Not Everyone At Costco Understands Secret Membership Avoidance Strategy
A few years ago, we ran
a post about the secret and kind of awesome way to do some shopping at Costco without purchasing a membership. Just give a member you know some cash and have them pick up a gift card (Costco Cash Card) for you. Great system if your nearest Costco is far away, or you just don't go often enough to justify joining. In theory, anyway. Justin took the advice in our post, but was turned away at the door by an employee who wasn't aware that a cash card entitled him to enter the store.
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Verizon Math At T-Mobile: 1¢ Is The Same As Free
I don't really want to sit here writing painfully obvious sentences, but here's the thing. A penny isn't very much money. It is, however, more than zero, so an item that costs one cent is not free. In practical terms, it might as well be free, but it still isn't. Which is why Mark found this bit of math confusion on a
Verizon T-Mobile phone purchase page through Costco so amusing. "Even though the difference between .01 and .00 is quite small," he writes, "it's still not infinitesimal enough to be considered 'free,' right?" No, not yet.
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Shoppers Give Costco Highest Overall Marks Among Major Retailers
Our pals-in-arms at the Consumer Reports National Research Center recently asked more than 26,000 readers to rate their shopping experiences at the nation's top retailers — both in-store and online — and in spite of being a members' only warehouse store, Costco came out looking the best.
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Consumerist Post About Broken Laptop Gets Reader Full Refund Within 3 Hours
Once again, Costco saves the day. Last week, we posted the story of
Tom, who bought a Sony Vaio laptop from Costco only to have it malfunction a little more than a year after purchase. Sony didn't seem to want to fix the problem at all, and Costco employees were very kind but couldn't intervene. Only a few hours after that post went up, Costco contacted Tom, and gave him a full refund for the computer's purchase price.
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Buying Laptop From Costco Extends Your Warranty And Your Aggravation
Last year, Tom bought a Sony laptop from Costco. Part of the reason why he chose Costco to purchase a computer was the warehouse club's famed extension of manufacturers' warranties: more warranty protection on a portable computer can't be a bad thing. Except when it is. In Tom's case, having another company involved just means that he can always get a very nice person on the phone at Costco who isn't able to help him at all.
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Compressed Pork Piglet Company Also Makes Turkey-Shaped Turkey Breasts
Yesterday, we enthralled and horrified the Internet with a reader's photo of
a pork roast molded in the form of a piglet. If you're looking for a more traditional meta-meat for your Thanksgiving feast, we've learned that the same company also produces a turkey breast molded in the shape of a whole turkey.
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Behold The Pork Roast Molded In The Shape Of A Tiny Pig
Lee found this pig-shaped pork roast at Costco, but doesn't find it particularly appealing. "I just can't grill a roast that looks like 'Babe'," he writes. It's like roasting a suckling pig, but without the youth or the internal organs.
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Customer Finds Live Tree Frog In Salad Bought At Costco
Everyone knows you're supposed to rinse out your salad to get rid of any dirt before you chow down, but the food safety folks rarely mention the presence of frogs. So you can imagine the surprise that one California woman had on Monday when she spotted a living croaker in the salad she'd just bought from Costco.
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Costco, Amazon Top Most-Trusted Company Survey; Comcast Brings Up The Rear
We live in a time where very few companies engender a lot of trust in the buying public. But some businesses still do a better job than others at developing a positive relationship with consumers.
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4 Things You Might Not Know You Can Save On At A Warehouse Store
The typical mental image of shopping at a warehouse store like Costco or Sam's Club is shopping carts overflowing with bulk packs of toilet paper and kitty litter. But those who have actually shopped at these places know that you can purchase a lot more than just huge packages of the bare necessities. And in addition to the stuff you'd find at most superstores, warehouse clubs may have some additional perks you won't get too many other places.
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It's About To Become A Bit More Expensive To Shop At Costco
Costco may be a favorite among bargain shoppers (and lovers of free samples), but the warehouse store chain isn't doing as well as it had hoped, which means it's time to raise membership fees by 10%.
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Costco Lets Man Return 5-Year-Old Suitcase With Broken Wheel
DrRonster was inspired by a
recent Consumerist post about a guy who couldn't take advantage of Costco's famed warranty because he wasn't a member. The "Ronster" went to take his own suitcase in for a refund. The suitcase has a broken wheel and is five years old, yet his venture was met with success, as he is a Costco member.
