The Bad Behavior That Both Costco And Sam's Club Shoppers Are Guilty Of

There are quite a few differences between Sam's Club and Costco, but there is one thing that the retailers unfortunately have in common: members of both locations tend to pick up bad habits while shopping. One in particular that really grinds the gears of fellow shoppers is when perishable food is left out in the aisles. Not only are these items in the incorrect place, but they are often sitting at room temperature. Even if an employee identifies this misplaced item and returns it to the proper refrigerated section, no one wants to bring home potentially unsafe food. 

On the r/SamsClub Reddit thread, one user called these culprits "lazy" and claimed this habit is a "waste of food." Many members agreed, with one going so far as to claim, "This should [be] a criminal charge." This kind of behavior is especially frustrating when it happens at a big box retailer, where quantities are always larger and thus more prone to major food waste. 

Shoppers have also noticed this rather frustrating issue over at Costco, as well. One Reddit user in the r/Costco thread stated that some shoppers "don't deserve memberships," and advised, "Just tell the cashier you don't want to buy it when you're checking out or put it back where you found it." A disappointed Redditor and Costco manager responded, "We easily throw out several hundred if not a thousand dollars worth of perfectly good food because members do this." It's always okay to change your mind while shopping, but you should really consider returning it to the right section.

Just like Costco cracked down on the sneaky self-checkout tricks members once tried to get away with, there could be a policy implemented at these bulk retailers aimed at discouraging this kind of behavior. One user on Reddit shared their innovative proposal, writing, "Find the person on camera and trace it to the checkout and member ID. Revoke membership. Do this to enough members and the problem will be solved." However, for something as quick as leaving perishables outside of their designated zones, identifying the culprit and effectively disciplining them might be tricky, not to mention time consuming.

Preventing situations like this ultimately relies on the honor system. Consider how you would feel if you brought home raw meat that had been sitting in someone's cart, then out in the aisles for hours before you grabbed it. One Redditor posited that this is a similar test to the shopping cart theory: simply put, there is no rule saying you must put your cart away when you are done shopping, but it makes everything so much easier for those around you. Those who follow this "rule" typically care about the experience of the people around them, thus taking time to put things like a shopping cart, or groceries you no longer want, back in the proper place.

Whether you are team Costco or team Sam's Club, let's hope you are not team "leave perishable groceries in any old aisle." If members keep at it, we might be taking our business to an even cheaper big box chain like WinCo.