Ready for a tale about weird store incidents? Shocked, disgusted, and mildly concerned people all over have been debating about a recent occurrence at a Costco in Santa Clarita, California.

The warehouse giant, known for its magnanimous return policy, set tongues a’ fluttering when the details of one such transaction was posted online. Scott Bentley, a Costco shopper, snapped a picture of a woman standing at the counter with her return.

But get this: it was a dead Christmas tree. Desiccated, pitiful, and clearly a ghost of its former self, the Christmas tree had been dragged into the store by the woman who purchased it weeks before. Mr. Bentley overheard the interaction between the woman and store employees and was struck with disbelief by what he witnessed.

She brought it back to the store to on January 4^th, and her reason for the return was because “it is dead”. She wanted a refund. Scott posted his account of what happened on Facebook:

“Heartbreaking to think she may have needed that money so much, she lost all self respect and dignity for it.

She did get a refund – not happily though. It was questioned, verified purchase on her account and she was shamed to a small degree… But I don’t think it fazed her because she has no conscience.

She didn’t seem to mind that I took a photo and said ‘Are you serious?!?.’”

Yeah, that’s right. She got her money back. Reactions online have been swift and furious, with some commenters being outraged that Costco complied with her request. But the retailer’s policy famously allows for returns with or without a receipt, and while 90 days is listed for electronics, there’s generally no date limit for other items.

A Reddit thread asking Costco employees to share their most bizarre experiences with returns yielded this madness:

“A huge safe bought online was returned reeking of marijuana. The police were called.”

“A lady returned an empty bottle of wine ‘cause it gave her a headache.”

“Someone bought a ribeye bone in Cryovac around 200 dollars during the holidays and returned a cooked container of bones and fat. Yes, they were completely reimbursed for returning literally .13 cents worth of fat and bones.”

So, what’s up for debate? While most people are shaking their heads at the woman’s nerve, others wonder what was going on her life to make such a desperate move. Was she really that cavalier and unscrupulous? Was she that hard-up for cash that the tree had to go? Or was there some mental condition at work? Check out the video to hear what others had to say!

Even Mr. Bentley later wondered if he was making a snap judgement. While the public will never know this woman’s thought process, we can assume there are others like her out there. And Costco is willing to accommodate just about everyone. It’s their policy.

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you have any wild return stories to share? Have you ever returned something in the same fashion as this woman?