BJ's Wholesale Club — Restaurant in Ross Township

I don't usually write reviews on Google. As a customer service representative, I know how difficult the job is. Out of empathy, I haven't left even a one-star review in over 20 years. But what happened this afternoon really made me furious. To be fair to BJ's and other customers, here are the facts.

This afternoon, my husband had a problem checking out at BJ's (6720 Northway Mall Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15237). Our loyalty program is a business account. We've been buying bottled water there for almost three years, typically buying over 15 bottles every two weeks. Today, my husband arrived with 28 empty bottle return coupons. In the past, these coupons were valid at checkout, regardless of whether we bought water or not.

Today, he only bought groceries and attempted to use the coupons as usual. The first, older cashier, wasn't sure, so she asked a younger person (presumably Jordan), who said the coupons were valid, so she started processing them. After the 10th coupon, the system stopped working. The cashier then asked a middle-aged woman, presumably a manager. She came over and said the coupons could only be used with a water purchase, and deleted the 10 coupons that had already been entered.

My husband returned to Jorden, who said he wasn't a manager. He then called a young woman; since my husband's English was limited, he put me on the phone to speak with her. She repeated that the coupons required a water purchase. I asked if she was the manager, and she said no. I asked her to get a manager to speak with me, but she didn't answer and put the phone aside. Later, the middle-aged woman returned and said they could apply the coupon amount to a gift card. While I waited, I asked if the card could be used immediately. The young woman replied, "I don't know." After a long wait, my husband finally received the gift card and used it to pay.

This raises some questions for BJ's management:

If BJ's has a limit on the number of coupons that can be used at a time, why were we never notified? If the rules recently changed, why wasn't there an email or text message notification?

Were the staff trained on these rules? If so, why didn't anyone give the correct answer initially?

Why, despite repeated inquiries, didn't anyone identify themselves as the duty manager? Is the identity of your duty manager a state secret?

While we are dissatisfied with the way this matter was handled, we want to thank Jorden. He was polite from the start, promptly offered assistance, and later opened a checkout lane to help us complete the payment.

Our final decision: Since there are no closer locations, we will continue to purchase other items here. HOWEVER, WE WILL NO LONGER BUY BOTTLED WATER THERE—OUR TIME IS VALUABLE, AND SPENDING OVER AN HOUR JUST TO CHECK OUT IS UNACCEPTABLE. WE WILL CERTAINLY NOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE KICKED AROUND LIKE A BALL OVER A SIMPLE BOTTLED-WATER PAYMENT ISSUE; THE EXPERIENCE WAS...

In case you haven't heard this bit of advice, let me drop it here, with a real world example that just happened to me:

Always get checked out by a human; Never use the self checkout at a store.

Besides the fact the company is offloading their labor expense onto you, the bigger reason is that you are treated like a criminal if a mistake is made.

Here's what happened to me on Saturday 2/3 at the BJs wholesale on McKnight road:

I go to walk out of the store and they have the receipt checking police at the door, she looks at my receipt and my cart, and then immediately goes into "I just caught a thief" mode, and says in the most accusing tone she could muster:

"Sir, help me understand why you have items in your cart that aren't on your receipt."

Because I was smart and didn't use self checkout, I point to the register I was just at and said "I don't know, ask him. He just rang me out."

Looking disgusted as if she lost her opportunity to solve the crime of the day, she walks away from me without speaking and gets on the store loudspeaker.

"I need a manager at the exit."

Receipt police lady comes back with the manager and they double check the cart, and yes the poor kid at the register missed scanning a few items.

I look them both in the eye and say "This is exactly why I never use your self checkout, because if I'd of made this mistake you'd be thinking I was stealing this stuff."

Receipt lady leaves, manager fumbles a bit on her words but is nice to me. I pay for the things the kid missed. Then the manager asks politely "Would it be ok if I copy your receipt?" I say sure, then get my receipt and leave.

I feel bad for the kid at the register, because he's probably getting an ear beating for making an honest mistake, but if I'd of made that mistake they would be ready to take me down as a...

If I could give BJ’s Wholesale Club zero stars, I would. This place is an absolute nightmare from start to finish. • Filthy Store: The floors are sticky, the shelves are dusty, and the carts feel like they haven’t been cleaned since the 90s. The entire place smells like a mix of spoiled food and damp cardboard. • Rotten Products: Half the produce looks like it’s been sitting there for weeks. I’ve seen moldy fruit on display and expired items still being sold on the shelves. • Rude Employees: Don’t expect help here. The staff acts like you’re bothering them by asking simple questions. Some outright ignore customers and others snap back like it’s your fault they’re miserable. • Terrible Customer Service: Returns are a joke. They’ll make you wait forever, then argue with you over obviously defective products. I once returned meat that smelled rancid the day I bought it, and the manager tried to accuse me of “improper storage.” • Broken Promises on Prices: They advertise “wholesale savings,” but most items are either the same price or even more expensive than Walmart, Costco, or even your local grocery store. • Chaos Everywhere: Lines are always insanely long, self-checkout barely works, and don’t even bother with the gas station – it’s a madhouse with broken pumps. • Membership Scam: You pay a yearly fee for the privilege of being treated poorly and overcharged. Total waste of money.

Honestly, going to BJ’s feels like punishing yourself. Save your time, money, and sanity. There are FAR better options out there. Costco, Sam’s Club, or even a regular grocery store puts BJ’s to shame.

Do yourself a favor: avoid this place at all costs. BJ’s Wholesale Club is the definition of...