A viral TikTok video revealed a Costco returns department stacked with a full Coachella campsite’s worth of gear: a tent, canopy, rugs, arcade game, JBL speaker, generator, and more. The post calls out potential abuse of Costco’s famously generous return policy, framing it as a scummy move on festival-goers exploiting retail rules.
The community response is sharply divided:
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Environmental Impact: Many users are concerned about wasteful returns, noting that returned items often end up trashed rather than resold or donated.
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Costco Defense: Some defend Costco’s employee treatment and customer-friendly policies, emphasizing this as just routine retail turnover.
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Policy Backlash Warning: Others warn that such high-volume returns may provoke stricter store policies, potentially harming honest buyers down the line.
This conversation highlights the complex intersection of festival culture, consumer ethics, and corporate responsibility — all seen through the lens of that one epic Coachella campsite left in the returns aisle.
Source: r/coachella