Are there workarounds?
We wish we could tell you that, yes, there are workarounds. Sadly, that’s not the case. Even if you ask to speak to a manager and ask very, very nicely, Costco simply won’t take these items back.
If these items are taking up too much space, looking into other ways to get rid of them is your only option. You can either donate or sell them, it’s up to you, but Costco certainly can’t help. There’s no telling if their policies will revert in the future, either, so we’d advise you not to hold on to hope either.