Does Costco Accept Online Food Order Returns In-Store?

There are some mistakes everybody makes when shopping at Costco, and it's easy to grab the wrong item or buy more than you need. However, while you can easily return things to the store for a refund, what happens if an item was ordered online? Well, if you ordered something, like Costco's Wagyu steaks, and wind up not needing it, or it comes damaged, the good news is returning an online item is super easy.

While you can return or get replacement items through Costco online, giving you the option of printing a shipping label to mail back the items you don't want, you can also take the items to your nearest warehouse. This can be a lot easier and will allow you to get a refund faster than waiting for your items to be returned through the mail. All you have to do is take the items to the service desk to process the return.

However, keep in mind that payment methods differ between Costco's online store and warehouses, so this can be an issue in some instances. According to Costco, warehouses accept many more payment methods than Costco.com, and you shouldn't have any problems if you're using a Visa, debit card, Apple Pay, or Costco Shop Card. However, if you pay using a Mastercard online, warehouses might not accept it since they have an exclusive contract with Visa. That said, at least one Redditor was able to get a refund from a warehouse back to their Mastercard, though some locations may opt for cash back or a store card.

Costco is known for its 100% satisfaction guarantee, which extends to any food you order online. Although excessive returns might get your membership revoked, typically, Costco is reasonably lenient with food items customers can return. For example, in its return policy, Costco specifies that it'll accept returns for things purchased by mistake, that arrive damaged, or if a customer is dissatisfied with what they've received. On Reddit, folks have even shared their experiences returning food items they've tried but did not like. Even when food is otherwise okay, Costco is still known to take it back so long as you don't build up a record of abusing their policy.

However, if you're someone who tracks Costco prices in the hope of earning a price adjustment, don't expect to be able to head to your local warehouse and get money back on an online order. Warehouses don't offer price adjustments for online orders, and the prices are often different because online items include shipping and handling costs.