The Strict Rule Costco Sample Workers Must Abide By

It's no secret that Costco's sample givers have to follow some stringent rules. Workers must change gloves frequently to ensure proper sanitation and aren't permitted to eat their own wares on duty (which can lead to termination of employment in some cases). Sample givers are also confined to a limited area around their workspace, as they're not permitted to leave goods unattended while on the clock. In an interview with Mental Floss, a former sampler claimed they couldn't stray more than 12 feet from their samples and characterized the rule as a safety precaution. "If a kid sees an unattended station with a hot grill running and grabs a sample off of it and burns themselves," the former staffer explained, "it's a liability."

Costco's sample staff also aren't actually store employees, as these individuals work for Club Demonstration Services, or CDS. CDS partners with Costco on its free sample program, and the company is responsible for staging, cleanliness, and all other aspects of operation. Similarly, Costco doesn't actually choose the products being sampled in the warehouse; instead, brands and vendors pay CDS to promote their products. As much as shoppers love Costco's free samples, brands love it even more, as the strategy has been known to consistently increase product sales.

Although they're not technically employed by the store, Costco's free sample staff are a major draw at the chain. These individuals also work incredibly hard to ensure members have a pleasant experience at the store. Shifts can last as long as eight hours, and CDS staff are tasked with food prep and cooking, along with cleaning and customer interactions. As a CDS employee stated on Reddit, "I have to stand there all day and can't sit down on anything or I'll get written up."

Since Costco's samplers are doing such amazing work, shoppers should be inclined to treat these workers with respect and kindness. Elsewhere in the Reddit thread mentioned above, the CDS staffer highlighted shopper habits that got under their skin, like cutting in line and grabbing items with abandon, as "Everything you touch, I have to either resanitize or throw away." Workers also ask that shoppers please dispose of free sample trash correctly, meaning that it's not just strewn about the store or left inside shopping carts.