Change Is Coming To Free Samples At Costco

It's no secret that when you make a Costco run, it's not just about getting groceries and other items in bulk. It's also about the free samples they offer their customers throughout the store.

If you've been to Costco, you most definitely have tried at least one of their free samples of one of their items they sell. It's really a genius thing to do. You try the free sample then all of a sudden, you're grabbing that item and throwing it in your cart to buy. Well the way you get your free samples from Costco is about to change.

More and more stores around the country are going to self-service checkouts and stations. Why is this? Not only to be more quick and efficient, but also because of the lack of employees to work them. Now Costco shoppers are noticing that their beloved human interactions with the free sample employees is no longer a thing. The free samples are still there but have now been replaced with self-serving kiosks. Costco has put these kiosks up all around their stores and shoppers can receive their freebies that way.

If you're worried about Costco not surviving and making cuts to staff, don't worry. According to an article by The TakeOut, they're actually not cutting any of their staff. The people handing out your free samples are actually not Costco employees. They don't get any company benefits from the bulk retailer. They're actually employed by a company called CDS or Club Demonstration Services. According to Glassdoor, product demonstrators get paid about $14-15 an hour doing the job. That's not really that attractive to most and makes it hard for the company to employ or keep employees working. That's why you'll notice that most of the people handing out the samples are senior citizens or older people who are retired and just looking for something to do, The TakeOut reports.

Kiosks are not placed all around the store. These kiosks are filled with the free samples and are what they called "Gravity Fed," so the shopper can just grab the free sample from a small window at the bottom of the kiosk, according to a few posts on social media and Reddit. Yes this does mean that most if not all the samples at this point are pre-packaged. At the moment you're not gonna get hot food items like you're used to. But hopefully soon that will change.

Have you come across one of these kiosks or "Freeosks?" We have more on this in today's edition of a Few Things You Should Know!

Broke til payday - what are we eating?

Mike and Carla are always talking about weird food - but do you have a go-to cheap and easy meal? The cost of living just seems to keep going up, and a lot of people are cutting corners. The number of Americans facing financial hardship has gone up: six in ten US adults are struggling. If you're not now, chances are you did at one time.

So how how do people get through difficult times? Ask your college kids. If you were in college, or lived on your own out of high school, you had some favorite - or some regular - "broke till payday" meals. Reddit has an interesting thread on this.

"Groceries are scarce and I'm waiting on payday," they wrote. What are you making that's still  relatively healthy with what you have left in your fridge? Everyone has different items in their fridge, so there are a lot of interesting ideas that may be helpful for anyone out there. And there are some things that actually sound really good.

Ramen -always a go to for college students - is still relatively cheap. But you can't just live on Ramen, and Cup of Noodles. Ok, maybe YOU can...  However, you might be able to zhush them up a little, right?  And you might be surprised at some of the great - and interesting - cuisine below.

Don't knock any of it til you try it. I mean, think about it: SOMEONE (through trial and error) was the first to try an artichoke - and finally figure out what part you were supposed to eat. "Oh, okay - Bob, don't eat the thorns. Flip it to the other side!"

You never know what the next artichoke might be, until you figure it out. So look at some of these, and see what you think. Not only might they save you money, but they might actually be GOOD!

-Carla Rea

You cannot go wrong with this meal - EVER!

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Oh, stop it. It's good! Make sure you have a pickle spear though. That makes the whole "dish."

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Yep - fried eggs and potato chips! But you can do fries, if you have potatoes.

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Baked potatoes are a great cheap, easy, filling, tasty meal. You can dress them up a ton of different ways with whatever you have around. Throw it in the microwave - just that simple!

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Toss them with a little parmesan cheese if you have it. Actually very Italian!

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It's like a mock pad Thai. If you have an egg to put in, it's probably even better!

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Add a little cheese on top, and you just might be surprised!

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