Costco
Reviews and Complaints

As a 2 year Costco employee, I'd like to go ahead and clarify some things for you.

First: While you certainly DO need to show your membership card when you come to Costco, it is absolutely understandable that you may not have it and your wife would. The Entrance doorperson should NOT (under the circumstances) have gotten physical with you. She was out of line and, honestly, should have faced termination for what she did. As someone who has been asked to man the door countless times, I usually just go ahead and let spouses join their husbands/wives.

Secondly: YES, you DO need to show your membership cards when you come to the door. Don't just ignore the person at the door and try to walk through. First, because that's just rude. Sure, you pay good money to shop here--but that doesn't give you the right to behave arrogantly. Your membership can be revoked for repeatedly refusing to adhere to Costco's membership card policy. Additionally, we're not asking to see your card out of vitriol or spite. We're doing it for several reasons. My personal favorite reason, is that in the event you might have forgotten your card at the door, we can direct you over to the Membership desk for a temporary. Also, it saves the awkward embarrassment you'd suffer if you made it all the way to the register only to cause a huge hold-up and make everyone wait for an assistant or supervisor to look up your membership information. We NEED that card to start the transactions. The registers will NOT start without it.

Thirdly: I'd like you all to know something from someone who's worked that door more times than I can count. Yes, we can get a little testy at that door. You want to know why? Because there have been grown men (keep in mind that I'm an unassuming 5'4" woman) who try to physically intimidate me when I ask for their cards. They like to walk right up to me, get in my face, and scream at me when I ask. Yeah. They scream---and it's really hard to resist kicking their knees backward or slapping them. They actually get so close that I could count their nose hairs. It's sickening. There have also been people who complain about the "inconvenience" of having to pull their wallets out of their back pockets, just to present their cards. INCONVENIENCE? More like first world problems. Suck it up, buttercups.

Oh, and don't let me forget the people who actually put THEIR hands on ME. Yep. They take out their cards, walk right up to me, and press their cards into my face. INTO. MY FACE.
Look, I love my job. Costco is an amazing company and I couldn't ask for a better CEO or business model, and 90% of my members I know by face and I know their kids (who always need smiley faces on their receipts)--but the members who antagonize us at the door...you can't take years of that without occasionally slipping into some negative behavior yourself. It's not always on purpose, and what that door lady did was wrong...but you need to realize what we go through every day just to make your day a little easier--and we do it all with a smile.

If you don't want to show your card go shop at Walmart. Costco outlines its policies and is a membership club. Do you expect 24 hour fitness to let you in without a membership? Costco charges a membership fee and what they bring in for membership fees every year is very close to what their profit it every year based on their annual report. This means we pay cost on all the items we buy. I will take paying cost on the items and pay the membership fee. Members like Canuto Morales and donttredonme need to go back to Walmart and shop. Being a member means that you sign a contract and promise to abide by the rules. I will take showing my card and showing my receipt when I leave so that only Costco members are in the store shopping over going to Walmart. The bottom line is as a Costco member if you can't follow the rules you agreed to when you signed up for the membership we don't want you in the Costco family. Go back to Walmart please and let the rest of us enjoy our Costco experience

i just want to say that i was a costco employee for 5 years, my fiance still works at the warehouse that i worked at, and i went to visit him one day for lunch with my 3 month old son, ALL of these people know me, as i was walking in the door lady STILL asked me for my card, AND refused to let me in and gave me attitude becuase i couldnt get to my card which was in my diaper bag, all of this after telling her that i was only there to visit my fiance...THIS is how they treat even their own people now, its not the same store that i worked for a few years back, costco is going down hill fast, and im extremely scared to see whats going to happen when jim is gone.. very very scary

As an employee of costco for 15 years I seriously doubt that the lady at the door would have called the police. Mangement would have had to been involved with that decision, and they wouldn't have done just for the hell of it. Someone is not telling the whole truth, only their version of it because they are upset.

As a Costco employee for the past 5 yrs I am fully aware of my company's policies. The door lady was out of line! By law we have no right to touch another person. She could lose her job for this or worse go to jail for assault. It is people like her that give our company a bad rep. She is not there to be a police officer she is there to greet customers as they enter, take a door count and yes check cards. But she is not suppose to be the door police, nor is she theft protection. She is not there to stop criminals. I have seen all types steal. And in my 5 yrs I have by far seen more paid members steal items than those who have "snuck" past the door. And if she is to have any issues while at the door she is to get a manager involved. They get paid the "big bucks" to deal with these issues. If anyone forgets their card they can easily be looked up at the membership desk! Takes 2 minutes! On another note the reason we charge a membership fee is because it's our main source of profit due to us only being able to markup our products up to 15 percent. People gladly pay the fees in order to save money on quality products, get a great return policy, (hell even our membership is fully refundable), not to mentions our savings on countless other things like optics, tires, and benefits such as auto buying. Bottom line I feel I work for a great company that tries to pride itself on customer service. Unfortunately there are those few employees that will ruin our reputation and it's unfortunate because we get paid good money to give great customer service specially in this economy! Bottom line nobody whether at a paid member's warehouse or the local Walmart should be treated with such disrespect.

