This Costco Free Sample Had Shoppers Dumbfounded

Who doesn't love a little snack while shopping? Particularly if you've been wandering the aisles of Costco hunting for their well-known kitchen staples or great bargains on meat — it's easy to work up an appetite. We all love a sample at Costco, but let's just admit some of the bite-sized treats are more appealing than others. A roll of toilet paper, a vitamin C gummy, or an edamame skewered on a toothpick might be easy to walk on by, but shoppers in Los Angeles let us know on the r/Costco subreddit they were treated to a sample everyone that suits just about everyone — water.

Now, this was no ordinary bottled water. The sample in question was alkaline water, one of the trending versions of the molecule of life. Leave it to Costco to bring shots of wellness water samples to the masses. Of course, in LA, you can also consult with your local water sommelier when you're out for dinner, so why wouldn't Costco offer a taste?

Costco specializes in large packs, of course, so you can only buy this special water in a 24 pack of 20-ounce bottles, and you'd need to plunk down just under $17. You're paying about 3.5 cents per ounces, which is more expensive ounce for ounce than a case of carbonated LaCroix water. 

The Reddit post obviously hit a nerve, or perhaps more accurately, a funny bone, because it's had an amazing 3,500 upvotes in 14 days. Redditors poked fun at themselves, and others, for buying electrolyte water because of its unproven benefits and pointed out that water in plastic bottles isn't great for the environment overall. Apparently the sample table was a popular attraction, blocking the aisle as samples tend to do, but an astute commenter who managed to nab one filled us in on the taste: "Just like water."