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 / NEWS

Costco customer returned $1,400 playground set from 2008 simply because his 'kids grew up'

The worker recounted that there was a 16-17-year-old pushing the cart who might have been one of his kids.
UPDATED NOV 26, 2024
A view of a Costco store and screenshots of the employee and the playground set | (Image sources: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan and TikTok | @psychoz28)
A view of a Costco store and screenshots of the employee and the playground set | (Image sources: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan and TikTok | @psychoz28)

Apart from offering great discounts on a variety of products, Costco is famous for its more than liberal return policy. There have been several viral stories where people have returned products that were years old. A similar but unique story from a Costco worker went viral earlier this year. In the video, @psychoz28 explained how a customer successfully returned a $1,400 play set simply because his kids grew up.

In a video that now has over 2.3 million views, the worker shared that he had been working at Costco for over 5 years and has serviced multiple sections of the store. He said that he used to work at the 'Membership' section which he described as basically the customer service section.

Screenshots from the TikTok video | TikTok | @psychoz28
Screenshots from the TikTok video explaining details of the return | (Image source: TikTok | @psychoz28)

He said that in the section, there were several planks that informed customers about their return policy. He explained that merchandise bought by members could be returned anytime and there were only some exceptions like electronics which needed to be returned within 90 days. 

Recalling one incident, the worker said he was called to the Membership area to assist a customer with a return. “I see a guy standing there with one of those orange flatbed carts. It has a whole bunch of pieces to a playground set,” he recalled. He then said that he had to help the customer find the receipt for the play set as he wanted to return it.  

Once he found the receipt in the system, he realized that the playset was bought in 2008 for $1,399. “I look at him and I ask, ‘What’s the reason for return?’”  To this, the customer replied that he was returning it because his "kids grew up“. The worker recounted that there was a 16 to 17-year-old pushing the cart who might have been one of his kids.

Screenshots from the TikTok video | TikTok | @psychoz28
Screenshots from the TikTok video showing the employee describe the customer (Image source: TikTok | @psychoz28)

Unbelievably, the Costco store had to accept the return as it fell under their policy. “It’s allowed to go through because it’s customer satisfaction first at Costco,” the TikToker said. However, he did mention that he had to check if the customer had previously abused the policy to make money, in which case his return may have been denied. 

Since he hadn't done so, the customer was able to return the item. “This guy essentially borrowed a $1,400 play set for his kid. It’s crazy how much Costco cares about their members," the creator said. 

Costco's Generous Return Policy

In another viral case, a woman was successfully able to return a couch after using it for 2-and-a-half years. Shopper and TikTok creator Jackie Nguyen explained that she wanted to return the couch as she didn't like the color anymore. 

In the viral video, she documented the entire process and like the customer with the play set, she too was able to return the couch without a receipt. She walked out of the store with a full refund as a happy and satisfied Costco member.

While the policy is generous, there are certain rules and limitations to it. In a Motley Fool report, Maurie Backman who spoke to an employee explained that customers are flagged if they try to abuse the system. The report mentioned that if someone tries to return multiple items within a short time frame with bogus reasons, not only their returns could be denied but they could be at risk of losing their membership.

For more such interesting videos follow @psychoz28 on TikTok.

This article originally appeared 2 months ago.

RELATED TOPICS COSTCO
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The co-founders of Y'all Sweet Tea blew away the Sharks with their incredible numbers.
9 hours ago
From his lips to his bald head, Harvey has to defends all sort of jabs.
14 hours ago
The woman who gifted the painting to the owners had earlier sold it to another dealer as she couldnt sleep at night.
2 days ago
When it came to naming something of Harvey they would want to touch, the players didn't hold back
2 days ago
Rick Harrison's go to expert warned him not to touch it with a "10 foot pole."
2 days ago
The massive manufacturer has been operational for more than a hundred years now.
3 days ago
While the player was overwhelmed with emotion, host, Drew Carey was left hanging for a handshake.
5 days ago
Turns out, the guest's father was the renowned artist, Demetrios Jameson.
5 days ago
While the player, Rodney Flippen took the loss on the chin, fans were left heartbroken.
6 days ago
Harvey was stunned to see that Lisa would risk her marriage to get the top answer.
6 days ago
The outbreak has been linked to four deaths, and 19 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.
6 days ago
The President and CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillion expressed that AI will "literally change every job."
7 days ago
While the seller was confident that the instrument was ever so valuable, Harrison begged to differ.
7 days ago
The 54th season of the show has begun with a brand-new game, but fans fear it could be rigged.
Sep 30, 2025
The guest had absolutely no idea that the Ching Dynasty snuff bottle could be worth so much.
Sep 30, 2025
While Corey Harrison tried his best, the seller had other plans and stuck to it.
Sep 28, 2025
Harvey warned the contestant that she may be in a situation she can't handle.
Sep 27, 2025
In the end, the expert adviced the guest to put the item on a pedestal for the future.
Sep 27, 2025
Fans debated if the player got the correct answer in time, or if the judges the right call
Sep 26, 2025
While the comedian/host's answers were barely intelligible, Harvey didn't miss a beat to roast him.
Sep 26, 2025