My issue with Costco is not whether or not I had my membership card with me.

I did have my membership card with me. I walked into the Costco store, towards their "return counter" to return a heavy detergent bottle. Some Costco employees yelled at me, and told me that I have to enter through the "entrance" because they were counting people?

Well, I am NOT buying anything, I am returning only. Why should I walk through their "entrance" with my return item? So they would accuse me of something else? The return counter is closest to the exit door.

Well, if that is the petty way they want to go about it, then why not put a sign somewhere that says "for returns, enter here"?

So disgusted with them, I don't want to purchase anything else there.

Bad policies only alienate customers.

costco has a clear policy that you need your card when you enter, but I do think the lady standing at the front door needed to be rude about it. I'm sure if you saw some wierdo trying to get in the door without a card you would be glad that you pay your membership fee to keep those people out. So play by the rules and save everyone the time.

This man's complaint is perfectly valid. Even if the rules say you are not allowed in the store without a card (are you sure this is true? In Illinois you can buy from the pharmacy without being a member.) the employee should have treated him with respect and presented various options. With a moment's thought I would have suggested: they go to the customer service desk and have his wife paged, they try to call her on her cell phone, using the store's phone if necessary, or even have an employee escort them into the store to find his wife. Call the police? Come on. Surely Costco's all over the country deal with similar situations several times a day. How many times do you think they end up calling the police?

Rudeness is never an excuse. Proper customer service means that you help the customer not try to make their life unpleasant. There are too many ignorant uncoth bullies who are given jobs which they are ill suited for. Forgetting your card is hardly a cardinal sin - or perhaps it is at Costco.

This guy sounds like he was using his family to distract the front door employees so that he could steel merchandise. what ###ed up guy, get a job and stop steeling, ###!

Let's all start a class action suit against Costco. I ordered some over the count drugs my wife takes on March 16th. On March 21st Costco informed me my membership expired on February 29th and my order was canceled. I spent the next day trying to renew my membership on line with no success. Their web site is so screwed up! I finally talked to a customer service rep that renewed my membership on the phone. The membership went active March 23rd. When I went into the website on membership status my membership start date was back dated to February 29th. I did not have the use of the Costco membership for 24 days but I was charged for it. I have been a member for 29 years. Who keeps track of their Costco membership expiration date? The rep told me it was just like a gym membership. Costco is ripping off their members by making selve-serving rules. Sue the ###!

Westbury< New York: I encountered a Costco employee who came down an aisle with a full pallet of Poland Spring water. This was a near miss which could have been avoided by manuvering this pallet in a safe manner. What was even more scary was the manner in which I was spoken to. After he swerved to avoid hitting me, he became IRATE and THREATENING towards me. I was being blamed for not stoppping to give him the right away..."are you kidding me" On a Saturday evening with wall to wall customers (with Children)? I believe the CUSTOMER should have the right away... Does Costco train their employees that SAFETY is always FIRST? What kind of training do they receive prior to getting hired? Hey, how about Customer Service? Obviously this employee needs anger management classes. My concern is that this employee will get someone hurt by his reckless work habits or physically hurt a co-worker or customer. This ordeal is very unsettling...I wonder if BJ'S is any better.

I have been being soliciting big time to upgrade to execute membership lately in Kirkland and Issaquah. If you find it bothering, please call up [protected] and told them to put a note to don't bother you to do the upgrade. Tell them this is America, you have the choice to decide you want to upgrade or not and they should never bother you like the poor kids in the 3rd world countries asking you for spare change.

They are rough in selling executive membership. It has come to the point that I am just going to use a cell phone to tape the [censor] these people are talking and put in youtube if it happens again. Yesterday I was asked to join b/c I am throwing money away, "I cannot believe that you are guarantee to earn the $ but you refuse". I highly encourage that everyone from now on when they forced you to join, just say " I am not interested. Which word in my sentence you do not understand?"

Costco representatives sell the Executive Membership pretty hard when they see you approach the register with a large cart of groceries. The sales pitch is usually "the rebate check at the end of the year will exceed your initial $100 membership fee." I guess Costco never heard of the time-value of money. In this period of high cost-push inflation, why should I give Costco a $100 zero-interest loan just for the privilege to shop in their store? It's a small scam.

My sister and I have a membership at Costco. She is the primary member, however, while I was on line last year, I was approached by a Costco employee to upgrade my membership from Gold to Executive since I shop there quite a bit. One year later, the membership expired and I decided that the executive membership was not worth it to me, so I decided to downgrade to Gold. I was told that I need the primary member to be present to downgrade. However, I pointed out to them that I did not need the primary member to upgrade, why should I need the primary member to downgrade? Can you believe it, this is their policy. You can upgrade for 2X the cost but you cannot downgrade. I just left my card at the counter and walked out of the store, never to return. If more members did this, Costco would change the way that they did business.

