purchasing at costco has it's advantages.
#1 you pay less, $249.99 for the phone with the $50 instant in-store rebate
#2 you pay taxes on the $249.99, instead of the full retail price of the phone, like Verizon would do in-store
#3 comes with a free accessories kit that includes a car charger, a case, and a wired head unit
#4a comes with the standard Verizon 14 day policy to return the phone and cancel your contract without penalty. Costco also has it's own 90 day return policy to get a full refund. However, if you return the phone, then you're paying the penalty. but you can always exchange the phone for anything else and pay the difference or get the difference back. A costco employee told me that they really only permit this kind of return if the phone is defective or has a problem, whatever that really means. Cuz she said people were taking advantage of this rule and returning phones left and right constantly. I guess it depends on the store.