Here's The Most Common Reason Costco Revokes Memberships

If the Costco membership card is one of your dearest possessions, you may shudder at the thought of having it revoked. Perhaps you didn't even know this kind of sanction is possible, but according to Costco's policy, the store can not only refuse to sell someone a membership, it can also take it away without providing an explanation. We looked into potential reasons for revoked memberships and found that the number one offender is abusing Costco's hassle-free return policy.

Per the wholesaler's 100% satisfaction guarantee policy, customers are welcome to return any product they're unsatisfied with to any store location without time constraints. There are a few rare exceptions (for example, electronics only have a 90-day return window), but otherwise, it's fair to say that Costco is pretty generous with this policy and, in some cases, even allows returns on partially eaten foods. However, that doesn't mean that customers can abuse the policy without repercussions.

Making numerous returns every single month can raise some eyebrows and land you with a warning, followed by the potential cancellation of your membership. Certain egregious abuses of the return policy can result in termination without a warning — returning multiple electronics in a row within the 90-day window, asking for a membership refund just as it's about to expire only to sign up again, frequently returning seasonal items after using them, and returning items that were bought many, many years ago are all considered serious offenses and have resulted in immediate membership terminations in the past.

Most shoppers don't have to worry about having their membership revoked as long as they avoid breaking Costco membership rules and stick to the decorum of reasonable and polite behavior. Being respectful to the employees and fellow customers is non-negotiable: Being rude, offensive, impolite, discriminating, and threatening is not going to be tolerated. Several customers have had their memberships taken away in the past because of their bad behavior, with some instances including physically damaging Costco's property, shoplifting, refusing to let their receipt be checked, and refusing to comply with state mandates.

Aside from the bigger offenses mentioned above, Costco has other general policies that it enforces in all of its locations. Breaking some of these might initially only result in a warning and asking you to leave, but repeat incidents could result in membership cancellation. Per Costco's policy, all customers have to wear shoes and shirts at the store. No more than two adult guest shoppers are allowed to join one membership holder. Civilian customers can't bring weapons into the store, and pet animals aren't allowed at Costco.