I allowed my membership to lapse for several years, then re-located & re-jointed in August 2008. The following June, at checkout they told me my membership was expired. I argued & was told unless I could provide the receipt showing an August payment I would have to pay the renewal right then. In March 2010 I receive a statement showing my membership expires APRIL 2010 AND while the statement indicates I have a regular membership, they are billing me for an executive membership for TWICE the fee of the regular. Apparently they are getting even more scheming about their practices & giving only 10 months membership for the price of twelve. Who saves their register receipts in order to demonstrate they are being scammed a year later? If not for the fact that I can place the membership in the timeframe of a relocation, I would never have even noticed. I'm sure the vast majority of their members don't even notice they are being scammed.

Oh my gosh...the same thing just happened to me...and the Employee did say it was like a gym membership. Of course that BS didn't sit well with me, as I used to work in the Accounting office of a gym. AND it is not the same.

I paid in March and expected to have a full year of membership...just like everyone else who came into Costco in March & purchased a membership. It is not like they were giving me a discount for being a member for the past 5 years. I had to pay what every other Joe paid. I was so upset I ended up returning my purchases (I paid at the checkout & then went to Customer Svs). At the stores Customer Service refused to extend my membership until March...however when I called the Corporate Customer Svs., they extended it & told me that they are changing the policy...Now, who knows how long that will take to change.

I hope they actually do change this policy & soon because I feel that this can not be legal. To charge the same price but penalize prior members has got to be against the law, doesn't it? Something tells me there must be a Class Action Lawsuit going on somewhere...and I would love to get my name on that list. I am still so upset with this company!

If i re-new my gym membership, I get the 12 months from the re-newal date. Its not like a gym membership as you are being charged for the inactive term. When you dont renew, you cant shop until you pay for the renewal.

Costco got sued over this and as a result of the lawsuit agreed to limit the backdating to 2.5 months.

Their legal department publicly claimed that the stores will give you the full 12 months if you ask. I have tried to no avail. If i pay for 12 months I expect 12 months.

The store where I went to insisted it was like a gym membership. I explained, i dont get charged for months that membership lapsed.

How does my mother find out if her card expired?

if they have time or you can wait. they will try to get you in. most people freak out at the thought of a simple ten minute patch taking three hours due to the line ahead and speed off

Costco's policy is that they cannot preform service on tires not purchased through Costco, I don't see why this should come as a surprise to you. As mentioned, there are members who HAVE purchased tires that would feel very strongly about having the tire center's already long wait times pushed back further for non-purchased service. Beyond that, by not servicing tires that were not purchased through Costco, it also reduced liability for the company. SHOULD something happen to your tire after having it serviced at Costco, they are now responsible for any damaged incurred.

A plug and/or patch typically isn't more than $10. There wasn't a Discount, Bell, WalMart or any various service centers nearby?

take a cart, put some vulnerable staffs, like eggs, glass, flour in it and vandalize them while u go around in the costco and leave them inside and come out and have a cheap hot-dog and pop and go home...

Call AAA, or you local wrecker service if you cannot change your own tire. Since you say its was a new vehicle, then you have roadside assistance. I'm sure in the twenty miles you drove you passed more than one service station or tire repair shop. The folks at costco are great. they work very hard to get members who purchased their tires from costco in and out as quickly as possible.

Costco knows that the new rule of not fixing every persons tires who did not get them at Costco puts a strain on those members who are in need of this service and for this they are truly sorry. When the tire bays are full with member's cars that need to be attended to, (because the price of the tires is right and who is going to turn away from a good deal?) and Costco members ( or even NON-members ) feel that they should be given added treatment on items that are not under Costco's tire warrenty due to tires NOT bought at Costco this puts a strain of those members that DID buy tires and these members and their cars TOTALLY deserve attention. To do so otherwise puts the waiting time back even further for those members who have every right to be attended to in a timely manner. I personally hope you do not become hard hearted by this encounter and continue to shop at what is still a great place, with great folks to help you!
I sincerely hope you have a good day :)

I agree. Costco has THE WORST website for ordering online or seeing what is available in the store! THE WORST!

True, if you want your money refunded promptly do not shop on line thru Costco. They used mine for 2 months and I still do not have a refund.

Wow. All this because of where the tires were mounted. If your not happy, your teach shop, move the stupid things.

Ok let's resolve this BS. In dry climate as in Bakersfield you want the best tires on the front . In rain climate on the rear. So some of you are right and the shop teacher is right too because he's in Bakersfield where it never rains.
Slandering the shop teacher is from those of you that flunked out and dislikes any one smarter than you that would prob be everyone.
If you work at costco you are not experienced at anything, or you would have a decent job.

I feel some of you are missing the point. It's not if he's right
or wrong about placement. It's his money and his right to have
his tires placed where he wants them. He didn't like big brother
telling him how to run his business, so he went some place else
that's also a Mitchlen dealer that is not bound by that BS. That's
all he's saying. They are you're tires and you should be able to
have them where you want.