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Sears To Start Selling Craftsman Tools Through Costco
Do you like Sears' brand of Craftsman tools but don't like shopping at Sears? Well, this might be good news for you. The retail chain has announced you will be able to buy Craftsman wares at Costco stores as early as this coming weekend.
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Beware Of Scams Arriving In The Form Of Fake Costco Checks
Yesterday, we discussed
the fun that could be had at Costco with a fake shopping list. Today's story involves a fake check that
looks like it comes from Costco but is just a variation on a classic scam.
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Costco Shopper Writes Insane Fake Shopping Lists For The Amusement Of Others
Over at Reddit, a contributor says they have discovered a new way to amuse themselves — and hopefully others — while shopping at Costco.
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Costco's Lifetime Return Policy Only Applies To Actual Members
When one of the suitcases from Jon's decade-old Kirkland (Costco house brand) luggage set broke, he didn't fret. Why, Costco has one of the greatest return policies in the world! Maybe in the universe! When he attempted to bring the item back, though, he learned the hard way that the famed warranty only applies to the original member who bought the item. Which can be a little awkward when the item was a gift.
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Want Cheap Gas? Try Costco
For a good price on gas, try your favorite purveyor of bulk-sized butter barrels.
WSJ reports that Costco tries to sell gas at or below the lowest price in the neighborhood.
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Costco Selling $1 Million Diamond Ring
If you're a rich baron of industry out to impress your beloved with a pricey piece of jewelry, forget Tiffany's. Go to Costco. They're selling a big 'ol 6.77 ct diamond solitaire ring for $1,000,000. And true to form, it's a bargain. The piece has been valued at $1,601,875.
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Costco Sues California Man Picketing Over Gas Prices
For the past few months, a man in San Luis Obispo, CA, has been protesting his local Costco, claiming that the store's gas prices are misleading. Now the store has sued the peeved protester, alleging that he's trespassed on store property and made threatening statements.
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Costco Sues For Being Forced To Return Rebate Money It Didn't Keep
What happens when you don't claim a rebate? In Washington State, the retailer from which you didn't claim the cash hands the money over to the state for safekeeping in a program for consumers who later claim the money.
Costco, based in Washington, thinks that they should get to keep the money, and filed a lawsuit last week defending that right. This should be interesting. Costco, based in Washington, was recently forced to turn over money from its' rebate program that
it says it never even kept. More »
Psychological Tricks Warehouse Stores Play On You
Warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club attract an unqualified devotion of hardcore devotees, myself included. They provide havens that sap away your frugality and coax you to happily part with large sums of money and buy more food and supplies than you'll logically go through in any imaginable length of time.
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Costco Replaces Scotch Bottle, Saves Christmas
Travis has a rich tradition of an annual bottle of scotch at Christmas, a tradition that was nearly shattered along with his bottle when it slipped from its box. Luckily Costco has an even longer and richer tradition of being really cool about refunds.
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Costco Replaces Stolen Nativity Scene Pieces For Free
Not everything we write about involves people getting screwed over. Sometimes a company will go out of its way to do something nice for customers. Take the example of the Kansas family whose vandalized nativity scene is being fixed with the help of Costco.
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Would You Buy Your Christmas Tree Online?
In November, Target started selling fresh-cut Christmas trees on their website, joining Costco in the growing number of companies who have turned to the web to offer holiday greenery.
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Man: I Assaulted Mom Because Costco Pepsi Machine Made Me Do It
A 33-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged with with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment after allegedly assaulting his 68-year-old mom. The reason: The Pepsi machine at their local Costco made him do it.
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The 10 Retailers That Keep Their Employees Happiest
Maybe those smiles on Costco employees' faces aren't fake. According to an employer satisfaction survey, Costco is the retailer with the happiest employees.
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E. Coli Tainted Cheese Isn't Only Sold At Costco
A couple weeks back we told you about some Gouda cheese sold at Costco
that had been recalled after being linked to an outbreak of E. Coli. And then last week, it was the same thing,
just with gorgonzola. Now the company that produced the Gouda cheese has recalled all of their cheeses, regardless of where they were sold.
