***Costco Sample Update for February 19th, 2010***

And for today's sample starting line-up!!!

At forward, from Georgetown... Asparagus and cheese cannelloni in pesto sauce
At guard, from UCLA...  Organic lentil soup
At center, from the Borough of Manhattan Community College... Bourgogne cheese on bagette
At forward, from Michigan... Chex Mix
And at guard, from the University of North Carolina.... #23...  LOBSTER RAVIOLI IN PESTO SAUCE!!!!!

(On the bench: Zipfizz energy drink, , vita-mix smoothies and soups, Lysol sanitizing wipes, sweet chili rice chips, raw almonds, kashi granola bars)

My overall rating is 5.9/10.  The regular season is beginning to heat up.  March Madness is just around the corner and the sample competition will be intensifying as samples will be making a push for the tourney.  Today's line-up will have to step up their game if they want to make it past the first round.  They cannot rely soley on Lobster Ravioli to carry them to the finals...

FIELD REPORT!!!

I have been away from the Orem Costco and my Samplesaurus partners, and decided that I should continue our sampling reviews from the field.  Missoula is a wonderful place and is known for it's natural beauty, but the samples left a lot to be desired.  Today we had:  Clam Chowder, Yogurt Triple Berry Fruit Smoothie (sample of the day), Flax and Pumpkin Seed Granola, Lite Ranch Dressing with Celery.

My overall rating was a 3/10.  The smoothie and he granola were great and there were no wait times or else we would be looking at a lower score.  People in Montana live in constant fear of grizzly, cougar and moose attack and you generally only leave the house when necessary, so crowds are at a minimum in Costco.

  My heart resides in the quirky city of Missoula and while I have had a great time at home, something needs to be done about the sample situation here.  My friend who accompanied me claimed that this was a pretty normal day for samples and she was actually pleased with the selection.  I had to count to ten slowly or I probably would have slapped her.  PLEASED?!  I could have eaten ten of each of the samples and still would not have been full.  This is the first time I have missed anything about Utah while in Montana and it chills me to my very bones.  Amy needs to come to Missoula and whip these ladies into shape.

***Costco Sample Update for February 18th, 2010***

Not too much going on today: Cheddar (aged 24 months), Greek salad dip w/cucumber, Vita-mix: smoothies, soups, etc..., cream puffs, yoplait yogurt, prego pasta sauce w/pasta imported from Italy, all natural fruit bars.

My overall rating is 4.1/10.  The only good thing about today was Neil finding a new outfit for his next date (hopefully with a girl).  I know, pretty sweet outfit, and once he tells his date that he is a writer for Samplesaurus she will fall in love.

Sike... she is probably going to dump Neil either way...

***Costco Sample Update For February 12, 2010***

Originality was the name of the game today and we saw a lot of new samples that we have not seen before.  Here is what was on the tables today:  Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese and Baguette Bread, 8 Grain Toasted Bread, VITA-MAX Smoothies and Soups, Biscotti, Angus Choice Cheeseburger Sliders, Chicken and Cheese Burritos, Garlic Chicken, Ghiradelli Triple Fudge, La Panzanella Croccatini with Swiss Cheese, Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle, NeilMed Sinus Relief Fluid, Vitamin Juice.

My Overall Rating: 5.3/10.  There must have been a sale on diapers today at Costco because most of the shoppers seemed to either be infants or senior citizens.  The young and old can be very deceptive samplers though, and they tend to be much swifter and more aggressive than you would think.  While waiting in line for the chicken burrito, a mob of latino youngsters muscled my Samplesaurus comrades out of line and they missed out.  Not to mention, while I was waiting for the La Panzanella Crocacatini with some swiss cheese (sample of the day) an old lady with an oxygen tank swept in and took the last sample, forcing me to wait another 30 seconds.

A big surprise today was discovering that Neil actually has a pharmaceutical company that seems to be using his name and his uncanny reputation for having clear nasal passages.

The VITA-MAX blender seems to be the last appliance that you would ever need to buy when it comes to preparing food.  Neil has composed an in-depth review on this wonder of the modern age.

