The COSTCO Thread

[falafel]

Last year I learned, albeit a bit too late, that our local Costco in Issaquah was going to carry 7-8' Christmas trees at the bargain basement price of $40 each. Having just spent twice that on a tree at a supermarket-parking-lot-based tree lot, I cried many tears of anguish.

This year I waited for Costco to carry the trees and they did so... starting yesterday (Saturday Dec. 5th). They will only sell them for 2 consecutive weekends here... so yesterday and today and next Friday and next Saturday. I grabbed my tree from Costco yesterday at around 1pm, but even at that time... the two semi-trailers of trees that they had to sell that day were nearly gone! So best to go earlier in the day than later.

The trees are bundled up... you can't inspect them one by one like at a "normal" Christmas tree lot. The only quality control that you have at your disposal is making sure you have a decent tree top (which is crucial). How they had it set up in Issaquah is you buy a voucher in the store, then take the voucher out across the street to the overflow parking lot (which in Issaquah is the Costco corporate HQ parking lot); the trailers were parked side by side and were staffed by about 4-5 Costo employees. You show the voucher to a member of the staff and then pick out one of the four or five trees that they have sitting at the end of the tractor trailer. The process was a snap. We were on the road with the tree tied to the roof rack in no time at all.

We opened up the tree when we returned home and were very pleased with the fullness and the shape. For $40, it was a very good buy. I'll be going back next year.

We trimmed out the tree this evening. See picture (attached).

cheers.

Wow, that looks like a great tree. That's the sort of tree the fake ones are meant to emulate. I happen to be a fake tree guy (from Costco!), but if if I weren't, I'd buy one like yours.

[Surfah]

Last year I learned, albeit a bit too late, that our local Costco in Issaquah was going to carry 7-8' Christmas trees at the bargain basement price of $40 each. Having just spent twice that on a tree at a supermarket-parking-lot-based tree lot, I cried many tears of anguish.

This year I waited for Costco to carry the trees and they did so... starting yesterday (Saturday Dec. 5th). They will only sell them for 2 consecutive weekends here... so yesterday and today and next Friday and next Saturday. I grabbed my tree from Costco yesterday at around 1pm, but even at that time... the two semi-trailers of trees that they had to sell that day were nearly gone! So best to go earlier in the day than later.

The trees are bundled up... you can't inspect them one by one like at a "normal" Christmas tree lot. The only quality control that you have at your disposal is making sure you have a decent tree top (which is crucial). How they had it set up in Issaquah is you buy a voucher in the store, then take the voucher out across the street to the overflow parking lot (which in Issaquah is the Costco corporate HQ parking lot); the trailers were parked side by side and were staffed by about 4-5 Costo employees. You show the voucher to a member of the staff and then pick out one of the four or five trees that they have sitting at the end of the tractor trailer. The process was a snap. We were on the road with the tree tied to the roof rack in no time at all.

We opened up the tree when we returned home and were very pleased with the fullness and the shape. For $40, it was a very good buy. I'll be going back next year.

We trimmed out the tree this evening. See picture (attached).

cheers.

Good tips. Nice pic. Beautiful tree. I do like real trees. I have an uncle that sells Christmas trees in Hawaii. He flies to McMinnville, OR every fall to pick em out. Then they get shipped over and he sells them for a few hundred dollars a pop.

[wuapinmon]

I'm wondering if a certain Costco-abusing CUFfer will take back his dead Christmas tree in January and get his money back, "I'd prefer cash" he'll say, while the other Costco members subsidize his you'lltithe gay.

[Soccermom]

Last year I learned, albeit a bit too late, that our local Costco in Issaquah was going to carry 7-8' Christmas trees at the bargain basement price of $40 each. Having just spent twice that on a tree at a supermarket-parking-lot-based tree lot, I cried many tears of anguish.

This year I waited for Costco to carry the trees and they did so... starting yesterday (Saturday Dec. 5th). They will only sell them for 2 consecutive weekends here... so yesterday and today and next Saturday and next Sunday. I grabbed my tree from Costco yesterday at around 1pm, but even at that time... the two semi-trailers of trees that they had to sell that day were nearly gone! So best to go earlier in the day than later.

The trees are bundled up... you can't inspect them one by one like at a "normal" Christmas tree lot. The only quality control that you have at your disposal is making sure you have a decent tree top (which is crucial). How they had it set up in Issaquah is you buy a voucher in the store, then take the voucher out across the street to the overflow parking lot (which in Issaquah is the Costco corporate HQ parking lot); the trailers were parked side by side and were staffed by about 4-5 Costco employees. You show the voucher to a member of the staff and then pick out one of the four or five trees that they have sitting at the end of the semi-trailer. The process was a snap. We were on the road with the tree tied to the roof rack in no time at all.

We opened up the tree when we returned home and were very pleased with the fullness and the shape. For $40, it was a very good buy. I'll be going back next year.

We trimmed out the tree this evening. See picture (attached).

cheers.

Very nicely trimmed tree.

[scandell]

I would NOT return a used Christmas tree. No. FYI, I never buy something from Costco KNOWING I am going to return it. My decision to return usually is based off of some form of dissatisfaction. Sometimes dissatisfaction comes from the product being cheaply made, or from me finding a better price elsewhere, or me just changing my mind....cause the purchase proved to be a mistake.

Dishonest is just not the word for it. I understand what you guys are saying...but I always tell the Costco cashier exactly my situation. They never flinch.

[wuapinmon]

I would NOT return a used Christmas tree. No. FYI, I never buy something from Costco KNOWING I am going to return it. My decision to return usually is based off of some form of dissatisfaction. Sometimes dissatisfaction comes from the product being cheaply made, or from me finding a better price elsewhere, or me just changing my mind....cause the purchase proved to be a mistake.