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Who Made Consumer Reports' First-Ever Naughty & Nice List?
November 22, 2010 9:45 AM
While Santa and his pointy-eared, non-union laborers toil away at the North Pole, the editors of our more famous sibling publication Consumer Reports have compared their notes on a wide variety of companies' policies on everything from guarantees to fees to refunds and distilled it down to the best and worst of the lot in their first-ever Naughty & Nice Holiday Shopping List.
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More Cheese From Costco Recalled For E. Coli Contamination
Ten days after announcing that a brand of gouda cheese sold at Costco
had been linked to an E. coli outbreak, the FDA has issued a recall for some gorgonzola cheese sold at Costco, also for E. coli contamination.
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Grocery Shrink Ray Zaps Costco Diapers
Buying diapers at Costco seems like a decent way for parents to save money, but eagle-eyed Consumerist reader Eric noticed that he's no longer getting quite so much bulk for his buck.
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Costco Watches Are So Cheap It's A Copyright Issue?
The Supreme Court is weighing a decision that will affect whether discounters can offer cheap goods from foreign manufacturers without violating U.S. Copyright law, says the AP.
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Cheese Sold At Costco Linked To E. Coli Outbreak
Costco might be a
good place to stock up on eyeglasses, but the FDA says that the warehouse store has been selling and sampling some cheese that could make you sick.
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Costco Rated Top Store To Buy Your Eyeglasses
Costco isn't just a place to buy enough toilet paper or cereal to supply a small army; it's also the place where you'll find the best deals on eyeglasses, says a new study from our fitter and trimmer siblings at Consumer Reports Health.
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How To Get The Best Deals At 10 Major Retail Chains
September 22, 2010 12:15 PM
Everyone wants a bargain, which is why more Americans shop at discount chains like Target and Walmart than at any other type of big store. But a new survey of more than 30,000 subscribers by the Consumer Reports National Research Center reveals that folks are also finding low prices at department stores, warehouse clubs, and general-merchandise retailers. We recently reported on why consumers shop where they do.
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Your Local Mall's New Anchor Store.... Costco?
There are a lot of empty anchor stores in American malls these days, especially since major department store chains
have continued devouring each other. What to do with these massive empty retail spaces? Well, one possible tenant that doesn't normally occupy enclosed malls is interested....Costco.
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Is Buying A Discount Movie Ticket At Costco Worth Standing In 5 Different Lines?
Some movie theater chains sell discount passes at Costco that can save you over $2 per person. Not a bad deal... if you don't mind waiting in five different lines before you sit down in your seat at the theater.
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Start Your Christmas Decorating Before Labor Day, Thanks To Costco
Daniel reports that Christmas decorations are already out at his San Francisco Costco. "SERIOUSLY, WTF?? It's not even September yet!!" he writes. Like that stops anyone.
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3 Reasons You Might Not Always Save Money At Costco
Shopping at Costco is pretty cheap, at least when you consider unit pricing. But over at Helium.com, writer Suzanne Rose has come up with a handful of things to think about before clearing out the back of your minivan in preparation for a trip to the warehouse store.
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Wait On Line To Show Your Costco Receipt Or You Will Be Assaulted
Let's say you're in a rush after buying a fan at Costco. You look past the line packed with people and carts and spy a lone employee standing by the exit. Do you walk over and show your receipt? What's the worst that could happen? Let's ask Reader Shay.
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Save On Drugs By Making Your Pharmacy Price-Match
What made Jules sicker than her strep throat was the price Kroger wanted to charge her for a 6-pack of generic Azithromycin. $38.72! "That's highway robbery!" she told the them. Then Jules stumbled onto something most people don't know that could save them serious money on prescription medication: you can price-match your pills.
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Shoppers Love Costco And Dillard's, Say Target And Walmart Are Subpar
Consumer Reports asked 30,000 readers to weigh in on the
best and worst chain stores in the country, and it looks like people really love Costco and Dillard's. Both stores received above average ratings in things like merchandise quality and value. On the other end of the spectrum, Target's women's fashion, jewelery and watches were rated below-average in quality.
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Costco Dispenses E85 Ethanol Instead Of Gas
A tank that customers at an upstate New York Costco gas station thought was full of premium gasoline may have actually dispensed E85 ethanol, damaging engines and fuel systems of cars not designed to deal with the fuel. E85 is a mixture of 85% corn juice and 15% gasoline that can severely damage engines not designed for it.
