Free samples? Yes please! Samples are a staple of the Costco experience,
but what secret rules govern their distribution? We have the answers.
We've all been there, standing at the sample counter wondering just how many of those delicious
morsels we could acceptably take. It's probably the number one question most of us have regarding
free samples in general. Whether you love the product, are super hungry, or just can't resist
loading up on freebies, you don't need to feel bad about coming back for seconds and you can probably
come back for even more without raising any red flags and getting your Costco membership revoked.
Costco's free sample employees say their primary job is to give away samples, as you'd expect,
so they really don't mind if you take seconds. There's no limit to how many they can give away
in a day, and they're encouraged to unload as much as possible, so enjoy that second bite. If you're
self-conscious about being recognized as you return for more, you'll just have to get over that
one. Costco's employees say they do recognize you no matter how long you wait between appearances,
but they simply don't care. You can even come by four or five times without getting on the
nerves of some free sample employees, but don't try to swipe entire bags or trays of goodies in
one shot. All told, it's simply not true that they only want you to have one taste. It's one
of those Costco myths you should stop believing, so you don't need to make excuses for seconds.
"Welcome to Costco. I love you." Now that we've confirmed you can take
multiple samples, particularly if you get back in line later,
we need to warn you about limits. You're welcome to come back a few times, and sometimes more,
but don't set up camp at a single sample station and chow down all afternoon.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything, one former Costco free sample employee said he didn't even care if
someone came back for a sample ten times, but his patience was once pushed too far. He wrote,
"One time I had a family of four stand next to my cart for 45 minutes when I
was sampling pizza and literally have dinner. That's not okay."
While this irritation may have stemmed partly from the number of samples the family scarfed,
the employee's true grievance seems to rest more with the amount of time the customers
spent hanging around his station. A Costco free sample station is not a restaurant,
so don't overstay your welcome by hanging out for an extended period. If you're there for more than
a minute after you've reached the front of the line, you're probably taking advantage
of the situation. Continue your shopping and come back later if you still want more.
"Another, please."
You might assume it's fine to ask an employee where to find the orange juice,
but unless this person is serving up samples of that orange juice for you, there are a couple
of reasons you shouldn't do this. You may be surprised to learn that Costco free sample
employees are not actually employees of Costco itself. Instead, these specific workers are hired
by a third-party company to show up and dish out the day's freebies on behalf of the products on
offer that day. Asking one of these heroes where to find something is often akin to asking another
customer — they might know because they happened to see it once, but it's not their job to know
because they don't work there. If you must ask, just don't be upset with them for not knowing.
Moreover, even if a free sample employee did happen to see where the orange juice was stocked
a few weeks ago, those directions may be useless now. These employees say that Costco intentionally
rearranges its products regularly to keep customers in the dark so they can't dash in for
one item and get out quickly. Costco wants your cart full by the time you leave, so they prefer
you wander around for a bit, picking up items you didn't know you wanted until you saw them.
Hopefully, you've been taught to say please and thank you in any service situation, and we hope
you generally do. If you fail to say thank you to a free sample employee after reaping the reward of
a delicious giveaway, we're going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you
just forgot. Still, these employees want you to stop doing that, and so do we. Yes, the employees
are getting paid to give these items away to you, but they're not servants and they're standing in
one spot all day dealing with scads of hungry or greedy guests, so a little human kindness can go a
long way. In fact, some free sample employees say they're willing to overlook other missteps as long
as the shopper is polite, and others even say that hearing a simple thank you is the only thing they
hope for from the recipients of their scrumptious samples. Dropping these two words is the absolute
bare minimum we sample seekers can muster and it's not much of an ask from these employees, or anyone
"Oh, thank you." Some things are fine to ignore, but ignoring
other humans who are physically in your presence is just not okay. Costco's free sample employees
are no exception, and they really wish you'd stop ignoring them. We don't blame them — they're
giving the same greetings and delivering the same spiel all day long, so the only thing that ever
changes for them is the shoppers themselves. At least give them the excitement of a reply.
Costco's free sample employees admit that they might do the same if the roles were reversed,
but it's disheartening when shoppers refuse to make eye contact and keep walking,
pretending not to hear their friendly greetings. You may not have time to stop and sample,
but it doesn't take any extra time to say hello or even politely decline a sample while you continue
strolling. Despite this, one Redditor told an Ask Me Anything audience that he spent three
hours demonstrating a product and during that time only six out of 200 shoppers replied to him
saying hello as they walked by. It's not just rude, it's demoralizing. Please stop ignoring
Costco's free sample employees, even if you don't have time to stop as you acknowledge them.
