Think Twice Before Sending Your Kids To Grab Free Samples At Costco

The biggest Costco draw may be the prices, but another perk is the free samples for members. The mini sample cups or toothpick-skewered bites can be just as tempting to kids as adults. Little ones may jump at the chance to try to snag one, leaving their parents' sides as they do so. Moms and dads may also send their children to get samples while they're busy perusing the aisles. But kids will have to walk away from sample stations empty-handed unless they have a parent with them.

Costco's no-samples-without-parents rule isn't new. People have written online about being questioned about their age or even asked for ID when they tried to get a sample by themselves if they were under 18 or looked young enough to be. However, Costco now appears to be serious about enforcing it. One thing that isn't at issue is drinking age; since Costco only gives out free alcohol samples in some international locations, but not in the U.S. 

The main concern regarding the samples is children's potential allergies, which could risk both their safety and Costco's legal liability. It also ensures that parents know what their kids are eating. Some think the rule is also about preventing kids from just grabbing at the samples, which even some adults do — maybe when the food is still cooking, too.

One rule Costco doesn't have that surprises many people is that there's no limit on how many samples an individual can take from each station. At the same time, if there's a line of people waiting or not many samples, it's courteous to fellow shoppers to take only one and move on to the next station. There's generally a greater number of sample stations on weekends and from mid-morning to late afternoon during the week, the latter being one of the best times to shop at Costco if you want to avoid large crowds.

While free samples are fun for customers, what Costco probably wishes you didn't know about them is that samples are really all about the bottom line. Beyond helping drive sales of the product being tasted, they also help make Costco a place where people want to shop and keep coming back to.

And the people manning the sample stations aren't actually Costco workers. They are staffed instead by employees of a company called Club Demonstration Services (CDS), which sends them to the stores. These CDS sample workers have certain rules to follow. One Reddit user claiming to be a CDS worker at Costco said it's frustrating when customers touch items without permission at the sample station. If customers touch anything other than the red sample tray in front and the napkin dispenser, the worker resanitizes what was touched or throws it away.