How Does Costco Choose Its Free Samples?

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Costco memberships come with many awesome perks, from the mouthwatering food court selection to savings on groceries, fuel, and prescription drugs. Customers are also privy to free samples, which are strategically placed throughout the warehouse. Shoppers can indulge in as many freebies as they desire, and sample products often include things like snacks, prepared foods, beverages, meats, cheeses, and more. To this end, have you ever wondered how the warehouse retailer chooses the products it offers samples of? It turns out that Costco partners with a company called Club Demonstration Services, better known as CDS, and this company coordinates with brands and vendors when deciding which items to demo in the store. 

The process is succinctly explained by a Reddit commenter, who said, "Costco has almost nothing to do with which samples are given out (except for bakery or deli items). In order to have samples done, the individual brand is paying CDS (the company that does the demos) to make and hand out." For example, a case study posted to the CDS website explains that Bitchin' Sauce, an independent condiment company, approached CDS to market its products. Now, remember that Costco doesn't coordinate free samples out of the goodness of its heart. Rather, the service is designed to boost sales for specific products, which explains why brands are so eager to participate.

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Free samples undeniably boost sales in stores like Costco, though the psychology behind their success is a little more complex than you might think. Some researchers believe free samples increase sales partially due to the norm of reciprocity, which is a strong instinctual drive that most humans possess. With reciprocity, a person usually feels obligated to return the favor when someone does something nice for them. At Costco, this can translate into buying whatever product was provided to you by the CDS employee. 

Of course, this revelation doesn't lessen the joy Costco members experience when it comes to the store's endless free samples. If you want to enjoy the biggest selection of goodies, visit the store on Saturday around noon. Weekends are usually the busiest times at the warehouse retailer, so CDS staff are typically out in droves handing out goodies. Also, we implore customers to follow an unspoken Costco free sample rule, namely, discarding your trash correctly after sampling a product. Some shoppers have the nasty habit of either throwing trash directly on the ground, leaving it in carts, or tucking it neatly into one of the displays.