Free samples back in US stores after COVID hiatus

Free samples are back in US stores after a COVID hiatus that lasted over a year.

When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, retailers worried about the potential spread of the coronavirus so they cut off free sampling of everything from food to makeup to toys.

But now with vaccinations rolling out and the threat of COVID-19 easing in the U.S., stores are feeling confident enough to revive the longstanding tradition.

For customers, sampling makes it fun to shop and discover new items — not to mention getting all the freebies. For retailers, they're critical tools to keep shoppers coming back and battle against online retailers like Amazon.

"If you are not sampling a product, a customer don't know how it tastes. How great of a product is. So to us it's everything." Cristian Cruz, Vice President of Stew Leonard's grocery store located in Yonkers New York said.

But while sampling is back, it's not clear if everyone is ready to bite. With that in mind, some retailers are putting various safety protocols in place to ease any safety concerns.

"You always have to have caution as to how you do it," Cruz said. "We put Plexiglas on the demo table because some people are a little still on the fence side." The grocery chain also pust sanitizer towers next to each sampling station.

Dorothy Day, a long time Stew Leonard's shopper, is ecstatic that sampling has made its return to stores. "I am so happy, they doing it safely, the server is masked and there's a barrier to her, so she's safe. I think it's wonderful."

Food sampling converts browsers into buyers at a 20% higher rate than if customers weren't allowed to test, according to market research firm NPD Group Inc.

Another Stew Leonard's shopper, Diane Lucas, said she 'absolutely' missed tasting the new foods before she decides to purchase a new product at the store.

Public health experts point out that handling and eating food has not been a major route for the spread of COVID-19.

"I'm not really worried too much, I am a little bit careful about it, but I do feel like there's a lot of safety precautions put in place, so I feel comfortable about it now," shopper Shiby George said.

Some experts say food sampling can lead to people congregating together, and that increases the risk of transmission.

"I use common sense and view the stand," Sal Mazzella said. "If the stand looks like it's set up properly, then I feel safe."