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Costco Really Loves Your Mom, Buys Her A Coffee Machine For Mother's Day
Joshua received such stunningly good customer service while shopping for a Mother's Day gift at Costco that he had to share his story with Consumerist. He writes that he located a store that had the specific coffee machine that he wanted in stock, called the store to verify, and drove some distance to the store to pick it up. When he arrived, he learned that the store didn't have the machine in stock after all...but it's what happened next that makes this a true "Above and Beyond" story.
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Costco Tells Me It's Tweaking Return Policy
Shannon says Costco's
unreal return policy is about to get a little more sensible, if a lot less awesome. It seems the warehouse wholesaler is implementing something of a 2-year time limit on returns, according to what she hears from the company's legal department.
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Greenpeace Says Target Is Most Enviro-Friendly Seafood Seller
Greenpeace says Target is the
best of all supermarket chains when it comes to selling sustainable seafood, meaning not depleting fish populations or damaging the environment when it comes to harvesting and selling our delectable seafaring friends.
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Let Costco Outfit You For The Coming Apocalypse
Everyone loves Costco for its high quality and low prices for items as diverse as wine, toilet paper, cashews, and caskets. What you may not know is that for only $800 (plus shipping) you can store enough freeze-fried food to feed one person for a year, two people for six months, and four people for three months. You can get
everything at Costco.
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Gas Fire Columns Recalled For Being Too Aptly Named
Some outdoor gas fire columns sold through Costco in the past 6-7 months have been recalled, because "
gas can leak from connections in the column, posing a fire hazard." I guess that's why the photo shows it next to a serene koi pond—it's so you can grab a rake and push it into the water if it gets too fire column-y.
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Why Everyone Loves Costco: Small Selection, Good Quality, Low Prices
ABCNews took a look inside the mysterious world of Costco. Why does everyone love it so much? Turns out the secrets are simple: Small selection, good quality, low price.
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Costco Gives You An Extra $120 Discount And Won't Let You Pay It Back
Reader Gina writes in to let us know that her local Costco won't take the $120 her boyfriend is trying to give them. You see, Gina and her boyfriend are honest people, and they contacted Costco to let them know the store had made a $120 error on their bill. Costco doesn't want their money, however. It wants Gina's boyfriend to have something called a "Happy Birthday." What's that?
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Even Costco's Return Policy Has Limits
Costco's
return policy is the stuff of legends, and Alon thought he'd test the limits of the warehouse's understanding by attempting to return a 10-year-old ping pong table.
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Woman Fights To Get 14 Cents Back
When Janet purchased $5 worth of long-distance calls nearly 10 years ago from TTI (which is now a subsidiary of Verizon), she wanted to squeeze every last bit of value out of her purchase. When the last 14 cents vanished from her account, she began a crusade to get her money back. She was laughed off, dismissed and put down, but
she's finally claimed victory, ABC 7 of San Francisco reports:
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Costco Ships Your Mom's Casket To Houston, But The Funeral Is In New Jersey
D.'s mother passed away last week. The funeral is today, and the wake was yesterday. He writes that thanks to Costco and their supplier Universal Casket, the casket that he ordered with expedited shipping was somehow shipped to a different city entirely, leaving the family scrambling for a new casket at the last minute, and defeating the entire purpose of ordering a casket by mail order in the first place. Costco did reach out and make things right, but not until later.
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Citi: We Lost $7.6 B, But On The Bright Side, We Fired 100,000 People
Citi CEO Vikram Pandit is reassuring investors today after his firm lost $7.6 billion in 2009 by telling them to look on the bright side — at least they fired 100,000 people.
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Whew: Coke Products Return To Costco On Monday
The nightmare is over for Americans who use warehouse club Costco to fuel their copious Coke habits. The retailer and Coca-Cola have settled
their price differences, and Coca-Cola beverages will return to Costco stores on Monday.
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Costco Will Expand Food Stamp Program Nationwide
—>It turns out more Costco customers use food stamps than CEO James D. Sinegal originally thought, because after a test run earlier this year the company has decided to roll out the program nationwide. More »
Costco Already Playing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Reader Tim says that the picture he sent was taken on September 27, and "shows a TV in the DVD section playing
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, trying to sell a boxed set of Christmas specials."
