Costco Shopper Criticized for ‘Scandalous’ Behavior at Warehouse

Oversized carts, bulk purchases and complimentary samples are all familiar parts of the Costco shopping experience.

However, some customers appear to be treating the warehouse like an open buffet.

A Reddit post has prompted outrage after a Costco shopper said they discovered several peaches that had been eaten in the store, with the remains left behind for someone else to find.

The post posed the blunt question: “Does Costco not ban people for eating products?”

The shopper said they had spotted “a few eaten peaches” at their local warehouse. They added that the culprits had at least “had the decency to eat the whole thing, down to the bone, and not just take a bite.”

The complaint drew thousands of reactions, including one account that suggested the alleged behavior extends well beyond fruit.

“The amount of half-eaten rotisserie chickens and rolls I would find on Sunday night while doing go-backs would suggest no,” one user wrote. “People are scandalous.”

Other commenters said they had come across half-eaten chickens, opened bags of chips and fruit that had been picked over before being abandoned.

One commenter recalled finding a half-eaten rotisserie chicken, an open bag of Doritos and a hot-dog wrapper inside a display washing machine in the electronics section.

According to the account, juice from the chicken leaked into the appliance, forcing Costco to discard the display machine.

Another shopper claimed to have watched an older woman open several containers of chocolate-chip cookies, use her bare hands to sort through them and move extra cookies into the container she planned to purchase.

An employee was eventually alerted and asked her to stop. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the comments were less than sympathetic.

‘Eating food is a step beyond bad etiquette. It’s theft,’ one person declared.

Another shopper said their local warehouse had dealt with people eating cherries, with the discarded pits sometimes becoming the only evidence of what had happened.

A commenter claiming to have worked in Costco’s produce department said cherry season was particularly bad because the fruit was easy to eat while walking around the store, with customers allegedly spitting pits around the warehouse.

And it isn’t just peaches. Other commenters claimed shoppers had opened fruit containers, swapped produce between packages to cherry-pick the best pieces, or even taken extra apples and added them to another bag.

One shopper said customers had been caught opening bags and transferring fruit between them, leaving the next customer with the rejects.

So what actually happens if Costco catches someone? 

Costco’s official membership terms state that the company reserves the right to terminate a membership at its discretion and without cause. However, Costco does not publicly state that eating an item before paying automatically results in a membership being cancelled.

Reports from shoppers and alleged employees suggest enforcement can vary. 

One commenter who claimed to have worked at several Costco locations for almost a decade said they had seen relatively few memberships canceled, with serious incidents such as physical or verbal assaults against employees more likely to result in termination.

Another commenter from the Texas region claimed that when people are caught eating merchandise, it is treated as theft and can result in an immediate membership revocation.

Costco is far from the only retailer to have found itself caught up in the great ‘Can I eat it before I pay?’ debate.

A Walmart shopper sparked an online debate after posting a video of herself opening a box of cereal and eating it before paying. The incident prompted viewers to argue over whether eating food that you ultimately intend to purchase is acceptable. 

And in perhaps the most extreme example, a Hawaii couple were arrested in 2011 after eating sandwiches in a Safeway before paying. 

Prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue the case after the couple said they forgot to pay, but the incident highlighted just how differently retailers and customers can view the practice. 

Generally, there is no single nationwide retail rule governing pre-payment snacking. Some stores may tolerate a customer opening a packaged item if they ultimately pay for it, while others explicitly prohibit eating in the store. 

There is also an important distinction between packaged goods and products sold by weight: eating part of a fixed-price packet and presenting the packaging at checkout is easier to account for than taking bites from fruit or other merchandise where the final quantity and price may be affected.

The safest approach is therefore simple: ask an employee first, and always pay for anything consumed.