OK, OK, OK here is how it is plain and simple. I work with the Utah highway patrol in R+D. needless to say we know winter driving. under steer is much more manageable than over steer (fish tailing). Its progressive and you can take the proper steps to counteract it. over steer however is dangerous and any one this side of rally racing would have a hard time controlling it. Most people over correct sending them completely out of control. As for blowouts, if you replace your tires every 5 to 7 years a sudden blow out due to age is negated. Then the only other causes are puncture and/or running the tire low, well this can happen on any tire so the point is mute. Now tractors, how many tires do they have on the rear? Its a traction and stability issue. Tractors have more than enough traction in the rear so they are exempt from this topic. Cars and light trucks do not have the same physics. Costco will still mount new tires on the front of a dually for this same reason. Having better tread on the front will just get you to dangerous speeds faster and let your front end make a promise your back end cant keep. I cannot tell you how many wrecks i have come across (some very catastrophic ) with the primary cause being a spinout due to low rear tread depth. people love to quote a twenty year knowledge, well alot of things change in twenty years. Like abs/traction devices and a better knowledge of tire lifespan.
remember smoking used to be good for your health too you know .

Regardless of whatever conspiracy theories the original poster has, and as stated, Costco is required to install two new tires per their agreement with Michelin. Doing otherwise would violate their merchant agreement and subject them to fine or breach of contract. You need not look any further than the previous posts from other users to understand why, but it seems as if the original posters is stubborn and set in his ways.

Furthermore, Costco WILL NOT rotate tires if your current rear tires have more tread than the current front tires. Not only would it benefit him to understand the company's policies before posting, but maybe it would benefit the children he's been teaching for 21 years. God knows what those students are out there doing now.

Common sense would tell one to put new tires on thr rear, since fish-tailing the worse consequence of a blow out...since most cars have power steering, it would be easier to control a car with a blown front tire...the main problem with a blown front tire is at the instant it bursts, if you happened to have no hands on the steering wheel and the car suddenly lurched to the right or left into an incoming vehicle...so kep two hands on the wheel and drive to "freedom", which means to always try to keep your car clear on other traffic on the sides - as much as possible..

A lie, told often enough, gains believers. It is still a lie.

The tire companies want new tires rear-mounted to increase the wear rate of the old tires. They'll sell more tires this way. The shops just collude with them to make a little more money in the long run. The safety argument is just their phoney excuse for squeezing customers. If it were really a liability issue, they would just make you pick the spot you wanted and sign a waiver. They don't have any trouble putting the better tread in front when they rotate the tires, do they?

The safety question comes down to whether the driver can better manage oversteer or understeer during an incident. It is also vehicle-dependent as most cars are more prone to one or the other. The vehicle owner is in a far better position to judge this than a rubber jockey at Costco. I learned to drive in a Volkswagon and spent many happy hours racing around counting on a good rear wheel slide. Understeer, on the other hand, is useless. That Michelin movie is all Hollywood.

I've bought 36 tires at Costco over the years for my family and my company. I've just bought my last two.

Oh my god what a ###. I work for costco Tire and the reason we put tires on the rear is because of michelins guide lines state that the new tires if it is only a pair go on the rear. All tire manufacturers recommend this. How does this guy have 21 years of auto mechanic experience and not keep up with this. True idiot. I always make a point to humiliate people like that at the store.

Fed law states you must replace a front tire that has went flat on diesel tractor trucks. It is illegal to patch or plug the front tire of a commercial diesel truck, they are repaired and placed in the rear or used for trailers.
Why? Because a blowout in the front tire is bad juju.
Put the new tires on the front, just like the Feds mandate for the trucking industry.

You clearly have no idea WHAT your doing. New tires go on the back as the other people have said, it's easier to control in a potentially dangerous situation. Putting them in the front doesn't help much.

Unless you don't have 4-wheel drive? Do you have only front wheel drive or something? Maybe that's why your grumping about the best tire installers EVER.

Near Death Experience because of this Costco Tire Department! Avoid at all costs! I purchased 4 new tires in Bridgewater Costco around Christmas time 2016 where the employees are wonderful, attentive and customer service oriented despite being very busy. I have the tires rotated and balanced regularly. On April 29th (roughly 30 days ago) I went to the Warton Costco to check the tires because they were slowly leaking air...All 4 tires needed slight re-filling every 2 weeks which is not normal. They took the tires off and remounted them and found the rims were possibly mounted in a way that it might be causing the tires to leak but assured me it was fixed. In the process they broke TWO of the tire sensors off the tires so I could no longer see the tire pressure on my screen in the car...so I now had no idea if they were low on air unless I stopped at a gas station and paid for air to check the current reading.

