Even if you're not living under quarantine, the threat of the coronavirus epidemic is likely starting to impact your daily life. Agents are asking travellers extra questions at the airport, major coffee chains have temporarily banned the use of reusable cups, and, now, the virus might change the way you shop at Costco.
Specifically, there's a chance the warehouses might stop offering free samples. There's no official word from Costco yet about whether or not this will happen, but social media and deals forums are filled with customers saying they recently visited a Costco location only to see aisles without a single samples stand in sight.
Since the new coronavirus is spread from person to person by close contact or through touching an infected surface, this move makes a lot of sense to me. I personally wouldn't want to grab a sample with my bare hands or off a platter that countless other people have also breathed over and touched at the best of times.
However, as you might expect, some people are pretty upset about the move. I haven't seen any reports that Costco has suspended their samples program in Canada, but different media outlets say select stores in California, Washington and Florida are no longer offering free food and drink samples. If you visit a Costco warehouse and notice they're not giving away freebies, let us know in the comments below.
For all you online shoppers, though, there's a Buy More, Save More Furniture Sale happening at Costco! For the next week, you can score up to $1,000 off your purchase of qualifying home and office furniture. The sale officially runs until March 15, and the full details and included pieces are available online.
Woohoo less traffic jams!