10 Things Costco Employees Say Never to Do in the Warehouse
You have to hand it to Costco employees—working in a large warehouse store with so many customers is tough work, but they make it look effortless. That's not to say workers don't occasionally get annoyed or frustrated with some behaviours they witness while on the job—and sometimes they vent on social media about what they wish customers would do more, and just as importantly, what they wish customers would never, ever do again. Here are 10 things Costco employees say never to do in the warehouse.
Requesting a Specific Rotisserie Chicken
Please don't try to select a still-being-cooked rotisserie chicken. "Rotisserie here. 'I'll take that one!' We can't stop the train to let one person off. We have a system and the birds will be in the case for you in a mo'. Thank you," one employee said. "To caveat off this, when you're pulling chickens from the oven and they ask you when they'll be ready. Ma'am I have to bag these and I'm by myself. Give me a few minutes," another added.
Blocking Traffic
We've all seen people do this… stopping in the middle of a busy aisle for a chat and blocking traffic. "So that includes, but not limited to.. seeing a sample and leaving your cart in the middle of the main walkway while you dash to go get it.. seeing a friend and proceeding to have a conversation with them.. in the middle of the aisle.. moral of the story, don't block the walkways, Costco is crazy packed as is.. be mindful of those around you and push your cart and conversations to the side out of the main walkways," one employee said.
Opening Boxes
One employee was baffled to see a customer opening boxes without reading the information on the packaging. "People opening boxes of garbage bags and pulling one bag out to see the exact size will always make my head shake," one employee said. "It's a garbage bag and it lists its measurements. Use your imagination, people!" another agreed.
Leaving Trash Laying around
Several employees mention how annoying it is to see people littering in the warehouse. "The latest one that seems to be happening a lot at my warehouse is, throwing sample cups behind or in between the pallets. I don't get it when the sample stations have a garbage right next to it and we have garbage cans at the end of the isles," one employee said. "Or on top of the pallets while still full of liquid so that when I go to block the pallet down and pull the one item it's sitting on it flies all over my clothes 🥰 like wow thanks for leaving this drink up there for 8 hours now i can wear it for the rest of my shift," another added.
Abandoned Frozen Items
Leaving abandoned cold food out in strange places is another Costco employee pet peeve. "Leaving Frozen/Cold food in random places. This one baffles me the most," one irate employee shared. "WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING THIS??! I get that you may have changed your mind on purchasing it, that's fine, but that doesn't give you the right to put it wherever you want. We literally have to throw it away when you do this. That's like me coming over to your house, pulling the ice cream out, only for you to find it an hour later chilling in the bathroom."
Abandoned Perishables
One shopper said they came across a still-warm pumpkin pie in a non-bakery aisle. "Costco should have a policy agreed to in the membership rules, that if you are caught on camera leaving perishable food anywhere in the store that will cause it to be thrown away then you will have your membership revoked and be permanently banned from all Costco's for life," one Redditor said.
Digging For the "Freshest"
Costco employees get exasperated when you destroy a shelf to get to items at the back. "Digging through everything in the store to get a fresh one. I've seen members reach in the back of the cardboard display of gift cards for a fresh one," one exasperated worker said. "Asking how long for fresh chickens when there are 40 in the case, you're going to walk around for another hour and then drive 30 minutes home. Freshest doesn't matter."
Bringing In Pets
Bringing in pets is a major annoyance for employees (and probably for the pet too, why would your dog want to be in a Costco?). "This has gotten out of control everywhere," one person said. "Yeah busy stores like Costco or Home Depot can be HIGH STRESS for dogs. I saw a pitbull snap at a guy in Home Depot because he was "too close" walking past. It got spooked. Broke the skin. DO NOT bring dogs into busy chaotic environments like that. You could lose your animal," another added.
Wait your Turn Politely
Let employees help the person they are assisting before asking for help. "This happens to me daily by at least 2+ different people. They see me, clearly leading another member to find a product, and decide to interrupt to ask if I can help them. I can, but wait for me to finish with the person I'm in the middle of helping, please. I swear I could start a conga line through the warehouse some days lol," an employee shared.
Letting Kids Run Wild
Costco is not a safe space for children to run around without supervision. "Allowing kids to run through the store," one employee said. "I saw a 3-5 year old kid run across the tops of the water pallets while the parents stood there and watched. When confronted they said see the man is going to get mad. Watched kids run up and down the shopped water pallets like a staircase."
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