Costco samples boost sales and shoppers’ serotonin
Costco’s free samples draw crowds and members love the snacks, but stations can block aisles and cause chaos.
Caitlin Johnson has a motto she swears by. “I don’t tell Costco what I need. Costco tells me what I need.”
Patio set? “You can’t beat the price.” Dyson vacuum cleaner on sale? “Suddenly, I needed a new vacuum cleaner.” What’s inside the baked goods? “Who am I to refuse cake?”
Another sure-fire way Costco routinely gets the word out to this 34-year-old advertising executive from Long Island, New York: She loves free samples of everything from cinnamon raisin cookies to roasted cauliflower.
Wait, cauliflower?
“Stay here. I walked right past it twice. But I kept observing these people, and they said, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’ So eventually I thought, ‘Okay, this means something,”’ said Johnson, who has two refrigerators that hold things she buys at Costco. “We both left.”
In fact, she takes home 8 out of 10 samples she tries. “It’s amazing, this is the first time I’ve ever acknowledged it out loud,” Johnson said.
Is there such a thing as a free lunch? Don’t tell Costco
People like free food and Costco is no different. That makes a lot of money.
Costco won’t reveal the amount (or anything else for that matter), but no retailer is more famous for its smorgasbord of samples.
Tasty treats and sweet mini treats have spawned a slew of viral sketches and viral videos. Internet celebrities circle the aisles and return for a few seconds, often in disguise. They consume only Costco sample calories for 1-3 days, visit every sample station, clean out xiao long bao and strawberry cheesecake from vendor trays before anyone else can sample them, and collect clicks.
And people have strange reactions to a plain slice of salami or a cup of chocolate milk.
Stand-up comedian Josh Sneed recently joked, “Whenever I’m presented with a sample of a food I’ve had before and I know I like it, I pretend I’ve never eaten it. I don’t know why.” “What is this? Cheese? Am I right? Cheese? Oh, that sounds good.”
Snead, 49, doesn’t just get her ingredients from Costco. He gets everything there. He used to drive an hour to Costco on the other side of Cincinnati until a warehouse opened 10 minutes from his home.
What is Costco’s biggest selling point? Of course, enjoy the sample.
“That’s how picky I am. If I taste something and I like it, I’ll know that my son doesn’t like it. So I’ll tell my son I think he’ll like it, ask him to eat a little bit, give me the rest, and he can get another refill,” he said. “I hate that there’s a way to get Costco samples, but you and I are talking for USA TODAY, so it can’t be that bad, right?”
“Free” Samples Are Not Actually Free
Research shows that these delicious handouts excite shoppers and leave them wanting more. Free samples are a staple for cardholders, so when Costco temporarily suspended free samples during the COVID-19 pandemic, shoppers were heartbroken.
“There’s a real commercial driver behind the samples, but they’re also part of Costco’s appeal and have a halo effect that shows Costco cares about its customers,” Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, told USA TODAY.
Of course, “free” samples aren’t actually free. They send a subconscious message that says, “Buy me.” And often people do.
Saunders says membership perks are a clever tactic to get shoppers to try new things and refill their already full carts with more Costco items. The proposal is simple. A pinch in exchange for the purchase of a full size product.
“Shoppers who sample something in-store are much more likely to purchase it,” Sanders says. “It’s basically a marketing activity that increases revenue.”
And this marketing effort doesn’t just increase goose sales. Free samples drive loyalty, measured by annual fees, among Costco’s 145 million cardholders.
What’s the biggest draw for shoppers? Profits from these membership fees increase revenue and help Costco sell everything from pretzel bagels to Wagyu beef at lower prices.
Why are Costco’s free samples so hard to resist?
For Caitlin Merry, 28, and her husband, the highlight of a family date night at Costco is tasting food as they walk their 9-month-old son snacking down the aisles at Costco.
The New Jersey couple, who are also personal trainers, have a habit of reading ingredients before buying anything, and as a general rule, they don’t take home samples.
“They’re all terrible for you, but now that that’s over, you might as well give them a try. One bite won’t hurt us,” Melli said.
My last Costco shopping experience was an exception. After Meri tasted the organic mango salsa at Siete Chips, she couldn’t resist eating the container.