Last night while driving with my 13 year old twin boys, 11 year old daughter and 8 year old son on busy Interstate I-80, the car began to have a severe vibration. My car- enthusiast son looked out the window on the passenger side and said the back tire was moving like it might fall off. I immediately pulled over. I popped the hubcap off the tire and you can see from the photo attached...5 of the 6 lug nuts were OFF...just sitting in the wheel well with shreds of metal that had sheeted off with the lug nuts . A few more minutes and that last lug nut could have given way and the wheel would have separated from the car with my 4 kids in the car on the interstate in the rain! We could have been killed. When roadside assistance arrived and saw what happened. He said this was clear negligence...an employee that did not tighten the lug nuts! He said that he had never seen anything like it and that this doesn't just happen! I am beyond rattled and I think every employee in this department needs re-training. This should not have occurred!

I have dealt with this Costco Tire Center on numerous occasions, the staff is very professional and very knowledgable. What other Tire Center sends their employees to training centers and events to further product knowledge and to gain experience with what they sell? As far as warranties, for a $14 installation package including- mounting, balancing, valve stems, Lifetime rotation, road hazard warranty, flat repair warranty, and most of the tires having a milage warranty... They stand behind their warranties 100%, To the comment above- I have NEVER seen Sears beating Costco's tire prices when comparing apples to apples. Sears ALSO charges on top of the tire price for valve stems, road hazard, rotations, balancing, fixing tires... If you think over the life of a 60, 000 mile tire, you should have the tires rotated about 8 times. The average rotation costs $20-$30 plus the additional cost of balancing each wheel every rotation. Maybe fixing one flat tire costing $25. Paying 10% of the tire price for road hazard. The cost of maintenance over the life of the tires plus road hazard would double the original cost if purchased elsewhere.
I have purchased 5 sets of tires from Costco Tire Center and would not purchase tires elsewhere anymore. The negative - They do not offer appointments, which can be helpful to people with time constraints. And sometimes it is a while until your helped at the counter or until your car is done, but that's with any business... I'd rather it take longer and done right the first time, rather then rush something that is of such importance... Your life and the person's life driving next to you is at risk if the tire comes flying off the vehicle due to a rushed job.
As for any grease/lubricant that is applied to any mounting hardware. The manufacture engineers the vehicle with a dry torque spec. By adding grease to a stud and lug, the stud is going to be over torqued and stretched, which can cause the stud to not return to normal operating ranges and sometimes pass the yield point and break. Lug-nuts that have been in service for 100, 000 miles and have went on and off numerous times need to be replaced due to the threads and hex edges being worn. For a bag of 20 lug-nuts that usually only costs $10 dollars, why would you risk it, a cross threaded lug or lug-nuts falling off could cost you hundreds down the road.

I read this comment after getting re-re-routed by Costco's voice exchange.
When I finally got thru to the Tire Dept nobody picked up after several minutes of ringing.
So my first impression aligned with this comment.
I called Sears and got a better deal on Michelins than what I saw at Costco on-line.
And the service was outstanding.
Costco is great for returns.
Otherwise their C/S is the pits.

In all the years that I have dealt with the people in this tire center I found them to be utmost professional and handle customers with the most amount of courtesy. Perhaps you came in with an attitude that I also sense in your comments. That probably does not much to make an individual be helpful to you. At the same time you complain that the supervisor gives instructions to the staff with you standing there. That is something you may forget is their job and they have to do as efficiently with the amount of time they have to deal with you and the staff at the same time along with the other customers. I also do not really believe the line was out the door. Perhaps a couple of people stood there as a group and blocked your way in. No matter your wife showed up between 6-7PM as you stated yet they were going to help her at 9PM. That cannot be since the entire store closes at 8:30PM as does the tire center and they really do not like to take people after 7PM since most likely they have other customers to take care of ahead of your wife and her tight schedule, since those others also have probably tighter schedules then you or your wife. Perhaps next time you should take the car with the bad tire to the store yourself and let your wife go on with her tight schedule using your car. But no, that is something you did not think of and now blame Costco for your problems. Sorry but this does not sound fair on your part.

also you guys have amazing eyesight to be able to scan the road at speed for objects

you dont lubricate the lugs because you dont want something holding the tire on your car to be slippin off now do you? it also prevents over torquing the lugs which can lead to failure

so why is it Costco's fault that you are on a tight schedule? Costco business varies day by day, sometimes very busy and you have to wait for service. there are no appointments, so if the manager tried to accommodate you at six and you did not show, its your fault. I also am doubtful that your tire mysteriously had a blow out, you had to hit something. i find the costco tire center to be very professional and their staff extremely helpful.

This same Costco Wharton Tire Department insists on a store manager (many times female) tightening all tire lug nuts with a torque wrench (with which I agree in principle), BUT DOESN'T TEACH THE STORE MANAGER HOW TO USE A TORQUE WRENCH! They always pass the click stop on the large torque wrench used, sometimes by as much as a quarter turn. Don't ask them to lubricate the tire lugs, they get downright nasty!

wow... Go learn law or economics or something. You are a very uniformed and under educated individual.