These ladies broke into a celebratory dance after finishing off the smoked salmon today

***Costco Sample Update for February 11th, 2010***

The sample ladies were rollin' deep 'n dirty today: Beef tacquitos with mango salsa, hummus on a multigrain chip, chicken ravioli, egg rolls, cashew chicken, tillamook quesadillas, angus beef burger on whole wheat thin bread, Belgian chocolates, chicken potstickers, low sodium rice, multigrain crackers, rice crackers, veggie straws, superfood power drink.


My overall rating is 6.9/10.  We are finally gaining some street cred within the Costco gang.  The guy that checks your receipt on the way out gave us a mean yet respectful glare and said, "everyday."

To which I replied, "and tomorrow too... sucka."  I didn't even need to flash the heat I was packing...

Samplesaurus will soon be runnin' that joint.  Our goal is to be featured on Gangland.

***Costco Sample Update For February 10, 2010***

Love is in the air and the samples today really reflected it, here is what the ladies were dishing out today:  Feta Cheese and Salad, Great Northern Paper Towels, Sugar and Gluten Free Belgian Chocolates, Cashew Chicken, Garden Burger (chipotle bean and regular), Biscotti, Mushroom Chicken Ravioli, French Onion Soup, Quesadilla With Tillamook Cheddar, Odwalla Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, Jumbalaya Rice, Dried Mangos, Hot and Spicy Chicken Noodles, D3 Chewable Vitamins.

Overall rating 6.2/10.  The last week or so has been real hectic at Costco and today was a welcome change.  The crowds were at a minimum and the sample ladies (and lads) seemed to be on their best behavior.  Amy, the sample queen and moderator, runs a real tight ship and she was making her rounds today ensuring that everyone stayed well stocked and fresh.  We appreciate all the hard work that she does, and it was nice to see her in action today.  Odwalla orange juice is just about the best orange juice I have ever had west of the Mississippi,  and I am going to go ahead and award it the sample of the day.  One big disappointment today was the sugar and gluten "free" chocolate.  Lets go ahead a put a big hypothetical asterisk by both of those claims as this stuff seems to include both sugar and gluten.  Neil seems to take extreme personal offense to any kind of false advertising and after squeezing the truth out of the frankly terrified sample lady, he quietly swore jihad under his breath against the company behind the chocolates and possibly the whole country of Belgium.   Neil will not be trifled with.

Here is a picture of young Neil after he stabbed a classmate that informed him that the juice he was drinking did not actually contain any actual fruit juice.  

***Costco Sample Update for February 9th, 2010***

Black forest ham (sample of the day), mini baby bel cheese, pita chips & hummus, mushroom ravioli, turkey burgers, turkey bacon, shrimp wanton soup, reduced sodium rice mix.

My overall rating is 6.1/10.  A small but substantial sample menu today; it was enough to get by on today.  Speaking of small but substantial, how about a haiku about samples? This is what came to mind while I was pondering on life and chewing on a turkey burger.

He who eats samples

Lives a long and happy life

Costco Karate!

***Costco Sample Update For February 08, 2010***

Since Kyle gave his Costco card to his brother last week, todays samples ended up going sdrawkcab cause we had to sneak in the exit.  The lineup included: Marcona Almonds, Fruit Source fruit bar variety snacks, Sensible Portions baked veggie-crisp 'chips' of sorts, Progresso High Fiber Chicken Tuscany Vegetable Soup, Cattle Drive Chili with beans and Tillamook shredded cheddar, Maranatha almond butter and crackers, Sabatassos Deep Dish singles pizza, Pasta Prima Ravioli spinach and mozzarella, Raybern Philly cheese steak, Kirkland meatballs with Kirkland basic pesto, Kirkland Signature Organic 2% chocolate milk, Tyson reduced fat sausage, Kirkland Tortilla chips with Stonemill Kitchens artichoke and jalapeno dip, Fletcher's Black Forest ham, Mary's Gone Organic VTY crackers with Tillamook colby cheese, and Dave's Killer Organic Good Seed bread.  

