12 Costco Food Items That Customers Return The Most

Do you feel apprehensive about making returns? Or are you a bit of a refund fanatic? Whichever team you side with, you won't have to worry at Costco. The chain is known for its lenient return policy. It has a risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee, meaning if you aren't happy, the store refunds your purchase.

Although some restrictions apply, Costco staff are generous with what they'll accept, and this includes food products. From half-eaten birthday cakes to post-Halloween pumpkins, people have successfully returned all sorts of items, often for surprising reasons. It's not just about spoiled food or miscalculated expiration dates — many shoppers simply find themselves unable to finish bulk purchases in time, while others return party supplies when plans change.

As we reviewed online forums discussing Costco returns, we noticed that some foods were consistently mentioned, and these returns tell a fascinating story of consumer habits. Are you curious about which food products made the list? You might recognize some from your own shopping experience — or find inspiration to return that bulk purchase sitting in the back of your pantry. So, without further ado, let's dive right into Costco's most returned items and the interesting stories behind them.

If there's something fishy about Costco's seafood, don't hesitate to return it. Customers often return fish for having an off smell or appearance, and considering how pricey seafood can be, we can't blame them. As one Redditor explains, "I returned a package of Chilean sea bass because it stunk up my whole kitchen when I opened it. It was about $40 so definitely worth the trip."

We've heard people returning several kinds of seafood including clams, sea bass, mahi-mahi, and salmon. However, one incident truly made us cringe. After this Reddit user defrosted and cooked their sea bass, "white worms started to surface when it heated up." They obviously didn't want to hold onto the foul product, but luckily, a simple photo and explanation were enough to receive a full refund — and an apology.

Aside from tasting disgusting, spoiled seafood can cause serious health effects. There are telltale signs your fish is off like an overly fishy smell and cloudy eyes. However, not all health concerns can be picked up by our senses. Many bacteria go undetected until it's too late, which is why manufacturers perform routine testing — and it was because of one of these tests that the FDA reported listeria in Kirkland's Smoked Salmon in October 2024. This prompted a recall, forcing even more consumers to return fish.

When it comes to bulk meat purchases, it's hard to beat Costco's prices. And you can rest assured that if that meat isn't fresh and flavorful, you have every right to return it. Customers often do, and they rarely have issues getting their money back. These shoppers cite unusual smells and odd tastes as common reasons to return meat. However, others push the limits of this return policy. On Reddit, a Costco employee shared a particularly audacious incident: "I once saw a restaurant owner and his wife return over $800 bucks of lamb they bought to serve at their restaurant at Easter time. Guess what... it all went straight to the garbage and they walked out with all the money they had spent."

Returning meat can be a dicey endeavor. It's not something you want to hold onto — but not everyone lives down the street from a Costco. If you're waiting for your next Costco run to return a meat product, we recommend popping it in the freezer. Frozen meat is less likely to stink up your kitchen or grow harmful pathogens, and is far easier to handle (which obviously bodes well with Costco staff). After all, dealing with pounds of spoiled meat isn't exactly their idea of a pleasant workday.

When discussing returned items, Costco shoppers often mentioned breads including sliced sandwich loaves and bagels. The most common reason for demanding a refund? Mold. As a Reddit user shares, "[I] bought bagels on Thursday...It is now Tuesday and they have mold on them." This mold developed quickly, but we're not entirely surprised.

Bread is one of those foods that is prone to mold, and the fewer preservatives used, the faster this will happen. But what happens when you accidentally eat mold? Although consuming a bite or two of moldy bread is unlikely to cause issues, certain types of mold are more harmful than others. Plus, mold is simply unsightly. It's a natural human instinct to steer clear of the stuff.

If you don't plan to consume the bread product immediately, toss it in the fridge. Or better yet, opt for the freezer to extend the shelf life even further. When it comes time to defrost, pop it in the toaster for a few minutes. While it may lose that fresh, fluffy quality, it's far less likely to spoil.

Freshly cooked bacon is hard to resist. That tantalizing smell draws us to the kitchen, immediately whetting our appetites. However, there's nothing quite as off-putting as bad bacon, and if you've ever had a spoiled strip or two, you know it's not worth eating. While scouring forums and social media, we noticed several mentions of Costco customers experiencing this scenario firsthand and returning the bacon for a refund.

