What Costco Employees Know About Samples That You Didn't (Until Now)

Costco samples are some of the best simple pleasures of life. Whether you're sampling a small cup of soup, a morsel of barbecue chicken, or chocolate-covered granola snacks, there's always something tasty to make the hectic shopping experience a bit more enjoyable. But there are a few things Costco never tells customers about free samples. One of those is that the helpful people handing them out aren't actually Costco employees.

The people working behind the sample cart are hired by Club Demonstration Services (CDS), an events marketing company that sets up these demonstrations to sell their client's products. The "sales advisors" aren't just there to hand out free samples. They take care of preparing the food, which can involve everything from portioning out chip samples and serving drinks to more involved heating and serving methods. Costco makes money on giving out free samples by encouraging impulse buying, and not just of that product either. Samples can make you crave something in that product category, which can drive up overall store sales.

Beyond food preparation, CDS sales advisors have extensive product knowledge, promoting the features of the food or beverage brand and answering questions about their offerings. Most people simply rush to the product demonstration cart to grab a sample from the limited batch and rush off. If you actually stuck around long enough, the sales advisors give you a quick breakdown of the product's ingredients and benefits. Ultimately, their job is to give you the best tasting experience and close the sale.

CDS employees have seen everything and know exactly what makes for the best sampling experience. On Reddit, one commenter who worked as a sample salesperson, shared a few tips. Among them are to avoid going in for samples on Sunday when it's the busiest, take as many samples as you want (within reason), and treat them with a bit of dignity and respect. Stick around to hear the sales pitch, make some small talk, or at the very least thank them. You'd be surprised how many people treat them like they're invisible.

In a different Reddit thread, a CDS worker stated that they had a base and target quota to meet, which can be a bit difficult with products that are overpriced or are not very appetizing, including free samples that have left shoppers baffled. The worker also shared that they had to "fill out temp logs, change [their] gloves every 10 minutes, clean [their] supplies and sanitize [their] trays as well as hand out food." And if they're working the oven, they have to log the temperatures of the frozen and cooked product. Think about that the next time you impatiently wait for a Bagel Bites sample.

To reiterate, Costco's sample employees aren't actually hired directly by Costco. That means that you should avoid asking them if they know where a different product is. Most likely they won't and it happens so often that it can interrupt their duties. While they do work there regularly, they're only in charge of serving and selling their assigned product. They can be a great resource if you have any specific questions. Otherwise, feel free to grab a sample or two, thank them, and be on your merry way.