So let's see, you are angry at the retailer because of a government policy. Are you too blind to understand the government is the problem? Please don't waste people's time by posting illegitmate complaints. Your comments prove you are in the wrong. You would be able to see through that if you were capable of logic.

SORRY, You became a victim when you got the card. Get a lawyer! Quick! (Read the other posts here, always the same!) I can't believe that Costco and GM would do business with slime like this!

Tuesday, 12/3/2024
On this day visited your wharehouse on 1000 dawndale ave,in baton rouge louisiana
and purchase a polish sausage hotdog. I was very disappointed in the taste and texture of the sandwich.

This food is not good for cats. There have been numerous recalls of this brand over the years.
I was actually feeding my cats Kirkland Dry Cat Food for years as it came highly recommended.
Eventually all of them ended up with dull, flaking coats and one of my cats was throwing up every day - which we attributed to him gorging himself because he had been a starving stray when he found us - and hazy eyes, another had crystals in her urine, and another had impacted anal glands.
They went to the vet regularly and were always current on their shots.
My vet suggested that I switch to a food higher in omega 3's for their coats.
I bought new food and mized it in with their old food to ween them onto the new food.
Bluto stopped vomiting & his eyes got clear, Yoda stopped having impacted anal glands and Zu-Zu stopped having crystals in her urine.
As an experiment, I bought another bag of the Kirkland Dry Cat Food and put some in a bowl for them - Bluto vomited within minutes of eating it.
My husband took a whiff of the food and said it reeked of ammonia or some kind of noxious chemical and he is right.
I would never serve that food to any animal and in fact I threw the entire bag of food into the yard waste bin.
This food is associated with a lot of ill cats and some people have reported that their cats have died from eating it.
It really needs to be taken off the market.

Please see the link below:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/costco.html?page=2