Dishonest is just not the word for it. I understand what you guys are saying...but I always tell the Costco cashier exactly my situation. They never flinch.

What about roses the day after Valentine's Day? You can get them cheaper almost anywhere by then.

[The_Tick]

[QUOTE=scandell;235566]or me just changing my mind....cause the purchase proved to be a mistake.
QUOTE]

If this is a day or two later and the item has been unopened/unused then I have to problem with it.

It if was 6 months later and it had been used....I would tell you to go $#%@ yourself.

[scandell]

If this is a day or two later and the item has been unopened/unused then I have to problem with it.

It if was 6 months later and it had been used....I would tell you to go $#%@ yourself.

There is my point. If were the owner of a retail store, I TOO would tell someone to %&^% themselves if they tried to pull something like that. Costco however doesn't care. They don't care how long you had it. They don't care why you are returning it. They don't care what condition the item is in. They don't care.

SO WHY do you people care? It's not your store. It's not your policy. It doesn't negatively affect other Costco members. The item manufactures don't seem to care either...because they chose to sell their items at Costco.

This isn't about honesty. It's only dishonest if you lie. This is about a business that guarantees their customers satisfaction.

Returning something to Costco is about as "unethical" as revisiting their free-sample booths for a second course.

Next time you use your illegal copy of Microsoft Word...or when your brother-in-law comes over for movie night and brings his pirated dvd collection...you should think about how unethical your own lifestyle is.

[TripletDaddy]

on a more Costco related note, on Saturday my SIL introduced us to a fairly yummy new snack.....chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. very rich, but tasty. Has anyone tried these out? Another Costco special.

[Jeff Lebowski]

There is my point. If were the owner of a retail store, I TOO would tell someone to %&^% themselves if they tried to pull something like that. Costco however doesn't care. They don't care how long you had it. They don't care why you are returning it. They don't care what condition the item is in. They don't care.

SO WHY do you people care? It's not your store. It's not your policy. It doesn't negatively affect other Costco members. The item manufactures don't seem to care either...because they chose to sell their items at Costco.

This isn't about honesty. It's only dishonest if you lie. This is about a business that guarantees their customers satisfaction.

Returning something to Costco is about as "unethical" as revisiting their free-sample booths for a second course.

Next time you use your illegal copy of Microsoft Word...or when your brother-in-law comes over for movie night and brings his pirated dvd collection...you should think about how unethical your own lifestyle is.

That could be the weakest rationalization I have ever seen.

You are abusing the system. And making it likely that Costco may amend their return policy at some point. Curse you.

[UteStar]

on a more Costco related note, on Saturday my SIL introduced us to a fairly yummy new snack.....chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. very rich, but tasty. Has anyone tried these out? Another Costco special.

I will have to try those, they sound fabulous...I will say that I am normally not a big chocolate covered raisin fan, but egads, those ones from Costco rock! I can down those in a hollywood minute. Tasty goodness.

[falafel]

That could be the weakest rationalization I have ever seen.

You are abusing the system. And making it likely that Costco may amend their return policy at some point. Curse you.

You've got to be kidding Jeff. This IS the Costco return policy. Scandell's behavior is built in to their business model. That's why people shop there in the first place (or one of the reasons): because they know they can return it if they need to. This is calculated on Costco's part. Its part of their strategy to lure buyers away from other stores.

Here's a bit of detail to illustrate this point. Costco keeps a detailed history of every purchase you make on your card. This goes back for as long as you've had your current membership. They also keep your past purchase records. A few years ago (before the change in policy re electronics), my dad bought me a DVD player for Christmas from Costco. It had a one year manufacturer's warranty. About 13 months after I received it, it died. I took it back to Costco. they tried to look it up, but it wasn't on my card. I told them my dad had bought it, and they spent the next 10 minutes searching through potential members that might be my dad (since I didn't have his card with me). They found it, matched it up with the purchase he made more than a year earlier, and gave me $40 back cash.

Now, if Costco were concerned about people abusing their liberal return policy, why would they keep data like this for more than a year? for more than 2 years? they wouldn't. Nor would they go to the extreme of searching my dad's purchase records to find the DVD player and return it? They do it because the few people that "abuse" the system are counteracted by the number of additional buyers and members the policy attracts. Same with Nordstrom. If people trust the store, they'll choose it over a competitor, even if the competitor has a lower price. Don't feel bad for Costco.

[Clark Addison]

There is my point. If were the owner of a retail store, I TOO would tell someone to %&^% themselves if they tried to pull something like that. Costco however doesn't care. They don't care how long you had it. They don't care why you are returning it. They don't care what condition the item is in. They don't care.

SO WHY do you people care? It's not your store. It's not your policy. It doesn't negatively affect other Costco members. The item manufactures don't seem to care either...because they chose to sell their items at Costco.

This isn't about honesty. It's only dishonest if you lie. This is about a business that guarantees their customers satisfaction.

Returning something to Costco is about as "unethical" as revisiting their free-sample booths for a second course.
Next time you use your illegal copy of Microsoft Word...or when your brother-in-law comes over for movie night and brings his pirated dvd collection...you should think about how unethical your own lifestyle is.

For the record, I don't do this either.

[pellegrino]

I burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth on a lava hot sample the other day at Costco. I don't know if it qualifies as something new I got/found at Costco but made me think of this thread.

It got better.

[scandell]

That could be the weakest rationalization I have ever seen.

You are abusing the system. And making it likely that Costco may amend their return policy at some point. Curse you.

Despite your laid back avatar...you are nothing like the dude. If anything...im more like the dude...

Long Hair
Beard
Grungy
live in Los Angeles
returns items to costco