Costco Is Changing the Way You Receive Free Samples—Here's What You Need to Know
True fans of Costco know that there are many reasons why shoppers keep coming back. Immaculate bakery finds, a slew of items at your fingertips for entertaining (like a massive grazing board to keep the guests talking) and new food court items popping up unexpectedly are among the top mentions on everyone's lists, but perhaps the No. 1 slot collectively belongs to the free samples that the warehouse offers.
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While the retail giant isn't the first store to offer up courtesy samples to their patrons, they can arguably be one of the best to do it—especially since there's really no rule on how many samples you can take. Not to mention, Costco also has those amazing servers that greet you with the samples and—in most cases —a big smile. Unfortunately though, if the latterly mentioned is one of the reasons you do keep going back to get samples while perusing the aisles of your local Costco, you may be in for a bit of disappointment.
While Costco isn't getting rid of their free samples program all together, they will be removing the use of employees to pass them out. First mentioned earlier this year by Costco shoppers on Reddit, the company has began rolling out their new free sample kiosks in place of employees in more locations nationwide. Featuring a pretty basic setup with "FREE SAMPLE" written on the kiosk, the new stations operate on a grab-and-go system. And just like before, there is no limit to how many you can take.
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Though no one seems to be complaining (yet) about the new switch, one shopper—who has a membership at both Costco and Sam's Club—pointed out that the warehouse seems to be a little behind on this one.
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"Sam's has had vending machines for years that dispense samples after scanning your membership card," she noted. "I have both memberships and notice that Costco really seems to be behind in the digital transformation/automation area compared to Sam's."
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The reason for switching to kiosks hasn't been revealed by Costco just yet, but we suspect that it's most likely due to labor shortages. If that is the case, then it may be a win-win for customers and Costco alike as shoppers will still get to enjoy free samples while the brand relieves a bit of the labor shortage pressure. One thing's for certain though, changes are coming as fast as the new season.
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Up next: Walmart Customers Will Be Able to Receive Free Samples Soon
