli-American family, who have been his friends.
1 day ago
This recall, affecting retailers like Costco and Publix is classified as a class 2 recall on December 4, indicating potential health issues.
1 day ago
“Congress did not intend that agencies could pay $86 million for their workers just to sit at home,” former OPM acting director said.
1 day ago
“For 150 years, they wanted a ballroom, and we’re giving them — myself and donors are giving them, free of charge for nothing," he said.
1 day ago
Contestant Ellie Williams, who is pregnant with her second child playfully revealed she would name her son "Ryan".
1 day ago
The figure is not a small one, and many believe that they won't be able to achieve that goal.
1 day ago
For millions, up to $1,000 could be added to their healthcare premiums.
1 day ago
The government is looking for 1,000 people who will be hired for a couple of years.
2 days ago
Despite being recalled, it was found on shelves for several weeks in November.
2 days ago
The President's tariffs have not made life easier for Americans so far at all.
2 days ago
As per rules a lottery prize's lump sum payment is lowered to $434.7 million following a 24% federal tax withholding.
2 days ago