Senior citizens fight over free samples at Costco

[madoka]

Did any one else picture Perknose and Olds duking it out in the aisle?

http://amp.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article215857825.html

A cut in line for free samples at a Costco turned into a fight — between two 70-year-old men, according to police.

A 70-year-old man said he was waiting in line for a complimentary piece of cheese at the Costco in Greenville, South Carolina, when a 72-year-old man “cut in line, took some cheese and walked off,” according to a July 26 incident report.

After the 70-year-old moved on to a line with free samples of cheeseburgers, police said the man saw the 72-year-old approaching.

The 70-year-old was still upset about being cut in front of, and according to the incident report, he told the other man that “he could get in front of him because he knew he would just cut the line anyway.”

The 72-year-old man responded by saying “I will do it again!” — then saying to the 70-year-old man, “You’re a jerk,” police reported.

The 72-year-old then hit the 70-year-old in the right side of his head and caused his hat and glasses to get knocked off, according to the incident report.

The woman who was working at the cheeseburger sample stand said “she saw two men argue in front of her station,” and she confirmed the 70-year-old’s account when she told police that a “man in a Hawaiian shirt hit the other man in the head and it sounded very loud, and that the man’s hat flew off his head.”

Though the 72-year-old had left the Costco by the time police officers arrived, they tracked him down. When an officer reached him on the phone, the 72-year-old admitted he was involved in an altercation at Costco, according to the incident report.

Police reported that the 72-year-old said he “hit the man’s hat off his head after the man got in his face and he felt that the man was going to hit him because the man was balling his fist.”

Greenville Police Department Public Affairs Manager Donald Porter told The State that no arrests have been made in the incident.

Police are attempting to get surveillance footage from Costco to help in the investigation, and the responding officer said further investigation was needed because the men’s stories are inconsistent and “the witness did not have much to say,” per the incident report.

 

[MtnMan]

I hate the grazers in Costco and Sam's Clubs.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Surprised they didnt attack the demo person for being so damn slow.

 

[thebestMAX]

A daily event in S. Floriduh. Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Exterous]

Samples are serious business to some people. Generally I don't care but I hate it when a family of 8 comes up and wipes out a sample tray in one pass (because, for some, a trip to Costco is a family event with parents and grandparents)

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Two weeks out of the month my nearest Costco is inundated with the elderly. I presumed it was their SSI check weeks and literally outnumber the younger demographic by a factor of five to one. I swear they would form gangs if pushed far enough.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I hate the grazers in Costco and Sam's Clubs.

Same, I avoid the stupid samples based on not wanting to be an asshole. People are so self centered they don't even care to realize that they're blocking 15 other people just to get their stupid fucking sample.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Samples are serious business to some people. Generally I don't care but I hate it when a family of 8 comes up and wipes out a sample tray in one pass (because, for some, a trip to Costco is a family event with parents and grandparents)

I hate that shit too. Shopping isn't a fun filled adventure where you bring a circus clown car of 15 fucking people. Send 1 or 2 people and keep the rest at home.. Oddly, I only ever see that with asian and hispanic cultures. Why do people think it's some kind of fun filled family affair to go around buying food?

 

[DigDog]

I swear they would form gangs if pushed far enough.

 

[thebestMAX]

 

[KB]

If people are willing to fight over free samples, just imagine what people will do when there is a catastrophe and people start getting food rations.

 

[Geekbabe]

Did any one else picture Perknose and Olds duking it out in the aisle?

http://amp.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article215857825.html

I would never fight over them but I love Costco samples Btw, love Olds but I vote for Perk winning the food fight lol!

 

[BurnItDwn]

One of my favorite scenes in a somewhat recent film is from the movie Super. The "hero" clobbers a guy for cutting in line.

On the one hand, it could be considered an overreaction.
On the other hand, every time I see somebody be a selfish ass at the expense of others, I kinda sorta wish this would happen to them.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I can honestly say that I've never in my life taken a food sample at any store. Is this how some people in this country now feed themselves?

 

[frozentundra123456]

My favorite at Costco used to be the pizza day demos. Cant remember which maker it was, but they would set up a booth with maybe 5 to 10 different kinds of pizza to sample. Perhaps there werent as many people grazing then, but they even seemed to keep the samples well supplied.

We still go to Costco a few times a month, but I hardly ever try samples now. They are so slow at putting them out, and most of the samples seem to be weird stuff that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

 

[dainthomas]

I wish Costco had beer samples. Might make going there tolerable.

 

[madoka]

One of my favorite scenes in a somewhat recent film is from the movie Super. The "hero" clobbers a guy for cutting in line.

On the one hand, it could be considered an overreaction.

Well, Rainn Wilson did get what's coming to him when Ellen Page sexually assaults him later in the movie.

 

[MtnMan]

I wish Costco had beer samples. Might make going there tolerable.

Local Sam's was doing a wine tasting recently.

 

[DrunkenSano]

THUNDERDOME! Two seniors enter, one senior leaves! Or maybe none leave...

Because they've fallen and can't get up.

 

[Pulsar]

Samples are serious business to some people. Generally I don't care but I hate it when a family of 8 comes up and wipes out a sample tray in one pass (because, for some, a trip to Costco is a family event with parents and grandparents)

Yep. What's even worse, some people do this to fill in for a meal and save money. My In-Laws do this and laugh about it. All I can do is think in the back of my head "this type of abuse is why samples have gone away everywhere else....".

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Yep. What's even worse, some people do this to fill in for a meal and save money. My In-Laws do this and laugh about it. All I can do is think in the back of my head "this type of abuse is why samples have gone away everywhere else....".

I don't think so - where did samples at one time exist but have since gone away?

The entire ploy of samples is marketing. In the case of Costco, give you something to try (food wise) that you haven't had before hoping that you liked it so much that you say "Damn hun that was pretty good - let's go grab some to buy and make for dinner".... And even if there are people like your in-laws that go in specifically to try and get a meal out of it - that doesn't take away from the fact that they might buy some as well because they liked it so much.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I think it used to be a lot more common in grocery stores. I haven't seen many tables set up with someone giving away samples in recent years. I'm not sure if that's due to abuse or just cost-cutting. The labor alone must make it a pretty expensive means of marketing products to relatively few people.

 

[Pulsar]

I think it used to be a lot more common in grocery stores. I haven't seen many tables set up with someone giving away samples in recent years. I'm not sure if that's due to abuse or just cost-cutting. The labor alone must make it a pretty expensive means of marketing products to relatively few people.

It used to be VERY common. Now the only places I see doing it are high-margin or "up scale" places like Nino Salvaggio's. Or places with memberships like Sams and Costco. But that may just be anecdotal evidence. I don't make it a habit of visiting every place that sells food goods. In fact I avoid them.

 

[Darwin333]

Oh come on, one of the really great things about getting old is you no longer have to give a fuck and no one really minds. Old geezer slaps some young chick on her ass and it is "oh that is so cute, old guy still has it in him" whereas a guy her age did the same thing he could be brought up on charges.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I think it used to be a lot more common in grocery stores. I haven't seen many tables set up with someone giving away samples in recent years. I'm not sure if that's due to abuse or just cost-cutting. The labor alone must make it a pretty expensive means of marketing products to relatively few people.

Even the shitty HEB by my house does free samples. Beer and wine companies will come out and give samples / promos (koozie's, keychains), and the sushi/meat sections will also have samples of stuff.