Costco Shoppers Say This One Customer Habit is the "Worst of the Worst"
There are few things more infuriating than unpacking your groceries to realize someone has already opened certain items and helped themselves. In a large warehouse chain like Costco, which has a very generous return policy, it's easy to just return something even if it has been partially-used. If that item finds its way back onto shelves, some unlucky customer may end up buying it. And then there are people who just feel like a snack but don't want to pay for it.
One Costco shopper experienced this first-hand when they opened a jar of pretzels only to find the seal broken and food clearly pilfered. "I got home after a long, cold, morning of errands only to find that [someone] had already shoved their dirty mitts into my peanut butter pretzels. Now I get to make the trip back to Costco, wait in the return line, and buy another container. All because someone lacks impulse control and common courtesy," the customer vented on Reddit.
Other Costco shoppers said they experienced similar annoyances, and now always inspect the seal before checking out. "Whenever I buy items with the screw off lid, I always unscrew in store and make sure it is still sealed. I always get worried this is going to happen," another responded.
It's not just food that gets interfered with—one shopper said they bought diapers only to realize some were missing. "I bought a sealed box of diapers, only to open it at home and find that one of the packages inside was open and had about 10 diapers missing. So someone used 10 diapers, then closed the box and taped it shut to return it. What's crazy is Costco's return policy is so generous they probably would have given a refund even if the box was completely empty! But someone thought it would be easier to be dishonest and lie about the package being opened, so it ended up on the shelf and sold as new."
One person noticed several packages open inside a Costco from a customer who clearly only wanted a certain type of cracker. "A couple months ago, I went to buy a variety box of crackers. The stock was low, so there were only about a dozen boxes and all but one were opened. I swear someone went through and picked out only the variety they wanted from each box. I did let the cashier know when I was checking out and he called his manager, who immediately sent someone over to investigate," the customer commented.
Even over the counter medications aren't safe from tampering. "Annoying! I purchased Advil and when I was about to take a pill, noticed that the seal was open. I just tossed everything! I just realized that I should have had it exchanged for a new one," one Redditor said.
The general consensus is to always check before you buy, to save yourself a trip back to the store.
