Our Blog

Expert views and the latest scoops, from the world of customer experience.

Yvonne Hankins

“Being back at Costco is like a breath of fresh air” – an interview with WDS BA, Yvonne Hankins

25th November 2020
“Being back at Costco is like a breath of fresh air”, says WDS brand ambassador, Yvonne Hankins. Yvonne has been part of our team at Costco’s Milton Keynes warehouse for nearly 9 years, having filled out an application form on...
Return to demos

“It’s been a big learning experience” – Brand Ambassador Carol Hough on the return to product demos

16th November 2020
“It’s been a big learning experience, but that’s what life’s all about”. So says Carol Hough, who joined WDS as a brand ambassador at Costco Chester in October 2014. “I was supposed to have retired early”, she says, “but one...
featured image 60 days

60 days of demos – Coming back from COVID

16th November 2020
We might be back in another nationwide lockdown but rather than dwell on the negatives, we thought we would reflect on and showcase the exceptional work the WDS team have been up to in the last two months. It’s been...

“Members love the demos” – an interview with WDS brand ambassador, Lesley Smith

12th November 2020
From our recent blog posts, we’ve hopefully made it clear that we’re incredibly happy that we’re back up and running once again with Costco demos! But it’s not just us here at head office who are excited. Our brand ambassadors...
A successful first foray into product demos for Hotel Chocolat

A successful first foray into product demos for Hotel Chocolat

4th November 2020
It’s an interesting time for food and drink brands looking to make their first foray into the world of Costco demos. Not only did COVID-19 mean that we had several demo-free months during 2020, it’s also leading up to what...
Planning Costco’s 2020 festive demos

Planning Costco’s 2020 festive demos

20th October 2020
Every year, without fail, we see incredible results from product demos at Christmas time. It’s a time of year when consumer spending is high, and when brands are looking for exciting ways to cut through the marketing noise. Getting their...
Returning to Costco demos - Our Watford trial

Returning to Costco demos: Our Watford trial

18th August 2020
For Costco members and vendors alike, product demos are a huge part of the shopping experience. And they’ve certainly been missed during recent months.  However, we’ve got some good news. Demos have started to return – albeit with some significant...
Safe sampling in the Nordics - How we’re bringing demos back in Costco, Reykjavik

Safe sampling in the Nordics: How we’re bringing demos back in Costco, Reykjavik

21st July 2020
In the UK, live product demonstrations and food sampling have been on hold since lockdown began at the end of March. Now, as lockdown eases, retailers like Costco are all set to start offering samples and demos once again. So,...
Meeting WDS’ unique training needs

Meeting WDS’ unique training needs

15th July 2020
Established in 1993, Warehouse Demo Services (WDS) provides every single one of Costco’s UK and Iceland product demonstrations and sampling campaigns – over 75,000 per year, across 30 different locations. With the majority of their campaigns centred around food and...
Back to business - Food businesses after lockdown

Back to business – Food businesses after lockdown

6th July 2020
March 2020 will forever be known as the month when everything changed. Coronavirus had revealed itself as a devastating foe that tore through the UK like a monsoon, devastating businesses and tearing thousands of our loved ones away from us...
Why food handlers need Food Safety Level 2 right now

Why food handlers need Food Safety Level 2 right now

6th July 2020
The world we are all slowly returning to is not the same as the one we left. Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped everything from the way we work and communicate with one another to the way we look...
Fizz Training Academy - Online training vs classroom training

Fizz Training Academy – Online training vs classroom training

29th June 2020
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, online training was increasingly in popularity with 77% of US companies using online training programmes in 2017. Closer to home, meanwhile, Sadiq Khan recently pledged £9 million to the online training sector as a means...