Costco does not reveal who manufactures their Kirkland Premium Feline Maintenance Food. However, the problem is not with Costco, but rather the manufacturers of the food. I have heard that it is Iams cat food, but no confirmation on that information. That said, I have had my cats on Kirkland and over the course of the year, one of my cats had issues with spitting up and foul, foul, foul smelling stools that would permeate the house when she used her box. (Not that there is ANY cat fecal material that smells pleasant). We attributed it to diet change and figured she would eventually get used to it. Not. In the meantime, our other cat went from a regular sized cat to a 23lb cat on this food. Great, right? Again, NOT. Well, he was the butt of the jokes about being Fat Joe, and i was cautioned by my vet to 'quit feeding him so much.' Well, maybe he just loved the stuff and ate more, so i put out less food. He was HUNGRY all the time and began drinking copious amounts of water . . . he developed an insatiable thirst and also was not wanting anyone to touch him, pick him up and was becoming lethargic as well. He started pissin’ all over – which is not his ‘MO’ and the vet rules out a urinary tract infection. So what the heck is going on with my cat here?
I’m a RN so I’m thinking: big weight gain, insatiable thirst and lethargy. Hmmm. Has he developed diabetes? Took the cat back to the vet and gently insisted he check the cat for DM and other metabolic disorders. Well, the diabetes check came back AOK – but he said that his liver function tests were ‘slightly elevated’ but ‘not to worry – it’s because he’s been not feeling well lately.’ So I continued on the Kirkland food another month or so and the cat went into complete liver failure/fatty liver disease. (Yo! Hey doc, why have my cat’s blue eyes lost their blue color and why are the insides of his ears, his previously pink nose and gums all yellow ? Yes, I suspected liver disease, which can cause the ‘skin’ to turn yellow). Okay, in humans, fatty liver disease is linked with heavy alcohol use, poor diet, medication toxicity, diabetes conditions, etc. Sure enough, blood tests indicated that “Fat Joe” was in complete liver failure (no, he’s not into martini’s or the like). He required a feeding tube of some prescribed stuff from the vet. He was not expected to live but he did.
After he was ready to have the tube out, I did some research on food brands for cats and came onto the Castor & Pollux website. First, this is NOT an endorsement of their foods, although I am a ‘convert’ to purchasing their food (specifically, Organix) for my cats exclusively. C&P’s food is not cheap, but the price of vet bills, surgery for feeding tubes, special vet food probably evens out. However, I was not a full ‘convert’ until later (see more b elow).
I did NOT overfeed my cats, I now had TWO cats with some diet issues . . . and I was unsure if Kirkland Brand was the culprit, whether there were any ‘melamine’ pet food issues still going on. I just didn’t know. I don’t necessarily think it is the Kirkland Brand, but I do think it is the cat and dog food preparations that are the problem. It could be a particular percentage of a particular ingredient in the Kirkland that many cause more sensitivity in some animals, but I cannot prove that at this time. But it is the pet food industry, as a whole, that is contributing to these more frequently occurring diet issues with pets. And we can even go further to discuss the HUMAN food industry that I believe is slowly poisoning us into thinking that packaged foods (high in carbohydrates, fats, added sugars on top of the carbohydrates – ie convenience foods are AOK for us to eat, keeping us from getting back to what is natural and good in our diets: fruits, veggies, nuts, WHOLE grains, meats without the plethora of chips, cereals, instant this and that, pudding poppers, cheesey treats, etc. But, that is a rant that can be discussed some other time). However, I do believe there are way too many similarities in the food industry ALTOGETHER that is a LARGE reason for our diabetes, weight gain, cardiac disease – in humans OR our animal friends.
Castor & Pollux http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/ discusses the ‘fillers’ put in dog and cat food (corn, wheat, etc) is the FIRST ingredient in the majority of dry cat foods (wet too!). Personally I think we are being hoodwinked by the purinakitnkaboodlefriskiesetc manufacturers into believing that the standard dry cat foods (dog foods) are healthier for our pets. That is, when was the last time you saw a cat eating a plate of corn or a bowl of wheat . . . and when was corn and wheat the ‘natural ingredients’ of a carnivore (meat eating animal) )? This made sense. It is NOT their usual diet to eat corn or wheat or any of the major fillers that are the first and foremost ingredients in the ‘modern’ dry cat foods. There is very little, if any protein in ‘grains.’ Cats require a much higher protein content in their diet in order to remain healthy. This is the reason why cats should not be eating dog food because of the lower protein in that dog food. Then it would stand to say that perhaps the amounts of corns, wheat, other grains USED AS FILLERS AND AS A WAY FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO KEEP COSTS WAY DOWN is, ironically, NOT the healthiest avenue to take for your cat. (I happen to think the same goes for dogs as well, but that is yet another ‘rant’).
From a dietary standpoint: corn, wheat, rice etc are VERY high carbohydrate (sugar) foods that require heavy duty secretion of the insulin hormone in order to handle the high ‘sugar’ load of those ‘foods.’ (Mind you, that wheat used in cat foot concoctions is not whole grain . . . rather, it’s the same processed wheat ‘leftovers’ that are so frequently dumped in our own human diets today). When the body cannot produce enough insulin to utilize that Carb Load, the liver is affected . . . and eventually, the other major body organs.
Cats are meat lovers – mice, fish, birds, etc. It is NOT their usual diet to eat corn or wheat that is in the ‘modern’ dry cat food. There is very, very little, if any protein in ‘grains.’ Then why are we feeding our cats ‘grains’ instead of ‘proteins.’ And if there is protein in the cat food, what kind of protein is it? And is it really the good source of protein that a cat should normally have in its diet? Is it ‘powdered protein’? Just what are we feeding our cats and dogs, our friends, our buddies? (And . . . . parents: what are you feeding your babies when you give them a convenience type food, a “TV” dinner, a bowl of cereal, crackers, cookies, hot dogs, etc ? ? It’s not that you shouldn’t give them these ‘food items’ at all – but they are the types of ‘foods’ that should be given sparingly. It ain’t just the ‘fast food restaurants’ who are guilty of childhood obesity and diabetes that is occurring more and more in our children. Again, that is material for another rant, I suppose).
So, to make a short story very long, we got Fat Joe up and moving around and he was strictly on Castor & Pollux cat food and he make an incredible recovery. C&P makes their pet food from REAL meat protein, NO corn, wheat, etc and they actually throw in real veggie pieces and my cats LOVED this stuff. Fat Joe lost weight, quit the gallons of water drinking and actually let us pick him up, touch/pet him AND for the first time, I saw him running in the back yard running up the trees, jumping back down, etc. His belly was no longer dragging on the floor, his spine was seeming to straighten out instead of looking like a ‘U’ because he was so heavy. My ‘stinky poop’ cat developed this incredibly nice soft coat of hair over several months and . . . could this be real . . . we no longer noticed when she used her cat box. She was not longer the ‘stink queen.’ It had to be the food. After a year, I decided that I HAD to know if this was a food issue or if this was indeed just something I wanted to convince myself was real. Back to Kirkland and within two weeks, my female cat was again the “Stink Queen” and I noticed that Fat Joe was starting to open all the sink faucets again and drinking and drinking water like he did prior to becoming real sick. So I threw the Kirkland out in my garden (good fertilizer?) and ordered up Castor & Pollux again. They’ve been on it since then and neither one of them has experienced any of the problems noted above. And they will stay on it.
There are not too many pet food manufacturers out there that are a sideways path from the pet food industry as we know it. There is similar foods for your pet besides C&P: there is Blue Buffalo and Wellness, etc etc. You just have to hunt for them and READ THE INGREDIENTS! Personally, i think the high grain stuff is the stuff that messes with the liver. However, given that Kirkland brand is mentioned heavily in this 'blog, ' it makes me wonder if the issue isn't something else added to the food that may be causing some liver toxicity. .
Sorry for the rant - but had to say it.
-Animal Lover

I had 1 cat die of fatty liver disease after switching her to Kirkland's dry cat food from Costco. This was in August of 2006. Shortly thereafter my second cat got sick but this time we noticed the symptoms sooner...we took him to the vet and he was hospitalized for 10 days and totaled a medical bill of over $6, 500. My vet was absolutely certain it was the food because fatty liver disease is not contagious and it is absurd that both cats would get it back to back.