Overall Rating: 7.1  Sample of the Day: Raybern Philly Cheese Steak - being a newcomer on the scene he held his ground well, and was delicious. Now that that's out of the way, I should mention that due to personally held preferences the first (or second) half of this didn't meet my fancy.  And I'm docking Fletcher's Black Forest and Tyson on their individual reports (which I've already sent out) for not serving kosher products. I'm rewarding the Sabatassos sample lady for serving the pizza slightly crisp and just the way I like it.  The Pasta Prima Ravioli lady on the other hand is being docked for not getting the product into a single one of our 3 experienced sample testers hands today.  No one even saw the finished product.  This is pretty unheard of with us, we show up to eat, and if we don't get a sample it either means:

1. The ragamuffin's are out of hand grabbing multiple samples at a time. (small stun guns can solve this if used tactfully)

2. Single mother's providing carts full of kids with samples.

3. Crazy crowds that logistically destroy or strongly lower our chances at getting every sample.

Of course I've seen situations with number 2 where it didn't even slow Kyle down.  It was the Grands Cinnamon Roll sample, and for as much as I love Pillsbury Grand's Cinnamon rolls (you can reference a myriad of independant sources on this going back at least 8 years) I still wasn't willing to box out a mother even if she did show up after me.  But I guess that's why Kyle is a Senior Sampler and I'm just a peon.  And why people hate him.

Anyways, if the Pasta Prima lady doesn't turn it around tomorrow I plan in orchestrating a Citizen's Firing and taking up the post myself.  Look for it.  

***Costco Sample Update For February 05, 2010***

Sample Bowl Fever was the name of the game today.  Today's line-up was strikingly similar to yesterday's, with a few exceptions: All Américan Chocolate Cake, Jalapeño Artichoke Dip on Chips, Tostitos Salsa & Chips, Chocolate Covered Almonds, Chocolate Covered Raisins, Vitarain Drink, Sobe Lifewater, Pita Chips & Hummus, Sun Chips, Chicken Salad on Wheat Bread, Pulled Pork Sandwich with Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce, Chipotle Tri -Tip, Fresh Avocado, Vanilla Ice Cream w/Blueberries, Pizza - Boboli Sauce w/fresh Mozzarella( sample of the day), Meatballs in Jamaican Me Crazy Sauce, Hot n Spicy Chicken Wings, Cracked Pepper Wings, Honey BBQ Wings.


Overall rating: 7.8/10.  We had a real wild day today at the second day of the sample bowl and I made some real rookie mistakes.  With the sample bowl in full swing, some of our friends expressed interest in joining us for samples.  The relaxed crowds and jovial atmosphere from yesterday had seduced me into thinking that we could bring babes to sample with us and we decided to invite a couple.  Summer, a relatively new babe in our lives, did well but had a real poor reaction to the Sobe Lifewater and the Meatballs.  Neena, a babe from my past,  pretty much just disappeared the moment we got to Costco and managed to spill blueberries all over her white shirt.  We were lucky that neither of these young ladies were injured in the crowds today as they were ravenous.  The real tragedy of the day was that we really strained relationships with the sample ladies.  When they saw the lovely Summer and Neena, a wave of jealousy seemed to sweep over them and their behavior reflected it.  The trays were empty and the wait times were long.  I think it is going to take days, nay, weeks to earn their trust back.  

Bridges have been burnt.

***Costco Sample Update for February 4th, 2010***

HOLY MOSES! The sample ladies are in full force today.  If you are not at Costco I recommend that you get there ASAP.  Today's menu includes: All Américan chocolate cake, jalapeño artichoke dip on chips, tostitos salsa & chips, chocolate covered raisins, vitarain drink, sobe lifewater, puta chips & hummus, sun chips, chicken salad on wheat bread, pulled pork sandwich with sweet baby ray's Sauce, chipotle tri tip, omaha steakhouse tri tip (sample of the day), vanilla ice cream w/blueberries, pizza - boboli sauce w/fresh mozzarella, meatballs in Jamaican me crazy sauce, hot n spicy chicken wings, cracked pepper wings, honey BBQ wings.


