11 Sam's Club Items That Shoppers Return the Most
Knowing you can return an item, no questions asked, gives shoppers a lot more confidence when it comes to parting with their money—something warehouse chain Sam's Club understands. The store has a very generous returns policy, even years after items are sold. "If you're a current member and not satisfied with a purchase made online or in club, we're happy to issue a refund or replace it, with a few exceptions," Sam's Club says about their "100 % Satisfaction Guaranteed" policy. Here are 11 items members frequently take back to the store, according to employees and customers on social media.
TVs and Other Electronics
One Sam's Club employee on Reddit pointed out the store accepts returns on electronics long after the warranty has expired. "Our store honors all returns, no matter what," they said. "So long as the member has a receipt, or it can be found in the system, they'll refund them no questions asked. 3 year old TV? Sure! 7 year old sealed net gear router? Why not! Apple 3rd gen IPad? I see no issues there! Fitbit where the screen is literally falling off? Sounds good to me! 10 year old garden hose? Yeah why not. $7,000 in gift cards because you changed your mind? Yep no problem."
Fruit and Vegetables
Sam's Club offers excellent deals on produce, although you may find yourself buying far more than you can easily get through when buying in bulk. If your food goes off before you can enjoy it, Sam's Club will take it back. Yes, even perishable items such as fruit and vegetables can be returned. "Had a guy buy $200 worth of pineapples," one Redditor said. "Returned them because now that restaurants are forced to be closed in Utah he had no need for them."
Dairy Products
If you buy a gigantic tub of cheese or a bottle of milk and instantly have buyers remorse, you can take it back. "A close family member of mine gets off on returning stuff," one Redditor said. "She once returned a giant tub of cottage cheese to Sam's because it was more than she could use… and they took it back."
Camping Equipment
Specialty equipment such as tents and tarps will obviously go through wear and tear through regular use, but Sam's Club offers refunds on these items, employees claim. "We are told to 'take care of the member'," one Sam's Club worker on Reddit said. "I once gave a refund on a 1 year old blue tarp that had been used on a windy day and it tore."
Clearance Items
Many stores have a strict "no-returns" policy for clearance items being sold at a discount, but Sam's Club shoppers can still make returns on those items. "Only display models sold as is [are] no returns," one Sam's Club employee said on Reddit. "But they tell you that ahead of time. We had a guy buy one and then return it 60 minutes later out of box too. Seemed shady but it was approved."
Clothes Without Tags
Sam's Club handles a large amount of clothing refunds, based on social media comments.
"I bought 2 pairs of leggings last week from Sam's – different sizes but same leggings. Both of the leggings are terrible and don't fit right. I have the tags for one pair bit not the other and I don't have the receipts. Can the receipt be looked up on my account and I can take back the leggings for store credit or a refund?" one customer asked on Reddit. "I work in claims and I've gotten crazy returns like one time a member returned a "plant", but it was just a literally 6 in. twig with the receipt wrapped around it," an Sam's Club employee responded. "Another time I got a tv returned from 2016.. lol. So yeah.. you should be good. 👍🏻"
Used Mattresses
Another Sam's Club employee said they get returns for mattresses, even if they've been used. "We've accepted used mattresses and a grill that someone blew up after a year of having it…the bar is 6 feet underground for returns here," the person said on Reddit.
Water Heaters and Air Fryers
Sam's Club will take back faulty large items like water heaters and air fryers even without packaging or instructions included. "I bought a point-of-use mini (2.5 gallon) water heater from Sam's club online in February 2023. It's now leaking and the manufacturer is giving me the run around on the warranty. Will Sam's Club accept a return on this item? I do not have the packaging or manual anymore, but I have everything else that was included (mounting bracket)," one Redditor asked. "Yes u can return it however as someone who works at membership it makes the return so much easier for us if you go into your sam's app and find the order number and have it ready for us!" an employee responded. "This summer we returned an air fryer that almost caught fire. Turns out is a flaw with this air fryer. We bought it last Christmas and they let us return it, but they gave us in-store credit," another Redditor said.
Protein Drinks
Protein drinks are a fast and convenient way to reach your protein intake goals, but if you buy 12 and discover you don't like the taste, it can be tricky to make a return. Sam's Club allows returns on drinks, which are a frequent issue. "We bought a box of the fruit loop protein drinks (vile horrible things they are). I drank one, well a few sips of one and just can't do it. Are they refundable? Do I take the other 14 bottles back? I never return anything but I wouldn't give these things away to anybody, and it was almost 30 bucks," a customer asked on Reddit. "Take them all back. They'll refund ya. Opened or not. Satisfaction guaranteed. No worries. 30 bucks is a lot of money to have wasted it on something that was disgusting," another responded.
Infant Car Seats
It's impossible to get by without an infant car seat when you have a baby, but with so many different models on the market, it's impossible to know which is right for you until you test it. One Redditor wanted to return her car seat because she was gifted another one, but no longer had the original box she bought it in. "Absolutely! The car seat can definitely be returned, as long as you either have your membership card to access your purchase history, or your receipt from the register/checkout," another Redditor responded.
Apple AirPods
One customer bought AirPods and couldn't stand the way the earphones kept falling out, but employees on Reddit said it was totally normal and expected that they would be returned. "Dude you could return a dirty used lawn mower, I've seen it happen. There is at least 30 days for electronics, go do it," an employee said.
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