Costco Is Trying Self-Serve Samples

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It’s an interesting move for the warehouse club giant. 

There are certain perks Costco is known for, like its low prices, wide selection of inventory, fantastic food court deals, and free samples. Not only are those samples fun to consume, but Costco is extremely generous in that customers can take as many as they want.

The typical Costco sample experience involves having a warehouse club employee hand over a tasty bite of food at the end of an aisle. But Costco has begun to introduce self-serve samples. And shoppers are having mixed feelings about that.

A streamlined way to give out samples

Delish reports that at least one Costco location in Washington has introduced a self-serve kiosk where customers are encouraged to help themselves to a sample. And customers are a bit split on whether that’s a good thing or not.

On the one hand, self-serve kiosks might lend to a steadier flow of foot traffic within Costco and less congestion. We’ve all had those moments of being bottlenecked in a crowded aisle as customers wait their turn for a mini quiche to come out of the toaster oven. Self-serve kiosks help solve for that, as customers can walk over to one, grab a quick sample, and be on their merry way.

But other Costco fans aren’t in love with the idea of self-serve samples. For one thing, there’s the concern that if Costco increasingly adopts them, that will lead to lost jobs.

What’s more, some people actually really like the human interaction that comes with getting a sample. And also, the Costco employees who are tasked with giving out samples often know a thing or two about the products at hand, such as what they go well with and where to actually find them inside the store.

Will self-serve samples at Costco become the norm?

Costco is reportedly rolling out self-serve kiosks to address staffing shortages at stores — not to replace humans with machines and save on payroll costs. So chances are, you’ll still be able to walk into your local Costco and get a sample from an actual person.

That said, if you’re going to indulge in Costco samples, be sure to follow some basic rules:

Only take one sample when there’s a long line behind you.Once you’ve gotten your sample, move along so as to not clog the aisle.Don’t rush to purchase an item you’ve sampled before thinking things through — that delicious spicy salsa may be tasty to you, but if no one else in your family will eat it, you may not need a giant-sized jar.If you have picky eaters at home, make sure they try a sample before buying a new product — otherwise, you might rack up a larger credit card tab for nothing.Don’t let yummy samples drive you to make impulse buys if money is tight and you’ve been raiding your savings account just to make ends meet.

Ultimately, enjoying samples is a core part of the Costco experience, and it’s good to know that that isn’t changing. But don’t be shocked if you one day walk into your local Costco only to find that you’re now required to serve up your samples yourself.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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