January is almost over but some folks are still feeling Grinchy about Christmas decorations. A video recording of a return line at Costco showed the opposite of keeping your decorations up all year—taking them back to the store right after they get taken down.
Although the video appears to be a repost by an aggregator account named @umeanbishso, its caption takes a distinctly personal tone.
“I see this so much. They buy a bunch of crap and then just return all of it. It’s all for LIKES & VIEWS. Don’t fall for it,” the text angrily pronounces.
The video seems to have stricken a chord with viewers. It was posted five days ago but has already attained an impressive 2.1 million views as of Monday. Apparently, plenty of people think that Christmas decorations should be an investment and not just a monthly rental.
The video shows a line of several carts brimming with artificial trees at what appears to be a Costco. The screen text reiterates the message in the caption, stating, “This is why I say don’t fall for the content creators’ bs. They buy all this crap for content. Then they just return all of it.”
The poster doesn’t make clear exactly what “content creators” they are so bitterly referring to (is there an “Xmas Tok”?). However one presumes the vitriol is aimed at anyone who bought a bunch of decorations “for the ‘gram” and then returned them.
However, the carts shown in the video aren’t accompanied by any customers. They may even be in use by the store to move seasonal stock. There is no evidence that they are returns.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Costco via their media request form for a statement.
@umeanbishso I see this so much. They buy a bunch of crap and then just return all of it. It’s all for LIKES & VIEWS. Don’t fall for it.
♬ original sound – umeanbishso
Whether the video does show manipulative “content creators” or not, the viewers seemed to be overwhelmingly in favor of Costco itself. Some even said they would welcome a no-return policy for holiday goods.
“Costco, if you’re listening…99.99% of your customers would be fine with non-returnable holiday decors!” Paul Ramos (@paulramos8315) wrote.
“Costco should of [sic] had a deadline for returns like December 22, 2023,” another viewer suggested.
User Elder Yehudah (@elderyehudah), who identified themselves as a Costco employee, warned, “Retiree working at costco here. We can also cancel your membership and we do this often for people who bring returns back all the time.”
And several viewers worried that the chain’s return policy was too flexible.
“The problem is Costco that they take everything back, even a bidet that was used for 5 years,” Alexa Bernal (@alexabernal1629) wrote.
Another wrote, “Costco’s return policy is fire and very helpful but I always worry people abusing it will get it changed.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the TikToker via TikTok comment.
