The Trick To Getting A Second Food Sample At Costco

Free samples are an honored tradition today, but the practice's roots are a bit complicated. While it is hard to discern exactly who handed out the first free sample, Benjamin T. Babbit, a businessman who operated in the 1800s, might have been the first to popularize the concept. According to Hamilton College, Babbit handed out free samples of his soap to generate new customers. Unsurprisingly, the marketing campaign was a success.

Today, you can get free samples of almost any product if you look hard enough, but for Costco shoppers, the hunt for freebies is hardly difficult. The warehouse store is known for its free samples. Some shoppers can scrape together a full meal while walking from aisle to aisle if they time their shopping right.

Costco fans were dismayed when the warehouse store's longstanding tradition of copious free samples was suspended in March 2020. The warehouse club opted to pause its free sample program amid growing concern about the coronavirus pandemic. Free samples returned, in full, in May 2021, according to CNN, to the delight of shoppers.

That time away got us thinking about Costco free samples and the etiquette surrounding them. Most people always assumed free samples were limited to one per customer. As it turns out, free samples don't have to be limited — at least not at Costco.

Costco sample servers don't care if you take more than one sample because there is no policy that limits the number of samples a person can take. According to CBS News, Costco's sample policy encourages servers to hand out unlimited samples.

Food demonstrators don't mind how many samples you take as long as you are polite to them and considerate of those around you. For example, if there's a long line of people waiting for a sample behind you, don't grab half the tray and walk off. If you want to gobble down samples with abandon, pick a less crowded day to shop. According to a Costco employee on Reddit, the highest number of sample carts are out on the floor during weekend rush hours, but you can enjoy unlimited servings of a smaller variety of samples if you shop on a Monday or a Tuesday.

While you can technically fill up on snacks and samples at Costco without any guilt, there are some people who really push the limit of common decency. 

A Reddit user who worked as a Costco demonstrator shared their most extreme customer experience. The Redditor said one guest cleared nine trays of Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates. According to the sample server, the teen took 63 chocolates before they walked off. Costco currently sells a 48-pack of the beloved chocolates for $17.99 (per the company). If you do the math (and we did), the teen walked off with just under $24 worth of chocolate morsels.