I went to the Costco fontana store to buy a new car battery for my sons Honda Accord. I even brought with me his old battery so I would not incur a "core" charge. When I went to the check-out line I was confused to learn that the clerk automatically added a 9.00 core charge to the cost of the battery- I was then charged 8.75 % sales tax on the total amount. When I started to question the clerk- she said that I would be refunded the core charge by stopping by the member services counter when exiting the store. After waiting in line another 10-15 minutes another sales clerk took my old battery and gave me a reciept for the 9.00 core charge but did NOT refund the sales tax. While it is only a matter of 78 cents difference- multiply this times the number of car batteries this store sells in a year.

I have purchase numerous automotive batteries over the years and I have never before been charged sales tax on top of the core charge- In fact the last car battery I purchased at the Azusa Costco- I was given $ 9.85 back in cash.
I intend to pursue this matter with someone from Costco management, however I wanted to bring this issue to everyone's attention.