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Costco's Return Policy In Action
—>This weekend Costco really justified its annual membership fee to me with its amazing return policy. Eight weeks ago my wife bought two four-packs of printer cartridges that cost $146. She didn't realize they weren't the type of cartridges for our printer before she'd not only opened the plastic clamshell prison in which they were encased, but a cartridge from each package. More »
Man Goes Into Business Delivering Costco To Overpriced NYC Neighborhoods
—>Groceries on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of Manhattan are expensive. How expensive? One guy with a truck has started a business delivering cheaper groceries. One catch, he doesn't own a grocery store. He will go to Costco, where items cost a fraction of their Manhattan prices — and split the savings with you. More »
Why Costco Taunts You With High-End Luxury Items
—>Heather at The Greenest Dollar read How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer earlier this summer, and it made her see Costco in an entirely new way. The point behind all that crazy luxury stuff for sale at Costco isn't just to sell it, she says; it's to prime your brain with feel-good dopamine so that you're far more likely to splurge on the more affordable items deeper in the store. More »
Christmas Has Arrived In August At Costco
—>Yes, it's the second half of the year — which can only mean one thing: as the sweltering waves of sticky heat give way to hurricanes and the little tykes sharpen their pencils for the first day of school — Santa is on his way. Get out your @#$%#$ mistletoe and holly and all that. More »
More Stores Accepting Food Stamps Now That 39 Million People Use Them
—>We're going to have to start offering tips for shopping with food stamps now that a record number of consumers —and stores— are using them. More »
Beware The Costco And American Express Membership Fee Double Dip
—>Last week we mentioned that Costco has a habit of backdating the starting date for lapsed membership renewals, which prompted Monica to write in and let us know of another issue they seem to have with billing. If you renew your executive membership with Costco but then apply for the Costco American Express card, Amex will charge you the membership fee a second time. Monica says the Amex CSR who fixed the problem told her it happens all the time. More »
Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
—>If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement. More »
The animals are rising up, and invading our big-box stores. This week, a small (non-poisonous) snake bit a man in an Illinois Walmart, and a woman in Utah reportedly found a black widow spider in a bunch of grapes purchased at Costco. Nature clearly abhors the modern suburban lifestyle, and it's taking back its territory. [Carmi Times] [KSL] More »
Costco Now Accepting Food Stamps, Sort Of
—>Finally following the lead of its competitors, Costco will accept food stamp cards. For core food items, not other merchandise. Two New York City stores, in Astoria, Queens, and in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, will serve as test sites because of the high numbers of food stamp recipients nearby. If the program is successful, Costco will expand it to all other New York City stores, but there are no plans to expand the program to other cities or states. More »
The Extra Fiber In Quaker Natural Granola: Chunks Of Wood
—>James' seven-year-old daughter was happily noshing on her Quaker Natural Granola when she came across this chunk of wood. Quaker was quick to send James a coupon so he could buy more woody granola from Costco, but then offered a refund when reminded that the bulk warehouse doesn't accept manufacturer's coupons. More »
Sorority Sisters Suffer Ironic Laundry Detergent Injuries
—>A fraternity fundraiser for the D.C. Firefighter's Burn Association at George Washington University included a super-fun Slip 'n' Slide lubricated with laundry detergent. Detergent isn't supposed to be slathered all over the body, though, and can lead to severe skin irritation and chemical...um....burns. More »
Costco Fixes Customer's Botched Electronic Prescription
—>If you get your prescriptions filled electronically, always double-check the dosage. Kimberly's prescription was recently screwed up somewhere between the physician filling out the order online and Costco's pharmacist receiving it. Luckily for her, the Costco pharmacist was incredibly helpful and fixed the problem for her, so Kimberly didn't have to waste her copay or deal with the issue on her own. He also explained, however, that the current state of electronic prescriptions is a big mess. More »
Costco Might Fix Hot Fuel Ripoff
