Costco has always had that image of providing great employee services, but thanks to one dude’s viral video of a break room loaded with fresh fruit and snacks, some workers say it’s simply “deceptive.” Underneath the candy-coated rhetoric of “Fresh Fruit Friday” is an ugly reality – most items are employee-funded, the fruit is sporadic at best, and there are eyes above the snacks.
Debate-making viral break-room video
A TikTok video that was reposted to Reddit gave the viewer a pristine glimpse into the break room at a Costco location. One wall had baskets overflowing with bananas, apples, and grapes under the banner “Fresh Fruit Friday”; on the other wall stood sleek vending machines and a self-checkout kiosk. The video managed to garner millions of views and comments from amazed shoppers-until employees of Costco began to let the public know how deceptive it is.
Fruit sometimes free, Other times paid
Contrary to the basic assumption that fruit is free every day, the staff write that “Fresh Fruit Fridays” happen only occasionally and usually once within some weeks or months-this tends to vary a lot depending on each warehouse. When fruit does appear, employees confirm it is complimentary; the snacks and beverages surrounding the fruit, however, come with price tags akin to convenience-store rates. One Redditor bluntly stated:
“Everything you desire comes with a price; nothing is complimentary.”
Another commented simply: “None of it is free.”
Self-checkout kiosks and surveillance
According to the workers, even the digital kiosk in the break room requires payment for all items save for fruits, while prices charged are almost equivalent to those of third-party vending machines. Signs warning “Smile, You’re on Camera” underscore management’s vigilance against unpaid snacks. One employee quipped, “There is even a sign about video surveillance, presumably to prevent taking snacks without payment.”
Cost was only one of the issues; several employees said the video room was not representative of a break room anywhere in the Costco system. One veteran stated that the typical break room in a real Costco is at least 2-2.5 times bigger with a much larger capacity, around 200+, and the featured room did not feel “big” and not representative of most locations.
Health program funded by management or cutting cost?
Some employees defended the initiative as a health promotion funded similarly through store budgets or charitable campaigns. Reports of “Children’s Miracle Network” events, for example, indicate that employees pay a small fee to sample specialty items and the proceeds benefit charity. However, these events-numbering no more than 25 a year-are independent of the purported weekly “fresh fruit” benefit.
Employee frustration and calls for transparency
Costco employees say that advertising paid-for snacks as a “perk” is misleading to both workers and the public. “If it’s not free I don’t care,” one worker sarcastically said, bemoaning the expectation that employees should pay for their own break-room refreshments. Many have called on management to clearly communicate which items are complimentary and which are for purchase, rather than staging videos that suggest an all-you-can-eat free buffet.
This was a feel-good glimpse into the employee amenities that turned against itself by being evidence of a large gulf in the company’s image and the reality out on the front line. Although Costco still enjoys the fewest disapproving comments from workers with respect to wages and benefits compared with any of its peers in the industry, there will still be lemons, such as ‘Fresh Fruit Fridays’ videos. Employees, for now, advise coworkers and consumers to take any behind-the-scenes break-room clip with a grain of salt-and come well prepared to pay for the majority of the snacks.
