The Vultures

I love Costco. Where else can you get 3lbs of blueberries in a box, 15 extremely oversized muffins in one neat package, and books you don't really need all in one place?! However, if you ever want to experience chaos and madness at its best, go to Costco around lunchtime on a weekend. And if you want an extra special treat, go to one located in or near an predominantly Asian community. Why? Free food samples. Lots of them. And if the sample is located in the freezer section (i.e. warm food), people will swoop in like vultures and do whatever it takes to get that sample.

I witnessed a lady pushing her her wheelchair-bound father around so she could get ahead in line. After getting 2 samples, she quickly grabbed the sample away from her father and dumped it in her plastic bag she had hiding in her purse. I watched her for a good 10 minutes as she rotated between sample lines, intermittently leaving her father behind the sample lady so she wouldn't be as easily recognized. She had a pretty good collection of chicken bakes and nut clusters when it was all said and done. And I'm very sure she left the store without even buying a thing.

I also watched a group of 3 in action. Each person would stand in a different sample line and get 3 samples. They would meet up somewhere in the middle and divvy out the goods. Once eaten, they would go to a separate sample line and repeat. At least these people had some intention of purchasing something.

So, what is the moral of the story? Never wave anything free in front of an Asian (ok, Chinese) person. (I'm Chinese so I can say this. Why do you think my family and I were at Costco on a Sunday afternoon?!)