—>Vermonters get a better deal on gas than Texans. Fuel expands in the heat and shrinks in the cold, so 5 gallons of "hot fuel" won't get your car as far as 5 gallons of regular. Oilmen know this, and that's why at various points in the supply chain volume gets adjusted for the industry standard temperature of 60° F. The retail pump isn't one of them. That might start to change if a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement with Costco as a defendant goes through. Under the terms, Costco would fix its pumps in the bottom half of the country so that they dispense fuel at 60° F. If it goes through, it would be a precedent-setting consumer victory. After all, you want a Tiger in your tank, not a Heat Miser, don't you? More »
If you recently bought organic brown eggs from a Costco, Safeway, or Pack 'n' Save in California or Nevada, you should check to make sure they're not part of yet another salmonella recall. [MSNBC] (Photo: Bonzo McGrue) More »
Magic Pricematching Fairy Visits Costco
—>Reader Lyn is happy to report that he is not suffering any buyer's regret. A week after buying a big ol' 52" Sony Bravia LCD TV from Costco for $1950, one of "my wife's and I's once-in-ten-years type deals," he saw the same one sitting in the TV section for $200 less. More »
American Express Cancels Your Card Right Before You Were Supposed To Get Your $500 Rebate
—>Andrea, an American Express member for over 20 years, is upset because AmEx canceled her cash-back card two weeks before her $500 rebate check was supposed to arrive, and declared the rebate forfeit. More »
Buy In Bulk With Friends From Warehouse Clubs
—>You can save big on groceries by forming a little warehous club buying collective with your friends: More »
Recession Special: $2,299.99 Roast At Costco
—>Reader Patrick points out a roast that could save the economy single-handedly — 15 lbs of Wagyu beef from Costco for $2,299.99. More »
Hey! You Can Buy Alcohol At Costco And Sam's Club Without A Membership!
—>Need some quality alcohol at discount prices? Don't want to sign up for a Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's membership? There may be hope for you! More »
Why Doesn't Costco Accept Food Stamps?
—>The New York Times City Room blog asks an interesting question. Why doesn't Costco accept food stamps? Even farmers markets accept them! What's the deal, Costco? More »
Costco Helps You Deck The Halls... In August
—>Reader Darascon spotted this lovely example of summertime Christmas Creep at his local Costco. More »
Costco Saves Christmas... In July
—>Thanks to Costco, Jen Sanderford's family was joyfully reunited with a box full of presents that had been stolen from their porch last Christmas. More »
Will New Square Milk Jugs At Wal-Mart, Costco Save The Planet? Or Spill Your Milk?
—>Wal-Mart and Costco have something new they'd like you to try— a square milk jug. The NYT says the new square jugs "are cheaper to ship and better for the environment, the milk is fresher when it arrives in stores, and it costs less." So what's the catch? Apparently, while the new jugs are helping cut costs, they kind of suck at pouring milk. More »
Buy Super-Cheap Costco Gas Without Costco Membership
—>Costco sells gas for $0.10-0.15 less per gallon than retail stations, but only to members who pay annual dues. Blueprint For Financial Prosperity claims to have found a way for non-members to access the bargain gas... More »
Costco Is A Great Place For Cheap Drugs
—>Consumer Reports bought bought Plavix, Levoxyl, Detrol, and Alendronate at a whole bunch of different pharmacies, and Costco came out the cheapest overall. Here's how the 13 places they tested rang up: More »
These Costco Guys Are Going To Assemble Your Table No Matter What
—>Unlike Drew's story about IKEA from earlier today, Philip had what sounds like insanely good customer service from Costco—which is a good thing, since both the original table he purchased and the replacement table Costco's delivery guys brought were missing key pieces. More »
Who To Contact About Your Missing 5 Free BluRay Discs
—>If you're still wondering where your 5 Free BluRay Discs are, here is the mailing address to send copies of your forms to (not Buena Vista Home Entertainment, as previously reported) More »
Disney's Five Free Blu-Ray Disc Promotion Is Broken
—>A lot of you have written in about problems with the Five Free Blu-Ray Discs promotion that was available here. The deal was supposed to be, buy a certain Blu-Ray disc player, mail in the coupon and proof of purchase postmarked by February 29, receive five free Blu-Ray movies. Many of you haven't received your movies. What happened? More »
This is a copy of a letter that I just sent to Costco More »
Costco Recalls 10,368 Pounds Of Listeria-Contaminated Chicken
—>Costco is issuing a voluntary recall for 10,368 pounds of Discover Cuisine frozen chicken entrees under suspicion that the chicken may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause headaches, neck stiffness, and, uh, spontaneous abortions. More »