Returning bacon at Costco can cause a dilemma seeing how they are often sold in bundles. This Redditor explains, "I just came back from Costco and as I was unwrapping the bacon 4 pack to put some in the freezer, I realized one of them wasn't vacuum sealed and is kind of an off-color. I won't eat it but will Costco need me to return all four?" While food waste is problematic, so is food poisoning. We'd rather play it safe than sorry and don't blame shoppers for doing the same.

If your store-bought bacon is questionable from the second you open it, you deserve a refund. However, that's assuming you stored it properly and consumed it before the best-by date. If it's been sitting in your fridge far longer than normal, that's on you. And if you're wondering how long bacon lasts, the USDA states that bacon can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to four months. That is, assuming it was properly packaged to begin with.

Costco sells a variety of well-known tortilla brands, including Mission, Guerrero, and La Banderita. Aside from the classic burritos and tacos, tortillas can be used in much the same way as bread — you can even make late-night tortilla pizzas with them. However, like bread, tortillas are prone to growing mold, which leads many consumers to demand a refund.

Consumers claim that tortillas keep well for a couple of months. Unfortunately, this Costco shopper had an entirely different experience. "I bought a bag and it developed this mold within two weeks or so." Sadly, they returned the product only to have two repeat experiences. The consumer was perplexed as to the cause and whether they should keep buying the product at all, sharing "I also don't want to keep returning the same bag of tortillas every week."

Since tortillas are known to spoil relatively quickly, they might not be the best food to buy at Costco. It's hard to work your way through those bulk buy packages in time. Freezing will preserve them for longer, but comes with some challenges, with consumers noticing that the tortillas tend to stick together and tear once defrosted. If you're hosting a Mexican feast in the next few days, you should be in the clear. Otherwise, consider buying smaller packages from a different retailer.

Yogurt is one food that has a relatively short shelf life. And if that best-by date is approaching, consumers are known to return it to Costco. If you're the type to follow expiration dates religiously, know that these time frames aren't an exact science. Those sell-by and best-by dates are merely suggestions, and you're better off peeking inside to see if the product looks and smells normal.

Yogurt can go bad far sooner or later than its expiration date, depending on handling and preservation methods. It may also be contaminated before it even reaches your refrigerator. This is precisely what happened not once — but twice — in 2024. Costco Canada recalled its Kirkland Signature yogurt twice within the same month. The first time was due to Costco's Greek yogurt containing mold and the second incident involved Kirkland Signature Probiotic Yogurt containing harmful yeast. Luckily, confusion around expiration dates may end sometime soon. According to Advanced Science News, researchers are developing practical food sensors to detect food spoilage in real time and communicate this directly to the consumer via an app.

Bulk purchases are great for things like toilet paper and canned foods, but there are certain Costco grocery products that aren't worth the price. Can you really drink two gallons of milk before it goes bad? Many consumers can't, leading to a number of returns.

Overestimating milk consumption isn't the only reason customers have claimed refunds. We've also read reports about customers noticing their Costco milk had spoiled before the sell-by date. Perhaps it was a bad batch or lingered too long outside the fridge. Another consumer had issues with a leaky lid, turning to Reddit for advice. After all, bringing it back to the store could create quite a mess. A Costco staff member chimed in on the thread, saying "At my membership desk I'd give you the refund purely for the hassle of needing to deal with a leaky gallon of milk, regardless of if you brought it back." Others recommended taking photos but encouraged the buyer that they would have no issues with the return. Because thanks to Costco's quality guarantee, there's no sense crying over spilled milk.

Costco's quality guarantee isn't limited to spoiled items. Customers have taken advantage of the chain's generous return policy simply because they disliked the taste or texture of an item, with Costco's protein bars being a prime example of this. While protein bars aren't known for their incredible taste or satisfying texture, they're a functional food that helps people reach their target protein intake. However, even health-conscious consumers have limits, and several dissatisfied shoppers would rather get a refund than gnaw on Costco's protein bars. Consumers turned to Reddit to complain, describing them as "rock hard" and claiming that they "turn stale rather quickly."