We're not sure why this needs to be said, but apparently, it does. Please don't start
fights over free samples in a Costco store, or anywhere. And please keep in mind this includes
both fights with the free sample employees and with other shoppers. Scoring a free sample is
not an inalienable right, so remain calm if someone in front of you snags the last bite.
"Two senior citizens got into a fight at a Costco over free samples."
Fighting for a free bite of food in the middle of the store is not good style,
and Costco's free sample employees wish you'd stop. According to them, this type of food fight
breaks out regularly at Costco, especially when a shopper takes more than one helping of a sample.
While some of these employees have learned ways to diffuse these altercations with the simple promise
of more food to come, they're not mediators or babysitters and shouldn't have to deal with
adults arguing over chunks of hot dog every day. If you don't have time to wait for the next batch,
just go finish your shopping without that tiny bite of free food. You'll be fine.
Nobody likes to be rushed, regardless of the situation, but Costco's free sample employees
need you to stop rushing the prep process, and not just because it's rude and annoying. Sure,
the rudeness is frustrating, but the real reason they wish you'd
stop rushing the process is that it's often wasteful and sometimes dangerous.
Because of food sanitation guidelines, Costco free sample employees have to toss everything
contaminated by a shopper's hand, so if you reach into a bag of food before the employee has
a chance to safely portion them out, that entire bag instantly goes in the garbage. In that case,
you've wasted all that product and slowed down the process for the employee and everyone else
waiting for samples. Even worse, employees say the most difficult sample stations are those that
require baking because impatient shoppers will actually reach inside the ovens to snag cookies
or brownies. One Costco free sample employee told Reddit that a woman burned herself by grabbing an
unfinished pancake from his tabletop griddle, injuring herself from the heat of both the
griddle and the hot batter. A free bite of food is not worth a burn or any other type of injury.
Why anyone thinks this move is okay is beyond us, but please stop rushing the process in any way.
Add this to the list of blunders we simply don't understand, but apparently,
some shoppers don't just feel entitled to free samples — they want to choose what
free bites they get. This is never going to happen, so Costco's free sample employees
wish you'd stop complaining about what's available and asking for something else.
Consider free samples as a take it or leave it scenario and make your choice.
"I get the crackers. You get the salsa. We'll chat in the aisle."
Out of curiosity, it is still fair to wonder how and why some products are sampled and others
are not. The answer rests not with the free sample employee or even with Costco at all,
but with the brands behind the goods. Brands pay to have their products demonstrated for
Costco shoppers, so what's available is based purely on who's requested their
products be given away, and is paying for the privilege. Almost nothing about
the free sample process is determined by anyone within the Costco store itself,
so complaining about which products are available that day is completely useless
and surely frustrating to the person who can do nothing to help you. Please stop.
Here's another one you can apply to most situations in life, but Costco
free sample employees, in particular, wish you would remember this while sampling their
freebies. There's no need to tell everyone that you know better about a product,
from how it should be sampled to what's inside of it. Some employees say this scenario isn't
just frustrating but is the worst situation they encounter as a Costco free sample pro.
Even if you happen to be factually right about something, recall that nothing about this process
is determined by the employee or anyone at the store. Therefore, you're not only displaying
a bit of arrogance by speaking up, but you're also wasting everyone's time and making people
uncomfortable for no reason. Employees can't change what they're sampling or how the brand
has instructed them to demonstrate it. It's merely a paid service that offers you some
freebies for exposure to the brand, so take your gift and go without adding your two cents about
the process. It can't help, even if you do know better, so you're just embarrassing yourself.
"Oh, what have we here? May I partake?" We know what you're thinking: How is it
possible to dine and dash from a free sample station? They're free! Indeed, you don't have
to pay any money to enjoy whatever freebies are being presented, but that doesn't mean nothing
is expected on your part. We've already seen that some politeness and human kindness are hoped for,
but there's something else that's actually expected of you, and you should pay up.
Costco's free sample employees are happy to give away almost as much as you can politely handle,
but they're still technically in a sales position and they hope you'll
be inspired to pick up a package of whatever they're hawking that day. You don't have to
buy — that's definitely not part of the deal — but you should listen to the spiel they've
prepared to inform you about the product you're sampling. It's the only thing they fully expect
from you in exchange for their freebies. And they say they don't even care if you
initially have no intention of purchasing the product, but it bothers them when you
run away without even listening first. Take the samples — that's why they're there — but please
don't dine and dash without spending thirty seconds to hear what they want to tell you.