Food Samples are Back at Warehouse Stores

Get ready to shop and enjoy food samples again

If you love browsing a warehouse store while testing out snacks and treats, we’ve got news you can use: Summer is the season of free food samples at Sam’s Club locations as the shopping destination brings back its in-club food-tasting program.

Sam’s Club’s sampling and food demonstration program, Taste and Tips, was put on hold in March 2020 due to coronavirus precautions, but as vaccines become more readily available and safety guidelines change, the warehouse store has decided it’s time to hit the play button on the popular program. The news comes on the heels of Costco’s announcement on May 27 that it would be phasing free samples back in early June.

Taste and Tips, which has been a part of Sam’s Club shopping for more than 35 years, will resume in all of Sam’s Club’s nearly 600 stores this week, getting members back into their favorite shopping activities: testing and reviewing the store’s products before buying them.

Through July 18, Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark Summer Eats Food Truck will be at select clubs in the central U.S. serving up summertime food samples.

Sam’s Club will also rev up for more immersive sampling experiences, such as the Member’s Mark Summer Eats Food Truck, a truck that will tour the central U.S. from now through mid-July, giving members the chance to try food items from Sam Club’s private brand, Member’s Mark.

Members exiting or entering the club will have the opportunity to stop by the food truck, which will feature menu items like a spicy chicken breast fillet wrap and an extra cheesy angus cheeseburger. After tasting the summer treats, members can enter the club and purchase everything they need to re-create their favorite items at home.

So, which clubs will receive visits from this summertime food truck?

Sam’s Club said locations on the truck’s route will primarily be in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas, now through July 18.

It’s been a while since the hot food samples roam the aisles for at Costco have been available. Although samples were brought back in some capacity last summer, amid the pandemic, the wholesale retailer limited samples to prepackaged items behind plexiglass. Now, the hot food samples you know and love will be returning to some Costco locations this month.

Chief financial officer and executive vice president at Costco Richard Galanti said on an earnings call that full samples will begin rolling out in phases, according to Delish.com. Along with the samples, the food court and indoor seating will be opening up again too.

And if you’re not a resident of the central U.S., there are still plenty of samples to be had: The Taste and Tips program is back at a club near you.