Costco Is On Fire, Profit Up 31%
—>Costco has announced that their 2nd quarter profits are up 31%! That's a lot! More »
Costco is kicking serious ass, says BusinessWeek. [BW] More »
Costco Employees Are Heroic, Help Catch Shooting Suspect
—>Several Costco employees who spotted two men breaking into a car parked near the store's tire center chased the men toward the main store where an assistant police chief happened to be shopping. More »
Costco Finds Item You Accidentally Left In The Parking Lot And Holds It For You
I wanted to let you know that Costco customer service is awesome. Last Sunday, My family went to Costco to shop. I saw they had a good deal on a chair mat. Right before we checked out, I went back to get it. As we were headed to the exit, my wife figures out they overcharged her for something. So (with help from a CSR) we split up so I could load the car. Well, I put the chair mat somewhere and forgot about it. (probably against the car) I realized it later that night that I had forgotten it, and had written it off. Today, I went to Costco to get a prescription filled and I thought I would ask about it. Apparently an employee found it, logged it, and put it back on the shelf. The CSR told me to get another one off the shelf and gave me a note to get through the cashiers with it. The cashier then radioed to the receipt checkers, so I didn't even have to wait in the exit line! Well, damn. That's really nice! Good job, Costco.
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AT&T will begin selling phones and wireless service at Costco. [BusinessWeek] More »
Costco Is A Good Place To Buy Eyeglasses?
—>ABCNews asked a optometrist to write a bifocal prescription and have it filled at Costco, Target, LensCrafters and Walmart, then they asked him to rate the quality of the glasses. More »
Organic Principles, Regulations Ignored By Nation's Largest Organic Dairy
—>Consumers in twenty-seven states are suing Aurora Dairy, the nation's largest organic dairy for selling milk that failed to meet basic organic standards. The suit is bolstered by findings from USDA inspectors, who found that between December 2003 and April 2007, Aurora: "labeled and represented milk as organically produced, when such milk was not produced and handled in accordance with the National Organic Program regulations." More »
Receipt Check Policies For Costco, Sam's Club, And BJ's
—>In most cases, a receipt check is voluntary, but several wholesale shopping clubs make you agree to them as part of the membership contract. More »
USDA Says Some Organic Milk Is A Rip-Off
—>If you're going to pay twice as much for milk because you like the idea that the cows have a yard to play in—that's your business—but you'd better be getting what you pay for. More »
Nation's Largest Car Seat Maker Recalls 19 Models
—>Dorel Juvenile Group, the nation's largest maker of car seats, is recalling 19 models of car seats, including the Eddie Bauer and Costco Cosco brands. More »
Don't Spend $1,000 On $8 Glasses
—>Most people spend too much on glasses, failing to shop around even though they are legally entitled to take their prescription anywhere. Local opticians usually provide the best service, but offer the worst deals. 147 million Americans might save on glasses by following these simple tips from the Chicago Tribune: More »
Disney Exits Winemaking Buisness Before Actually Entering It
—>Plans to market a French Chardonnay under the brand name "Ratatouille," have been shelved due to a "trickle of inquiries and complaints," according to Disney spokesperson, Gary Foster. More »
Costco receipt checkers will sometimes make a nice happy face on the back of receipts for kids, which is nice. But you know the power is going to their heads when they reprimand your mentally disabled child, who didn't start talking until he was 3, for not enunciating "please" and "thank you" clearly enough. More »
Costco Recalls Dirty Underwear Punching Bag
We are issuing this voluntary recall notice for the TKO Sports Heavy Punching Bag with Speed Bag Combination, manufactured by TKO Sports, of Houston, TX. We have learned that the fill material in the heavy punching bag does not meet our high quality standards.
Yeah, that's quite the understatement. If Costco's records reflect that you've purchased this bag, they're sending a box and UPS shipping label out to you right away. They're also sending you an Everlast punching bag to replace the one that is filled with used underwear. You know, the more we write about it, the more we notice that the concept just doesn't get any less gross. Even the
grasshopper leg in the Applebee's salad got less gross the more we thought about it. Not so, used underwear punching bag.
