Costco's return policy put to the test after couple brings back 5-year-old mattress
Costco in Richmond, California (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A couple recently tested the limits of Costco's return policy by bringing back their five-year-old mattress that they claimed was "uncomfortable."
The husband and wife documented the return on TikTok, and at first they weren't sure if Costco would take the item back.
"Desperate times comes for desperate measures," the wife, who posts under the handle @purrfectreads, captioned the video.
"We decided to try the theory on can you return stuff thats been more than couple years at Costco and without a receipt…" the caption added.
In the video, the mattress is seen being wheeled into a Costco and pushed through the aisles on a cart.
The wife revealed in the footage that she was "nervous" about the return, but Costco ended up accepting the half-decade-old mattress.
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While they did not have a physical copy of their initial receipt, their Costco card could be used to find the original purchase.
The video shows the mattress being taken to back of the store while the couple waited.
The TikToker posted a clip showing the successful return of the $499.99 queen mattress stamped printed on a new receipt.
"We didn’t have the [original] receipt, BUT they did look it up on our account tho," the TikToker shared in a comment.
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The return amount was put on a Costco gift card, which the couple then used to buy a new king mattress.
"Of course we paid the difference for a king so technically we paid $300 for a king bed. 3 people (husband, baby, and me) on a queen was getting uncomfortable," @purrfectreads posted in the comments section of her video.
Another TikTok user commented on the video saying, "Costco buys them in bulk for cheap [so] returning mattresses isn’t much of a loss for them. It’s good deal."
Social media users seem to be divided on whether the return should have been approved.
"Within few weeks testing yes but 5 yrs?," one user commented.
A Costco member's card can be used to track the purchase history of a buyer. (Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"People love to do this s--- then are 1st to complain when stores start cracking down and change rules," another TikToker wrote.
"What's so proud of returning a 5 years old stinky mattress," one social media user added.
FOX Business reached out to Costco for comment.
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In response to the negative comments, @purrfectreads tried to add some clarity to the situation by noting that the mattress brand Sealy has a 10-year warranty.
Other users appeared to have found the return to be encouraging, with some saying they may try to return their own Costco purchases.
"I am gonna have to do that with mine. I know I am going to be nervous -- when I go tho lol thank you for the video," one user added.
"We had a weird crack in the leg of our dining table we had from Costco 5 years old. Not a normal wear and tear issue. Took it back. No problem," another user commented.
"This is an ad because now I’ll be buying from Costco," another person joked.
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In 2023, U.S. News ranked Costco as one of the top six stores with a stellar return policy.
"Costco has the most generous policy among big-box retailers, even allowing returns years later," Nick Gausling, retail consultant and managing director of consulting firm Romy Group LLC, shared with the news source.
"Their membership system offsets losses from returns processing and encourages good relations between the store and consumers, which is a win for everyone."
Earlier this year, a woman went viral on social media for returning her couch to Costco after having it for two years.
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"The couch return video drew some backlash on TikTok, with some Costco customers berating the woman for taking advantage of the policy," FOX Business previously reported.
Costco's return policy does not state that items must be returned within a specified time frame or in a certain condition for most products.
FOX Business reached out to @purrfectreads for comment.
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