Wow. Sample folks in my area and in all Hawaiian Costcos we ever visited are very nice! One of the neighbors down the street - a retired lady - works as a sample person at the closest to us store. The only obnoxious folks were the sales guys for pellet grills. I told them that their smokers sucked and walked past them.
Our sample people are not anything like those @abasket described. The only annoying people are the sales people for the solar panels. I assume they are paid by commissions so need to be more aggressive.
It’s just this one guy. And the Vitamix person is always loud - as you say, because of the mic. (overkill!!)
Our Costco is in an…um…as yet ungentrified…part of town. It shares an area with a couple of homeless shelters and a dispensary with a green cross :).
They do not even start their samples until after 2:00 p.m. and then they stick them as far back in the store and off the main aisle as possible. Otherwise it turns into a homeless schmorgasboard.
The local TJ’s is also the only one I have ever encountered which locks it’s bathrooms. You need to ask for a code. To many of the Costco samplers were coming by to wash up in the TJ’s bathroom.
FWIW, we live in a great town far enough away to be unaffected by these behaviors. But they are indicative of that particular towns’ political leanings. As per some great conversations with the above mentioned Costco employees - getting that town to let a ‘big bad box store’ into their ‘keep it weird’ neighborhood was one of the most difficult Costco had undertaken.
Ironically…Costco is now their biggest source of local sales tax revenue…which in turn…keeps the homeless around and eating the samples…after all one gets REALLY hungry after visiting the green cross dispensary.
As for what we buy…just about whatever we can. Great Gerry board shorts this year for $11.99. Best bathing suit bottoms I’ve found in years. They also had a very good deal on rash guards. They were high necked and long sleeved. About 1/4 what the name brand place on the tourist street was asking.
About 50% of the furniture in our house is from Costco. And, when one of the recliners developed a mechanism problem after 2 years - Costco had it fixed. Our entire bedroom set - sleigh bed with storage drawers, two nigh stands with internal electrical plugs and a media cabinet - came to less than a just the bed (without the storage) at a local dealer. My mom had her 80 year old furnace replaced by Costco. All the pets seem to lover Kirkland labeled food.
Ours also has a very large organic section which beats any other price I’ve ever come across.
Hmmm, that would definitely be off-putting to the clientele Costco seeks to attract if it draws the homeless. The one near our home is in an upscale suburb, but there are some homeless here and there, particularly in park parking lots.
We bought a condo that came furnished, and most of the furniture was from Costco. Reclining leather sofa, loveseat and easy chair - super comfy and the nicest stuff we’ve ever owned.
Sleigh bed, highboy dresser and two nightstands in a mahogany finish in the master bedroom that look gorgeous and very high end.
Sealy king mattress with memory foam as the top layer. This is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on anywhere, any time.
We stopped at our Costco yesterday to pick up new/replacement chaise cushions. $60 each, sunbrella fabric. They go quickly, so pouring rain or not, we got them and got out. (It was a madhouse.)
A favorite time of year is when Costco starts stocking their garden/outdoor stuff. 
I just pruned a bunch of plants we bought from Costco 17 years ago. They’ve done great!
I’ve never come across an obnoxious food demo person in Costco. They are not regular employees and don’t get the high salary and benefits. They work partly on commission so I try to buy their products if I like them.
Strange that homeless people are wandering into Dietz’s Costco. How do they afford the membership fee?
I wonder if they just walk through the customer service entrance and make their way past the registers to the food demos…
The staff at the front door of our Costco politely ask to see everyone’s membership cards. Today, bought the Kirkland toilet paper and noticed it’s much softer now than previously. Of course, bought a rotisserie chicken that I’ve just cut and deboned. This time, I’n freezing one chicken breast in each small ziplock so the whole chicken doesn’t go bad before we eat it all. That way we can thaw as desired.
Here’s something I don’t like about Costco. Having to pull out my Costco card/credit card at that awkwRd moment when you are coming in the store . I feel like I’m always fumbling to get it out of my wallet or stuffing it back in - and sometimes the Costco person is distracted and not even looking . Then I’m trying to push the cart, safely put the card back in my wallet and get moving and out of the way of the incoming store traffic.
Must be a better system - like Just before checkout or something - to check for membership. Maybe you should have to show your card to the sample person before taking your first sample!!!
Some wallets have a window where you can put a card in it and just flash your wallet. I go to
Costco so often, they usually greet me and wave at me without needing to see my card (tho I sometimes fish it out).
I’m not buying a new wallet so the Costco person can see my Costco card …that window pocket is also often a little tougher to get a card or license out of.
You do not need a membership to utilize the pharmacy. Our homeless utilized a lot of pharmacy service :). All you have to tell the front door representative its hat you’re visiting the pharmacy. I believe you can also utilize the independent eye doctor (but not the optical services).
Bought Steak-EZE this weekend. Fantastic! Made the best Philly cheese steaks I’ve ever had. Highly recommend. In the freezer section, if your local Costco carries it.
KIRKLAND MEATS
@STEM2017: Are STEAK-EZE the same thing as STEAK-UMs?? I bought STEAK-UMs for a short time but then realized how much fat was in them. That’s why they were so tasty.
@VeryHappy Steak-EZE is a similar concept to Steak-Ums but made a bit differently. They are thin rolls that break apart when you cook them. Steak-Ums are sheets.
Fat content is kind of high but lots of the fat gets cooked away.
I really like them. My kids like them more.