Is retail chain Costco refusing to accept returns on toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizing wipes and other items amid the "chaos" caused by Hurricane Milton? No, that's not true: A sign stating that Costco will not give customers a refund on these items already appeared in social media posts in 2020, when people were hoarding supplies at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There's no evidence that a reappearance of what is apparently the same sign on the internet in 2024 is related to Hurricane Milton.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on October 8, 2024. The caption read:
Thoughts on Costco not allowing returns? Hurricane Milton cause chaos already.
The photo showed a printed sign with the Costco corporate logo reading:
RETURNS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ON
TOILET PAPER
PAPER TOWELS
SANITIZING WIPES
WATER
RICE
LYSOL
This is how the post looked on Threads at the time of writing:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING
(Source: Threads screenshot taken on Mon Oct 14, 2024 14:13:22 2024 UTC)
A reverse-image search for the above photo conducted on October 15, 2024, shows that a printed sign with the same wording and similar font appeared on an Instagram account belonging to costcobuys, a page for Costco shoppers, on March 19, 2020 (archived here). At the time, people were hoarding bathroom tissue, food and other household items in a wave of panic buying triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the comments on the Instagram post read:
Amazing idea. The hoarders can keep all their toilet paper 🙃
Hurricane Milton did not wreak havoc on the southeastern U.S. -- especially Florida -- until more than four years later.
The creator of the Threads post doesn't give any indication as to where the sign was located or when the photo was taken. The post does not provide any proof that the sign is recent or related to Milton or any other weather event.
The returns policy on Costco's website (archived here) does not say any of the items listed in the Threads post is ineligible for a refund. It is not clear whether Costco's refusal to take these items back, if they do so refuse, is a chain-wide policy or applies to certain outlets only.
Lead Stories has contacted Costco for comment and will update this fact check if they reply.
Other Lead Stories fact checks about claims concerning Costco can be found here; about Hurricane Milton can be found here.