Although returns are up to the discretion of staff, customers have noticed a trend: if at least 50% of the item is intact, the return is processed without issues. So if you've purchased Kirkland Signature Protein Bars, we recommend trying one before committing. If they're absolutely terrible, you may as well return them and try a different brand or switch to protein powder. But if you're too lazy to drive back to Costco, try popping the bar in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up.

Costco isn't in short supply of nuts. Whether you're a fan of cashews, almonds, pistachios, or walnuts, you can buy all sorts of nuts here. Costco nuts are generally good quality, but a single rancid nut can put you off from the whole pack. And if one nut is off, it's rarely an isolated case. And a couple of years back, several customers complained about unusual-tasting nuts, leading to mass food returns.

This Redditor returned Kirkland Signature Pistachios, explaining, "I buy them frequently and this bag tasted so burnt it was inedible." Another Costco shopper admitted that bad walnuts caused their first Costco return in 21 years. The returned product cost $49 and contained a mix of cashews, pistachios, and walnuts. Someone responded on the thread explaining that it wasn't solely Costco's walnuts that were off. Around the same time, people had issues with bitter and bland-tasting walnuts from multiple retailers. They chalked it up to a bad crop rather than the retailer. And since we've personally enjoyed Costco nuts more recently, it's safe to say things are back to normal.

Does your state allow alcohol returns? We're only asking because the ability to return alcohol products depends on state-specific laws. While It's illegal in New York and Ohio, it's perfectly acceptable in Maine. And if you live in California, you'll need to prove the alcoholic product is defective to get compensation. So while Costco has a liberal return policy, it's ultimately up to where you live. Regardless, those in states that permit alcohol returns take advantage of the opportunity frequently.

When asked what items are most frequently returned, a Costco employee answered "as far as large quantities, beer and wine not used for weddings." Truthfully, we hadn't considered this money-saving hack. Weddings can cost a fortune, and returning unopened booze will save you a pretty penny. Unfortunately, it's not the most ethical strategy. The same employee explains that even if unopened, booze sitting in the sun or someone's trunk can deteriorate, leading to compromised flavor and quality. As such, we'd be weary of buying beer or wine post-wedding season.

Returning alcohol after it's been sitting out can lead to a domino effect — those purchasing previously returned beers may notice it's been skunked, forcing them to return it as well. Although Costco does accept alcohol returns in many states, the company does its best to ensure customer satisfaction. When they catch wind of a bad batch of booze, they're happy to compensate consumers. As one customer shared on X (formerly Twitter), "Got a card in the mail today saying that a box of Kirkland wine I purchased in November can be returned due to its truly [poor] quality."

Costco sells all types of poultry from marinated chicken breasts to ground turkey meat. But when customers buy foul fowl, they don't hesitate to return it. After reviewing online forums, we noticed many shoppers mentioned returning poultry, typically due to suspicious odors. And when chicken smells funky, we wouldn't risk eating it since this food is often associated with salmonella, a common cause of food-borne illness. However, one Reddit user had an unusual reason for returning Costco's ground turkey. They claimed "It had feathers in it. Literally." That sight would ruffle anyone's feathers, and the shopper obviously had zero issues getting a refund.

When dealing with spoiled chicken or turkey, you want to get rid of it ASAP. However, you also wanna prove you didn't eat it so you can claim that refund. Your best course of action? Take a photo. Costco employees say a simple picture will suffice, and some stores may even just take your word for it. If you still don't feel confident, freeze your poultry before returning it so it won't stink up the store — or your trunk.

Costco shoppers have some complaints about the fresh produce, primarily that fruits and veggies are spoiling faster than usual. They also claimed the avocados go straight from the hard, underripe stage to mushy and old. We get that Costco is a bulk supplier, and large quantities of food, particularly produce, have a higher risk of spoilage. But this doesn't stop customers from returning products that have turned moldy or brown before they can eat it.

Lettuce is a common offender, with Costco customers saying it turns into mush after only a couple of days. On Reddit, people also complained about pomegranates, saying they "had begun fermenting well before the best-by date" or "tasted like vinegar." However, we also noticed customers banning together online, and offering up advice on the best ways to purchase Costco produce. They recommended buying Mexican avocados over New Zealand or Peruvian ones which are often rotten inside. For lettuce, they suggest wrapping it in a paper towel and keeping it in a sealed plastic bag to absorb some of the moisture and prevent a mushy mess.