FOOD NEWS
What It Means To Plant Weeds During A Costco Trip
By Greta Pano
Costco shoppers and employees across multiple locations are upset over finding "weeds" around the big-box store, but they're not talking about gardening.
"Planting weeds" is the practice of leaving trash or random items around a store where they don't belong, and it's a very wasteful habit.
For example, if a customer changes their mind about buying a rotisserie chicken and leaves it snuggled between a few sweaters, the chicken will go bad if it's not found in time.
A Costco employee on a Reddit thread said that perishables left around their Costco, like steak, are tested for temperature and are only returned if they're still in the safe zone.
Planting weeds is also detrimental to a store's aesthetic and creates more work for the employees. Perishable products could also stain and ruin other products.
Shoppers change their minds about products all the time, but they should leave unwanted items with the checkout clerk rather than causing inconvenience for employees.