“It was great,” she said. Is it already gone? Almost, she said. “I went on Monday and today, Wednesday.”
Anna Tal, a behavioral economist and visiting professor at the University of Maryland, says the amazing selection of free samples has become an important and intuitive part of the Costco experience.
The first taste of a new food can create a lasting first impression, or taste memory, that stimulates appetite for that food and other foods like it, Tal said. Free samples take the guesswork out of your purchase. Once you try Lindor’s truffles and braised short ribs, you’ll know whether you like it or not.
That’s why Costco takes great care to expertly craft flavorful bites through a company called Club Demonstration Services, which manages in-store samples, said Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University.
Once people take that bite, they begin to see the sample as a unique and special treat. It may not have more flavor than any other food, but it feels that way because we’re focused on that flavor in the moment, he said.
And unlike other bite-sized treats, this one doesn’t cost any money, so it’s much harder to resist. That’s the appeal of something free, Ariely says. Ariely once hired a tattoo artist to hand out free tattoos at parties. He was amazed at how many people who had never thought of getting a tattoo got one on the spot.
What about free stuff? It creates social commitment, the urge to retaliate. Costco shoppers also often add bulk versions to their carts, Ariely said.
For years, Costco observers David and Susan Schwartz have watched samples fly off the shelves and into shopping carts, as well as bystanders.
While writing their book, “Costco Fun: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z,” the husband-and-wife team ate samples from warehouses around the world, some more unusual than others. In Asia we sampled vodka, and in Sweden we sampled prosciutto cut from a whole leg by a peddler in a pleated chef’s hat.
“Sampling is clearly one of the most popular things done in a warehouse,” David said.
Susan says she fell in love with Costco’s croissants after seeing the samples. Her grandson, who lives primarily on a diet of pizza and chicken nuggets, discovered a healthier alternative, Madras lentils, thanks to Costco.
“Samples appeal to everyone,” she said.
Love-hate relationship with Costco samples
Well, maybe not everyone.
Jesse Fernandez, 41, a comedian and self-proclaimed Costco fan from San Mateo, Calif., mostly skips the sample line, with the exception of comfort foods like pizza and macaroni and cheese. But he rarely buys what he likes.
“The best sample is the worst one for me,” he said. So after I’ve had that decadent bite, I just say, “Thank you, Costco, for this little treat. Then I’m off to buy some very boring low-sodium, low-cholesterol, low-whatever food.”
Free food can also bring out the worst in people. Like the all-you-can-eat buffet, some people belly up to sample stations for pizza rolls and trail mix. The Internet is full of names for freeloaders: locusts, jackals, zombies, trash pandas, and even vultures.
“I grab one and go around the aisle. I grab the other and go around the aisle again. Repeat until it’s full. Move on to the next sample,” one person confessed on Facebook.
The offenders who cause the most outrage are those who park in front of sample stations, blocking major arteries to stores and disrupting traffic. Some become violent, pushing other shoppers away or cutting in line to make their first purchases. In rare cases, food fights can lead to fistfights.
Salespeople get mad at people who don’t like ordering a la carte, making special requests like “extra-crispy” quesadillas, no crackers, more brie, more peppermint bark, or ordering freshly prepared pork loin cooked to 165 degrees instead of 145 degrees.
What habits do you dislike about Costco employees? Shoppers leave sticky half-eaten samples, dirty cups, napkins, toothpicks, and wrappers in carts, and products they’ve tried but never intended to buy sit on random shelves, leaving warehouse workers to clean up afterward.
“Members, we are not your maids,” an anonymous worker chided a shopper on Reddit.
The feeding frenzy becomes so severe that some members lose their appetite completely.
“Who else never takes a free sample?” one mean guy asked on Reddit. “I don’t think I’ve touched any of it in 20 years.”
One person replied: “No way. I hate them.” “I know it’s a semi-unpopular opinion, but the completely barbaric behavior of the other members around the sample table disgusts me.”
But even those who have never sampled will eventually be tempted. something. One person wanted to taste Thai mango gummies.
“It was actually pretty good, so I bought some,” Reditor said.
Not enough? Try this sample from Costco:
USA TODAY covers Costco’s culture, from how it lets shoppers splurge to why shoppers love its $1.50 hot dogs.
