Costco Wholesale — Attraction in San Francisco

Beware of Costco tire service! They don't take responsibility when something goes wrong. COSTCO TIRE SF IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED. They have the authorization and handle the claim themselves, but stated that they have nothing to do with it, except to turn the claim form in.

I got 4 brand new tires put in last September. Beginning of January, front tires looked flat so I took it to a Costco in east bay. The tire technician was in the process of removing the front tires to inspect and noticed one of the bolts was jammed. I was shopping inside the store and got a call . I went over to the tire center and the technician asked me a few questions (when was my last service, did I have my breaks worked on, etc). He explained that when I got my new tires put in the technician didn't put the bolt in properly by hand before applying the drill. He advised that the only way to get it off is to force break it. And if more than 1 bolt is missing then I will need to tow my car for safety reason.

I gave him the go ahead to remove all 4 bolts for that tire. As it turned out only 1 bolt/lug nut was damaged.

I called the SF tire center to file a damage claim and the person who picked up the phone was very impatient with me and not helpful. He initially said I need to fill out a claim form that's handled by another department. There was not much information given about the process or turn around time. He kept saying it's a separate department and that I need to go into their center (I cannot file at any other location, by phone, email).

I asked him about repair. He then said that was my choice. I was concerned about driving my car with a missing support of the tire. My local mechanic fixed it for me and only charged a little less than $40. I wrote a check for $50 totaI (with $10 tip).

Today, I had to make a trip from East Bay into SF just to file the claim. Oscar (tire center manager) checked all 4 tires and took multiple pictures. I gave him the repair receipt and January tire inspection. He claimed that the Costco paper showed that I had a flat and a spare tire was put in. He's trying to shift the responsibility and implied that I have removed and put the bolts on. He also pointed out that the areas around the bolts are rusted and would cause the bolts to go bad. Also mentioned that the record showed that one bolt was not the correct one (which the January Costco technician had already informed me and I told him I was aware of it). Furthermore, it was not the one that was damaged. Oscar was trying to find fault in something or someone other than his original tire technician who installed the tires for me back towards the end of September 2020.

Oscar was clearly not taking an ounce of responsibility nor admit to the error made by the technician who installed my tires in September. I'm sure they have a record as to who that was.

He told me to complete the claim and they'll submit it to the claim department which does not work on the weekend. And that I can only claim the $40 on the mechanic's work receipt. I have a copy of the check that I wrote for $50 (I gave a $10 tip for the service which took a long time to repair the lug nut/disc). I have been a loyal Costco customer for over 20 years and shop almost every weekend for my family. I am VERY DISAPPOINTED at Costco Tire SF for not taking responsibility and refusing to pay the additional $10 I gave to the mechanic. I then asked them to reimburse the $6 toll I just paid which Oscar also refused.

While I was still shopping at the store, I received multiple calls from the tire center that they got approval to issue a $40 cash card to me. After further consideration, I refused the cash card and ask them to mail me a check. They didn't honor either the $10 tip I paid to the mechanic or the $6 toll. Not to mention the time I have wasted having to take my car to repair and making a trip to file the claim in person that they insisted was the only option available which added up to be far more than the actual repair cost. This was a complete waste of my...

If you’ve ever wanted to experience a Mad Max-style economy wrapped in bulk discounts and suburban fantasies without leaving San Francisco, congratulations—you’ve found your arena. Costco SF isn’t just a warehouse. It’s a vibe. A chaotic ballet of carts, corporate shame, and 36-packs of string cheese that feel like survival.

Location, Baby: Tucked under the freeway near 10th & Harrison like some kind of secret rich-people bunker. Parking lot? Absolute war zone. If you make it out without swearing in front of a child, you win a free rotisserie chicken (not really, but spiritually). Don’t even look for a spot unless you’re driving a Prius with combat experience.

Inside the Beast: Once you flash your membership like it’s a VIP badge at a rave for debt-conscious dads, the floodgates open. TVs bigger than your studio apartment. Toothpaste for a year. Enough frozen meat to summon wolves. The ceilings echo with capitalism. It’s thrilling and sad and deeply satisfying.

The Crowd: It’s everybody. Techies buying La Croix by the pallet. Aunties with clipboards and coupon agendas. Guys buying enough batteries to power a small country. And one guy in a motorized cart sampling every cheese.

Samples: God-tier. Not what they used to be pre-COVID, but they’re making a comeback. Catch them at the right time and you’ll eat an entire disjointed lunch: half a pizza bite, two sips of kombucha, and a regret-laced vegan sausage.

Food Court: Where sins are forgiven. $1.50 hot dog and drink combo still holding down the fort like it’s 1985. The pizza slices are greasy and glorious. The churro? Criminally underrated. Sit down and watch humanity shuffle past like you’re at a zoo for overstimulated adults.

The Haul: You came for toilet paper. You left with $473 of impulse bulk. Giant shrimp platter, oversized hoodie, a new garden hose, and an LED light you’ll never install. That’s just the law of the land.

Tips:

Go early. Like early early. Or go late and embrace the chaos.

Don’t sleep on the Kirkland brand. That stuff is engineered by demons and scientists in a lab built for value.

Lines are long, but move fast—Costco runs on capitalist sorcery and barcode discipline.

Final Thought: Costco SF is the only place in the city where you can feel like a broke-ass peasant and a prepping warlord at the same time. It’s loud, frantic, and weirdly beautiful. Like your ex’s family reunion, but with...

About to cancel my membership. Took me years to realize that most of their products are specifically made for them, and that their products are always or at least most of the time some watered down version of the original product. For instance Costco Ninja food processor will have 3 speeds, original Ninja 5 speeds. Their version of Tempurpedic is watered down 2013 technology vs new models sporting 2025 technology, 2 to 3 times better density foams, massive difference in quality, density, and durability. Their Purple mattresses were from China, elsewhere they were American. How toxic or not toxic is that stuff from China? Why is Chinese version twice cheaper then anywhere else? Philips tooth brushes breaking down every few months, totally different than assortment of philips tooth brushes anywhere else. Again made just for Costco. Now to Costco defense you can always bring that back for full refund, no questions asked, but ocassional employees with an attitude still giving you an eye, which is a totally different story. And then what's going on with these constant recalls in a food section? One day is a recall on meat, the next day is vegetables. One day Listeria, next day some other bacteria. And honestly prices are not even that competitive anymore. Time to move on. Good luck, I still wish you to succeed, but your goods should be comparable products. Gotta play this fair and square. Consumer is sadly naive, and assumes that you are competitive. Which you (technically) are not, based on the above said. We expect apples for apples when comparing, not apples...