Courtesy at Costco

One of the benefits of shopping at Costco is the abundance of free food samples. One of the disadvantages is that the tables seem always to be placed at the mouth of crowded aisles. Eaters plant their carts where no one can get past; stares and other nonverbal signals don't move them, so I must usually circle around.

Rule #1 of courteous Costco shopping: park the cart in a low-traffic area and come back for the sample. Added benefit: without the cart you'll be less inclined to buy food that you probably don't need. © 2013 Stephen Yuen