If you shop at Costco Canada, chances are you’ve seen some wild behaviour in the aisles. And if you work there? You’ve probably seen it all.
Costco is a wonderland of cheap bulk buys and free samples, but not everyone shopping there makes the experience pleasant. From the cart-cloggers who treat the aisles like parking lots to the sample snatchers who think it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet, some shopper habits drive employees up the (warehouse) walls.
To get the scoop, Narcity Canada previously spoke to two Costco workers — Sarah* and Kath* — who spilled the tea on the absolute worst Costco shopper habits they’ve experienced.
Whether you’re a seasoned Costco regular or just there for the snacks, here’s how not to be that shopper everyone secretly dreads bumping into.
Raiders
Trying to be helpful? That’s great — but grabbing items off the deli racks isn’t the way to do it.
“What you’re doing wrong is you’re touching the deli racks — you should be going through the counters,” Sarah explained.
Those racks aren’t there for customers. “We bring out racks of food from the deli, right? To stock the counters. And people are like, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna grab it off the rack so I don’t mess up your display,'” she said.
While that might seem considerate, it’s actually not helpful — or safe.
“We could be taking out the product, we could be re-pricing the product,” Sarah added. And, according to Kath, the racks are also where products with earlier expiry dates sometimes land.
So, unless you want to gamble on getting day-old deli, stick to the counter. You’ll get fresher items, and the employees won’t have to stop mid-task to deal with rack raiders.
Cart blockers
If you want to stay on the good side of Costco employees — and your fellow shoppers — don’t be this person.
The cart blocker strolls into an aisle, parks their buggy in the dead center, and then wanders off to inspect something on the opposite shelf. Meanwhile, everyone else is stuck playing bumper cars.
“It just causes more traffic, and the flow stops in the store. Just the one cart,” Sarah said.
Kath added that it’s especially frustrating in high-traffic zones like the bakery, meat, deli, and produce sections — areas where space is already tight.
The fix? Incredibly simple: “Just push your carts off to the side.” Problem solved.
Plastic wrap rippers
You’ve definitely seen this one: a shopper scaling the bottom of a shelf to reach the top-tier pallets, tearing through shrink wrap like it’s Christmas morning.
But according to Sarah and Kath, this isn’t just annoying — it’s dangerous.
“You don’t have to rip the Saran to try and get that one box of whatever you need — it’s on the floor,” Sarah said.
And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, the solution is simple: ask for help.
“They’ll help you find where the product you want is on the floor,” Kath added.
The stuff up top is usually just overflow, so if it’s shrink-wrapped and stored high, odds are it’s already available somewhere more accessible.
“It’s bad. If you were to rip the saran and grab, it could cause a domino effect,” Sarah warned.
Beyond crushed cookies and shattered jars, there’s a very real chance of someone getting hurt. So next time you’re tempted to DIY your own stockroom access? Maybe don’t.
Hoarders
This type of Costco shopper sees “limit of two per customer” as a personal challenge — and they’re apparently not above pulling a quick-change act to get around it.
Sarah recalled a wild period during the COVID-19 pandemic when some customers went to extreme lengths to stockpile cleaning supplies.
“There were people who had just bought a fresh pallet of Lysol wipes. These people literally went to their car, changed their wigs, came back in, and grabbed another two. They went out, changed their jacket, came back, grabbed another two!” she said.
“Why do you need that many Lysol wipes?!” she added. “And the size of them, it’s not just your standard 100 wipes, it’s 250! It’s just bizarre.”
Kath and Sarah say Costco employees absolutely notice this kind of behaviour — and if you’re caught trying to game the system, your membership could get flagged or even revoked entirely.
Even now, hoarding is still a problem — especially when viral trends spark a shopping frenzy. According to Sarah, the Costco Finds Canada Instagram page is often the trigger.
“They’re usually buying up for their friends and their families. So [products] run out of stock, like immediately,” she said.
Serial returners
According to the employees, Costco Canada’s return policy is famously generous — but some shoppers treat it like a challenge to see just how far they can push it.
While there’s a 90-day window for electronics, most other items don’t actually have a time limit. And for some customers, that means anything goes.
“One customer returned a pillow after seven years because ‘it didn’t feel right,'” Sarah shared. “There was also someone who returned a fake plant because they were watering it, and they didn’t know it was fake!”
And it gets worse: “They’ll freeze their meat if they don’t like it and they’ll return it,” she added.
According to Kath and Sarah, shoppers often assume there are zero consequences for this type of serial returning — but that’s not exactly true.
“We get it, but we track you,” Sarah said. “We understand, okay, maybe you didn’t like these avocados this time, and maybe the next time. But after that, we’re going to have a conversation. ‘Maybe we’re just not the right fit for your produce,’ or something like that.”
Overflow shoppers
Everyone has done it — popped into Costco for “just one thing,” only to leave with an armful of snacks, socks, and a suspiciously large jar of olives.
But according to Kath and Sarah, this last-minute haul habit often ends in chaos.
“People end up at the checkout with their arms overflowing, and things drop — it’s a huge mess,” Kath said. “If they make a mess, they should automatically find somebody that works there — doesn’t matter who it is — in any department and let them know right away.”
It’s not just about courtesy either. Spilled items can become slipping or tripping hazards for other shoppers.
Sarah has a simple solution: “Go to the produce section, grab a box, and then continue shopping.”
Those cardboard boxes are free, easy to find, and a total win-win — you get to shop hands-free, and the employees don’t have to play clean-up crew behind you.
Whether it’s blocking aisles, hoarding hot items, or treating the store like your personal stockroom, a little awareness goes a long way. Shop smart, be courteous, and maybe even say thanks to the Costco employees next time — they’ve seen it all!
This story was adapted from the article “6 types of Costco shoppers that actually make life way harder for employees” which was originally published on Narcity Canada by Lisa Belmonte and Helena Hanson.
*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality. Narcity Media Group has verified their identity.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
