Costco Wholesale — Attraction in Teterboro

The organization & quality of goods are excellent here (even compared to other Costco locations), so I use this location even though there are several other locations closer to me. But do WATCH OUT when you return items. We had an unfortunate instance of purchasing spoiled lobster & crab legs (never happened before). Based on everything I read online, returning bad food items to Costco seemed like an effortless experience (e.g. no need to bring in the spoiled food, etc.). But we did not want to take a chance and brought in the spoiled food (nicely packaged in ziplock) as well as the receipt.

The lady at the return center first claimed that she could not find the two items on our receipt. We kindly pointed them out, but she kept complaining & asking whether we bought these two items on the date of the receipt. We were very confused because the items clearly showed up on the receipt. And then she said she had to take the items from us (which we found strange and inconsistent with others' experience, but were glad to comply with). She then gave us a refund for only one of the two items. When we asked why, she said she only saw one item in the bag. We told her there were two separate bags (crabs and lobsters) and asked her to bring back the bag to us so that we could show her. That's when she told us "I am not touching those again," with a disgusted look on her face. At this point, we were clearly annoyed and asked how we could show her the both items are in the bag if she doesn't bring them back to us. She eventually handed us the bag and when we showed her the both items, she now claimed there were not enough lobsters in there. When we counted all five lobsters and told her we'd bring a new one from the store to prove that there are five in each pack, she just started grumbling and reluctantly processed the refund for us. Maybe it's just one lady and not a reflection of the entire store, but it was a bad enough experience that we will not visit this location again. We will also think twice about purchasing fresh seafoods from Costco. Although this was the first time something like this happened, I just don't think I want to risk going through a similar experience...

During peak hours and weekends the parking can be challenging. At one of my recent trips to Costco (one of my favorite store), I was disappointed at the pharmacy counter where I puchased a packet of cold medication with expiration date on the box dated to be expiring next month!!! Unfortunately, only after I got home I found that. I was not expecting to find this from Costco! A store I frequented for many years:( It made me uneasy and wonder about their system to do checks on all expiring medications including prescription medications? Are they being done on a routine basis at this location? The next day I had to make another trip back the next day to return it. The greeter at the entrance kindly directed me to the regular refund line, but the cash register would not accept it. Then I was referred to go to the pharmacy dept. This dept is very poorly set up with no sign to direct the customers on where to form lines, it was confusing to say the least, one old man unintentionally got in front of me. I let him finish his transaction, but then another rude obnoxious female just walk up to the counter to ask question. I told her people are waiting on line. She ignored it and continued on with her question. If every time people just walk up to the pharmacy to ask a question while you are waiting to be be assisted, it can get out of control. This area definitely needs improvement to avoid this type of negative customer experience. Finally, it was my turn, I almost got bounced me back to go back to the regular store return line. I told the cashier that I was just there and got referred to the pharmacy. Now, a supervisor was called to complete the return. By now, the customer after me is frustrated and she just walk up right behind me and gave me a stare as to why my transaction took so long. This place is out of control!! I'm a customer too and I'm waiting to have my issue resolved. All this could have been prevented if the store check their expiration date on medications on these shelves irregularly. For all this inconvenience I went through to return this item, there was not even an apology. Unfortunately, it was a chaotic experience...

I am writing to formally report a serious incident of racial discrimination and inappropriate behavior that occurred yesterday (insert date) at approximately 12:26 PM at the Teterboro Costco location.

I purchased 38 items, and the transaction was handled by a cashier named Francis T, whose name appears on the receipt. During checkout, I received an urgent phone call regarding my child, who was experiencing an allergic reaction at school. I briefly answered the call and immediately apologized for the interruption. However, during this time, the male customer behind me and the cashier appeared to assume that I did not understand English. They made rude and disrespectful remarks about my behavior. When I explained my situation and apologized again, the cashier dismissively asked, “Is there any proof that you said that?” implying I was making excuses and possibly mocking my English ability.

I clearly understood everything they said but chose not to respond in the moment due to the urgency of my child’s situation. The cashier later stated, “I’m just processing the payment. There’s no proof,” which I found dismissive and disrespectful. The behavior I experienced was not only rude but also racially insensitive. Unlike the majority of Costco employees, who are kind and professional, this employee judged and criticized me based on the assumption that I could not speak English well.

I intend to visit the store today to speak directly with the manager and express my serious concerns. I request that appropriate action be taken to address this issue and that additional training be provided to prevent similar incidents...