My overall rating is 9.6/10!!!! In leading up for the big game this weekend, the sample ladies are on full display at the SAMPLE BOWL.  There was a massive onslaught of party snacks hitting me from every angle.  Right at the front door, near the electronics, they hit me with chocolate cake - such an early offensive strike took me by surprise.  They then lined up three types of chicken wings (honey bbq, cracked pepper, and hot n spicy)  in the back field that proceeded to bowl me over.  On defense the sample ladies lined up in a 4-3 and blitzed the crap out of me with ice cream, chocolate raisins, hummus, and pulled pork on the front line.  Our reporter on the sidelines is telling me that Friday and Saturday will be have an even stronger sample line... Friday's halftime performance will be delivered by Michael Bolton.

***Costco Sample Update For February 02, 2010***

Good form Costco, good form.  Today we sampled the following: New England Sharp Cheddar, Louisiana Hot Link Sausage, Asparagus & Cheese Canoli, Tri Tip Chili, 7 Layer Bean Dip, Fried Turkey Breast, Shrimp Dim Sum, Blueberry Pomegranate Juice (sample of the day), Breaded Chicken Breasts, Deep Dish Pizza, Mozzarella Sticks, Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup, Sweet n Savory Nut Mix.

My overall rating 8.5/10.  My training period finally complete, Kyle let me take the reins today throughout the sampling.  And what a day we had.  Costco has been really upping its game as of late and today was no exception.  The red trays were loaded with samples and the store was relatively free of shoppers...a perfect storm of sampling.  There were literally no wait times and the samples were plentiful and delicious.  Kyle stood and watched me interact with the sample ladies with the same trepidation that a new father has when he finally lets go of that seat and his child has his first unsupervised bike ride.  It was a bittersweet moment and when asked if he was getting emotional, Kyle claimed that he got some shrimp dim sum glaze in his eye. 

                                                      We all have to grow up sometime Kyle.   

***Costco Sample Update for January 29th, 2010***

Today's lineup includes: mutligrain chips w/Greek dip, 8 grain toasted bread, pot roast in gravy, zipfizz vitamin drink, potstickers, spinach & mozzarella ravioli, chicken chimichangas, pizza bites, beef franks, polish sausage, Classico sauces w/pasta, Jimmy dean sausage, butter garlic bread, bread dipped in balsamic vinegar & olive oil, little smokies, bean & cheese chili, blueberry acai juice, carrot juice, mac and cheese, chunky vegetable beef soup, progresso chicken noodle soup, beef jerky, trim energy drink.

My overall rating is 6.2/10.  The after lunch rush on a Saturday afternoon is complete mayhem.  Please note that there is a severe crowd advisory in effect.  The sample selection was quite robust and by itself would deserve a higher score, but the aisles were so filled with shopping carts that you couldn't get your hands on a sample before they all disappeared.  I would only advise expert samplers to venture into Costco today...

 

I took this picture while the crowds were rushing to get a chicken chimichanga

***Costco Sample Update for January 28th, 2010***

Wow! did we have a stellar line-up today: mild provolone, regular provolone, delice de Bourgogne, mango salsa & chips, chicken teriyaki, big sausage, meatballs, dim sum shrimp, 7 cheese tortellini in Classico alfredo sauce (sample of the day), French onion soup, Philly cheesesteak sandwich, buttered garlic toast, bread dipped in balsamic vinegar & olive oil, dried mangos & berries, clam chowder, chili cheese, sweet & savory nut mix, vitamin drink, and the garden fresh salsa booth - 4 varities of salsas.

My overall rating is 9.2/10! What an incredible day at Costco.  In starting this blog I have taken on a couple sample apprentices, Neil and Wes.  Today I spent some one-on-one sample time with Wes to show him the ropes on how to properly review samples.  It was beginner's luck for him to come on a day of a spectacular array of samples.  Not only did he woo the sample ladies, but a fellow sampler, a 70 year old man, hit on Wes for having such beautiful eyes.  I have to agree with that wise old man, Wes does have beautiful eyes....

 

Wes enjoying a 3 course sample meal - don't look directly into his beautiful eyes, he will hypnotize you