It’s safe to say Costco shoppers are not the most precious people on earth: Visiting one of the giant warehouses (even first thing in the morning, even on a slow day) is an intense experience. You learn to go with the flow and accept at least one person is going to barge into you with a giant cart or cut you off in a busy aisle; this is the price we pay for shopping at Costco and grabbing great bargains. There is one thing however, that seems to unite Costco members in pure annoyance—the pesky sales people right inside the entrance. Here’s what shoppers are saying.
Heckled on Entry
A Reddit thread titled “Paid hecklers right inside the door” has members buzzing in righteous indignation. “I love my local Costco, but the cell phone sales people right as you walk in the door are way too much!” the original poster says. “Just walking in the door I cringe knowing I’m going to have to give a ‘hard pass’ that will be ignored, not matter how I say it. Last night there was two of them and it took four ‘no’ statements from me before they got the message.”
Pay Higher Membership Fees
The Redditor goes on to say how unacceptable this is considering Costco requires membership fees from shoppers. “It feels like poor taste for a place where memberships are required for entry… that said, I would readily pay $10 more per year to my membership fees if it meant their paid hecklers couldn’t talk to me (including the person on the way out pushing hvac systems, or cruises, or whatever).”
Polite But Firm
The only way to (politely) deal with these sales people is to not stop walking, one member recommends. “I’ve gotten very good at a polite ‘no, thanks’ so I can feel like a good person that acknowledges other human beings…while also never so much as breaking stride so I am capable of entirely ignoring annoying sales who don’t take that as an answer,” they explained. “Costco cell phone sales, Vegas timeshares, street hustlers, I have no problem at all delivering a ‘no, thanks’ with sincere eye contact and then just straight up pretending they don’t exist if they can’t respect that.”
I Already Have That
One member was saying their husband is always getting caught in the snare of the cell phone sales people, and other Redditors had good advice. “If he feels awkward ignoring them just say ‘my work pays for my cell phone plan’ and keep on walking,” one said. “Or I already own a Traeger, vitamix or whatever else they’re trying to sell. That’s what I had my wife doing because she was too nice to everyone.”
Say You’re Renting
The quickest way to get the home improvement hecklers off your back is by saying you’re renting when you’re not. “That’s the same way I handle the HVAC or water filtration etc sales people, I just tell them I’m a renter. I feel for these people, it’s a tough and thankless job so I don’t want to be rude, but I also have zero interest in being sold anything unsolicited,” one Redditor said.
A Regional Issue?
Some Redditors wonder if this might be a regional thing, as they haven’t seen it happen first-hand in their local store. “I see these threads from time to time and I’m always surprised because it seems like other regions’ sales people are more aggressive than the ones I’ve seen,” one shopper said. “But then I see people say things like ‘just say no thanks’ or ‘tell them you already have the service’ and I realize the tactical error being made is not completely ignoring people who are trying to sell you something you don’t want. Don’t look at them, don’t smile, just ignore them. They can handle it, it happens all day.” I can personally confirm the vendors in Marina Del Rey are polite and respect a firm “no thank you”!
Be Nice
More than one shopper reminded their fellow Costco members to keep in mind these vendors are just doing their jobs (as annoying as it might be for customers). “I just say no thank you and move on, it’s never been that big of an issue,” one said. “Jedi hand wave, no thank you. Continue walking,” another commented.
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