10 Frequently Returned Food Items At Costco - Tasting Table

"Even foods people love end up on the frequent return list at Costco, and there are plenty of reasons why. Knowing which ones end up being returned and why can help you keep an eye out for potential problems and give you insight into some interesting customer buying habits. Unsurprisingly, many of the items that people frequently return to Costco are fresh ones that spoil easily."

"The good news is that there's no singular product on our list that is universally reviled or always a bad bet for purchase. Instead, the items you'll see here are often ones that have occasional issues or that have workarounds to avoid spoilage. Interestingly, though, there are a couple of items on our list that aren't usually returned because there's anything wrong with them, but just because people sometimes buy more than they need."

"Many times, you can avoid needing to make a return by simply looking carefully at items before you buy them. Unfortunately, even if you check the expiration date and do a thorough visual check of items before you put them in your cart, sometimes it's just impossible to tell that something is wrong with them until you get them home and open the package or cook the product."

Many Costco returns are fresh items prone to spoilage and occasional quality problems. Nuts can arrive overcooked, burned, or overly dry, prompting customer complaints. Massive nut sales increase the chance that some bad batches reach shelves. Some returned items are not defective but are purchased in excess and later returned. Inspecting expiration dates and visually checking products before purchase reduces return risk, but some defects only become apparent after opening or cooking. Understanding commonly returned products and reasons—spoilage, overcooking, quality variation, and overbuying—helps shoppers make better choices and avoid unnecessary returns.

Read at Tasting Table