Thousands of Costco Fans Share Their Most Controversial Opinions on the Retailer

1. Moving Things Around and Rearranging the Store Is Annoying

One of the most upvoted unpopular opinions was:

“Moving things around and rearranging the store constantly doesn’t make it feel like a ‘treasure hunt’ – it’s just annoying.”

Our take: 99% of the items we shop for on Costco trips are in the same spot time and time again. It is true, however, that it can be annoying when you begin really liking an item and suddenly it leaves Costco shelves. The company’s focus on keeping just 4,000 (or less) products per store – which is about 1/10th a normal grocery store – is partially to blame here.

2. Items Are Too Large

This opinion can be summed up from a couple of popular comments.

“Sometimes it really is better to buy something at a grocery store instead of Costco. And you realize this too late when you are throwing away 100 packets of expired whatever”

“Why do i need to buy 12 muffins”

Our take: Obviously you are getting savings in large part from buying in bulk, and Costco will always sell that way. However, there are some items we agree could be downsized. An option to purchase six muffins would be appreciated as most will go to waste unless you bring them to a large gathering. Costco sells some items like Rotisserie Chickens in smaller portions, for example.

3. Free Samples Are Bad

It might surprise you that a lot of people don’t like free samples!

“I hate the free samples. It causes traffic jams”

Our take: This is a tough one to agree with, as we’ve discovered many items we love by trying out free samples. That being said, we have to agree they can make shopping on a busy Saturday even more difficult.

4. The Produce is Not Very High Quality

Costco has very cheap produce, but more than 2,300 readers agreed with this comment:

“The produce is often not very high quality (or was picked too early) and also not a value relative to conventional grocery stores.”

Our take: There is no question Costco’s produce can be hit or miss, but this is generally true across grocery stores. We still feel that Costco’s produce is a good value, especially if freeze extras to create items like smoothies once they’re starting to lose their freshness.

5. Costco is TOO Generous

Here’s an opinion you may not have expected: Costco is too generous.

“Refund policies should be more strict and memberships should be revoked if someone brings an unauthorized animal into the store.”

Our take: Costco is famous for its generous refund policy, but there is a feeling all shoppers “pay for it” when it gets taken to excess. We appreciate Costco’s refund policy, but if it were to get “stricter” would also understand. Some members have seen their memberships revoked for excessively returning items. In letters, Costco has apologized for being “unable to satisfy [you] as a member” and refunded Membership dues to those who took advantage of return policies.

6. Members Don’t Like How Quickly Christmas Items Go On Display

Costco is famous for its number of holiday items, but when they start appearing in warehouses bothers some members:

“I know people like Christmas shopping early, but it depresses me to see decorated trees and animatronic snowmen in August.”

Our take: It is always jarring seeing Christmas items out on days when the temperature can hit 90 degrees. We’ll file this one under a “minor annoyance.”

7. The Chicken Bake is Bad

Almost 300 people agreed with this comment:

“The chicken bake is NASTY”

Our take: Sorry, there are some comments we just can’t agree with. The Chicken Bake is delicious.

8. Costco Needs a 5-Item or Less Line

Another comment that’s picking up steam is that Costco needs a 5-item or less line.

“There needs to be a 5 items or less line”

Our take: This would be great, if we ever managed to leave the store with five items or less! However, there’s no question the checkout experience is one of the most frustrating parts of Costco. Self-checkout helps, but an express self-checkout for limited items would be beneficial.

9. The Food Court Isn’t Good

Not everyone loves the Food Court.

“I do not understand why the food court is popular. Nothing about a big box shopping experience makes me want to hang out and eat there.”

Our take: We kind of get it. A post recently went viral of an Italian person reacting to Costco’s pizza. If you haven’t been shopping at Costco for a long time, the value of the Food Court may be a bit confusing. However, the bottom line is the word value. The $1.50 Hot Dog is simply iconic and represents everything about Costco.