I am absolutely heartbroken to find out that I lost a sweetheart of an animal who was very special to me because she was given tainted food. She had no choice in the matter, this is what I fed her. Beware of cheap pet food, you'll always pay for it later.

Where are these foods made? Where are the ingredients of these foods from? Follow the trail back to it's origin and see the problem. NO?

I DO NOT WANT TE SUE ANYONE AND JUST A LITTLE PISSED MY CATS ARE DROPPING OFF, AND THE STORE JUST TOLD ME THEIR IS NO PROBLEM WITH THIS KIRKLAND DRY CAT FOOD, MY WIFE WORKED FOR A VET FOR 3 YRS AND SPCA FOR 2 YRS AND WE ARE NOT FOOLED EASILY AND JUST WANT A SAFE FOOD SOURCE FOR PETS, BUT I QUESS THERE ARE BIGGER PROBLEMS NOW WITH DEPRESSION STOCK MARKET CRASH AND JOBS GONE ALL OVER AND BANKS DROPPING OFF FASTER THAN EVER, LEAD TOYS, WOW WITH ALL THIS CATS SEEM NON IMPORTANT, I WILL SWITCH TO TUNA AND OTHER TYPES OF CAT FOOD FOR NOW, THANKS FDA JOB WELL DONE, IS HUMAN FOOD NEXT.

well i have been using the same cat food for years, KIRKLAND signature super premium for adult cats, chicken and rice, and after the cats tried the last bag just purchased nov 6 2008 first cat found with zombie like state and poop all over, cat just layed threre on a sat nite 6:00 pm by the time i called a vet and went back to get cat, had died, very healthy 2 yr old black cat it was, then a day later a second 1yr old cat died, my son said cat walked weakly and layed down and by the time i got home second cat died, my first thought was someone poisoned my cats they run outside and inside, but they used to go crazy for this cat food like i had tuna now they just sniff at the food and seem weak, today a third cat is acting weak, i had 6 cats, now 5 and 1 is sick and left for vet to see, it is a cat food problem i think, and not the first time, something stinks and it points to the cat food, i did not think it could happen to me but most people would not test cat food before using cats to test it, i have lived on farms and raised chickens ducks rabbits and have never seen animals drop dead like this JONES TOWN CAT FOOD.

As an animal rescuer for the past 12 years, of both dogs and cats, I have to say that I have been feeding my rescued cats the Kirkland dry cat food for the past decade.

I have not had any of the reactions expressed above. That is in no way to invalidate what has been said here.

When the recall was in full force a year ago, I repeatedly questioned Costco about its cat food and was told time and time again that there were no issues with their dry cat food.

Had there been, I can assure you that I would have been part of the tragedy that befell so many animals and their owners nationwide. NONE of my cats died or got sick at that time, and I have over 30 of them at home, plus two feral cat colonies that I sustain. NONE of them showed any symptons.

Cats can vomit for many reasons, a common one being eating too fast. This happens in my home regularly. Another may be a fur ball.

Vomiting in itself does not mean that a food is contaminated.

Cats are also susceptible to many illnesses, and symptons of those illness may not show for quite a while.

I also feed my animals Innova canned, EVO canned, Pet Promise canned, and Natural Balance canned. If it were possible, I would make their dry food a high quality one as well, and would strongly urge you to do so. There are many, many impressive high qualiy wet and dry foods on the market today. Wellness is among the best. I am sure that no one, not even Costco, would argue that their food matches the quality of a top-name brand.

Even better is to not feed dry food at all, as it has become well known that dry food is too dehydrating for dogs and cats, and the strain of insufficient water can be hard on the animal's kidneys and other organs.

However, for people like me, who feed multiple rescued animals, or for people on a very tight budget, that is not a reality.

When you are faced with choices like Friskies, 9-Lives, or all the other crap that you find in the supermarkets and chain stores, Kirkland is still a far better choice than these brands.

By the way, for those who choose to remain or switch to a top brand of dog or cat food, you can email the company and explain your dedication to their product. These companies are often very happy to mail you discount coupons to help you with the cost.

I too became violently ill after eating Kirkland Signature brand cat food. At first I wasn't sure if it was because the food was poisoned, or because I ate an entire 50-lb. bag of it in one sitting, or because I am not a cat. After reading these posts, however, I now know for certain the cause: Kirkland is trying to systematically rid our great nation of the cats on which it was founded by tainting our supply of cat food. And I for one will not sit idly by, watching cat after cat vomit on my rug in a fit of feline fury, without taking action. I say it is high time we marched on Washington and demanded our rights! Who's with me?

I myself lost a cat due to the poison food debacle and so have a few other people I know. We'll never be compensated for the loss because we didn't do necropsies on our pets. How were we to know?