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Duane Reade Sucks As A Pharmacy, Target Is Pretty Good
According to JD Power and associates survey of pharmacies, that blight on New York City, Duane Reade, placed last in the rankings of chain pharmacies. From the WSJ Health Blog:The results are based on an online survey of 6,543 U.S. consumers conducted last fall.
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Costco Caught Selling Fake Conor Oberst Autographed Guitars
We're as flummoxed as you are, but yeah, Costco is apparently selling these things for a cool $899.99 (shipping and handling included!). The "Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes Signed Acoustic Guitar" features such eye- and ear-catching attributes as "rich, full tone," a "natural spruce top," a "rosewood bridge," and "cream binding on the body and neck [that] adds crisp style." It also features a scribble of a signature allegedly from Conor himself on its face.
Conor's PR people denied that anyone had signed anything for Costco and the guitars were swiftly pulled from the website. Apparently, Conor Oberst is some kind of music-making person. He seems very well regarded among his own kind.
—MEGHANN MARCO More »
This Is Why Costco Revoked Their Super Nice Return Policy
—>This picture shows why Costco changed their really nice return policy recently: because of jerkwads abusing it. Here's the IM conversation we had with a Costco employee who processed this return. More »
Generics Aren't Always That Much Cheaper
—>Generics meds are supposed to be a cheaper alternative to name-brand drugs, but a recent Wall Street Journal found that there wasn't as much difference as you might think. — BEN POPKEN More »
Costco Million$ Lost Spurred Return Policy Rip
—>Like momma always said, if you don't stop using that thing, you're gonna break it... and Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti says the same of the cash-and-carry retailer's decision to limit its generous return policy for electronics. More »
Costco Leak: Electronic Returns Limited To 90-Days Starting Today
—>Costco's return policy for certain electronics downgrades to 90-days starting today at some locations, according to an internal memo send to Costco managers, a salesman at the company, store employees, FatWallet members and a document on Costco's website. More »
Customer Satisfaction At All Time High
University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) increased to an overall 74.9 score out of 100 in the fourth quarter of 2006, its highest level since the survey first started in 1994. That's a gain of almost 2 percent from the previous year and a 0.7 increase from the previous quarter.
So who is winning and who is losing?
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EXCLUSIVE: Costco To Make Return Policy Stricter?
Costco is making its liberal return policies stricter, according to a little birdy. Previously, you could return anything, except computers, at anytime, with or without a receipt. More »
Receipt Checking Is For Pussies
—>David Pelfrey never lets Costco check his receipt. He always gets away with it. More »
Is Costco Executive Membership Worth It?
The value of Costco membership may be contentious, but what about a Costco Executive Membership? The upper echelon offers 2% Cash Back, as well as a slew of discounts on insurance, small business services, check printing, and more. Here's MyMoneyBlog's take: More »
Target Black Friday Ad Up, Plus Many More
—>As Black Friday draws ever nigh, a splooge of new Black Friday ads appeared on the internet. More »
Costco Customer Leaves With Someone's Fist Dangling From Orifice
—>We're not even going to parse what the imagery in this post's title means. But it's a line in this customer service tale from Brian. More »
What is the Legality of Retailers' Post-Sale Spot Checks?
try to leave the store. They try to FORCE everyone to stop and have their receipts & carts checked before they leave the store. I cannot tell you how much this bothers me. Once I pay for my merchandise, it is MINE - I own it! If they want to check my cart or my receipt, they need probably cause to detain me - otherwise it is illegal search & seizure. They want me to wait in one line for 30 minutes to check out, and then wait another 5 minutes to have some lackey check my receipt? FORGET IT! I have complained about this repeatedly to the store manager. They claim it is to make sure that I haven't been "over-charged" for anything. But after some argument, they admit it is used to keep tabs on their employees, and make sure that the checkers are actually scanning all items. Is that my problem? Nope! And I refuse to be have my civil rights violated because they don't trust their employees.This sounds like a job for an attorney or someone who has had at least one cup of coffee, but Kaje raises an interesting point. How can stores legally search your bags or cart after you've paid for an item? Doesn't the ownership of the goods transfer once you have been given the receipt or bill of sale? Wouldn't refusing a search on their property lead to, at worse, an ejection from the premises? (You know, like, ejected all the way out to your car so you can drive home?)
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