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Hello, communicators:

As Memorial Day weekend marked the first time in over a year that many Americans were able to gather with family and friends, many brands are transitioning their promotional and communication strategies back to pre-pandemic processes.

Bulk shopping chain Costco made headlines after announcing on an earnings call that it would bring back its food samples to the aisles of its store. Generously sized free samples have long been a staple for the chain, with many shoppers joking that a well-strategized Costco trip can result in enough samples to function as a full meal.

“Costco said safety protocols will be added, ‘including all samples prepared behind plexiglass, prepared in smaller batches for better safety control, and [distributed] to members one at a time,’” reports Axios. “It’ll happen in phases, with 170 of Costco’s 550 locations bringing back ‘full sampling’ next week, and the rest likely to join by month’s end.”

In a testament to the loyalty of its shoppers, many on Twitter said the return of samples at Costco felt “healing”: