Have you ever walked into the grocery store and noticed there were people standing around giving out free samples?
Whether or not you walk over and grab a free sample of pizza, cheese, coffee or whatever the item of the day is, you can’t help but wonder how and why these people are just standing around and offering free food to anyone and everyone.
I used to be one of these people…for three years. I did demos on weekends at a local grocery store when I was in college. And, based on my experience, this a better part-time job or side hustle than a full-time job.
Which makes it perfect for my side hustle post of the week. Now, if you’re wondering how to find product demonstrator jobs, you’re in the right place.
If you missed any of my side hustles posts for this series, check ’em out:
How to Get Started With Freelance Writing
How to Sell Items on Amazon and Ebay
Become a Mystery Shopper
Around the time I got started, I was mainly looking for a way to make extra money that didn’t require a lot of time and effort. One day I was at the grocery store with my mom and I saw a man standing near a cart with food. He didn’t seem like he was doing much at all.
It seemed like such an easy job. So, I worked up the nerve to ask him what company he worked for and how I could do his job as well. When he told me, I applied online and heard nothing for weeks. Around two months later, I got called for a phone interview and the rest is history.
What Does a Product Demonstrator Do?
Product demonstrators conduct what’s called a ‘demo’ in certain stores for a specific amount of time where they promote a product and allow people to try a sample. Some demos are 4 hours, some are 6, and some are even 8 hours long. The demos are conducted at various places including indoor and outdoor events. They work with stores like Walmart, Jewel, Meijer, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, Costco, etc.
Product demonstrators aren’t always hired by these individual stores. Most of them work for larger sales and marketing companies who have contracts with major retailers and place their employees there to boost product sales.
While I did demos for mostly food and drink products, other people promote a wide array of items like cleaning products, accessories, carpets and rugs, dietary supplements, skin care products, and so on.
A product demonstrator’s main goal is to boost sales and product awareness by engaging with customers throughout the store, offering them a product to taste or take home, and encouraging them to make a purchase.
Sound easy enough? That’s why I liked working such a low maintenance job but let’s go through some of the pros and cons to get a better understanding of what the job entails.
The Pros
- For a side job, the pay is better than minimum wage. Most product demonstrators can expect to make at least $11-13/hour starting out and some even make up to $20/hour if they are representing more high-end products.
- You receive training once you get hired and continuously throughout your employment (it’s often paid training as well).
- As hinted in my first point, most of these positions aren’t commission only. I’ve worked as a product demonstrator with 4 different companies and they all paid hourly. One even added a bonus based on the sales I made. Aggressive sales is NOT my strong point and I wouldn’t be able to make it if my work compensated by commission only.
- You get to learn a lot of new recipes and become knowledgeable about various products. Sometimes you even get free products to take home. 🙂 I learned some of my favorite recipes from demo jobs. It really allowed me to become more open to trying new food.
- You get to meet and interact with a wide range of people. If you’re social and enjoy talking to different people, you’ll like that this job encourages meeting and connecting with others regularly.
The Cons
- The job requires that you stand your entire shift. Enough said.
- Sometimes you may be asked to travel. Depending on which company hires you, your job may be to travel to various different stores each week/end and it can be a hassle to pack up and travel to a new store each time you work. Most stores will be within your desired area though, but I found that mileage is a hassle to get reimbursed if I didn’t travel more than an hour away.
- It can get boring. If you work a 6 or 8-hour shift and the store is dead, you may not have much to do unless the store is super busy.
How Does Being a Product Demonstrator Work?
When you are hired by a company or retailer to do demos, you will either have a home store or you will be required to travel to various different stores within your region. As a veteran product demonstrator, I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I really favor having a home store because it’s easier to go to one store each week and get to know the products and the people who work there.
When you have a home store, all you need to do it show up when your shift starts, wear something that reflects the dress code, meet with your manager and get to work. Some stores have demo managers who will print out your demo information for the day. That way, all you’ll need to do is grab the product off the shelf and set everything up.
If you don’t have a home store or an in-store demo manager, you’ll most likely be mailed a kit with supplies, and a company credit card to purchase product and information for your demo. When you show up to the location, you’ll need to check in with management, set up, and perform your demo.
Product demonstrating can be a very independent job depending on where/how you work and sometimes you may not even see your manager face-to-face. Most of the scheduling will be done online and after each demo, you’ll have to fill out a brief report online.
What Experience Do You Need as a Product Demonstrator?
For the most part, you shouldn’t need any prior experience to become a product demonstrator. You’ll most likely go through training with any company you work for. However, some places do favor applicants with sales or customer service experience, especially retail experience.
You’ll need to be professional since you’ll be the face of the product and brand. You’ll also need to be energetic and have a happy disposition. This is a sales/customer service job after all. As far as physical requirements, you’ll need to be able to travel and stand for long periods of time. You may also need to be able to lift heavy products, and/or cook depending on what you’re demonstrating.
How to Find Product Demonstrator Jobs
It’s very easy to make $300-500 a month or more doing demos each month. Since training is provided once you get the job, you really don’t need any special degrees or certifications to get hired.
Finding the jobs and getting hired can be the difficult part. If you’re interested in applying to become a product demonstrator, I’d suggest you make an effort to follow up with your application either by visiting or calling the in-store manager at the retailer you applied to. Or, you can try calling the marketing company to show your interest in the position and follow up with a regional manager.
Once you chat with a regional manager and exchange contact information with them, it’s very easy to close the deal and land the job since these companies are almost always looking for part-time help. Some companies and retailers that hire in-store product demonstrators include:
- Costco
- Meijer
- Advantage Sales and Marketing
- Eat Well Distribution
- MCG Connect
Being an in-store demonstrator is a great way to earn some easy side income on the weekends or during the week, get out and meet new people and learn more about valuable products.
Where to Apply
Now that you know how to find the jobs, let’s talk about a few places that you can apply. While sites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter can find some in your area, here are a few other places to look:
Of course, with any website, remember to check the pay, qualifications, and if they’re truly legit before applying. While the sites listed are legit companies, you can never be too careful online when applying to sites you never heard of or dealt with.
Sites like Indeed can also make it easy to apply since all you have to do is upload your resume. Then, you can apply to jobs quickly with just a click of the button. But if applying to a job outside of a 3rd party network like Indeed, you’ll have to go through the whole process.
Did you know that in-store demonstrators usually earn a higher hourly rate than the sales associates who work in well-known stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco? Have you ever tried any amazing products from an in-store demonstrator?
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Petrish @ Debt Free Martini says
I have to admit that I love the food sample tasting tables in the grocery store. I think that is would be a really good side hustle, especially if you have an outgoing personality. I always wondered how much they made and I have to say the pay is not that bad. Seems like a painless side hustle.
Tonya@ Budget and the Beach says
I can see this being a good side hustle for someone! I think the standing for long periods of time would probably be the hardest thing. If I’m standing I need to move! 🙂
Choncé says
Yeah it took some getting used to at first. You’re supposed to buy basic work shoes though to help prevent your feet from hurting after standing so long. One time I came to work in flats and painfully paid the price.
kirsten says
I had no idea. How many hours a week could you expect to get?
Choncé says
It depends on who you’re working for. When I worked in a grocery store they usually give you hours based on your availability and I could expect 18 hours/week or 3 days. When I worked for a different company that required me to travel to different neighboring stores each week I’d spend 4 8-hour days at each store during the week so I did 32 hours/week + a few hours I billed them for setting up/ taking down the display etc.
Jason @ TheButlerJournal.com says
It looks like easy money but I can definitely see myself getting bored after hour #4. i hate standing in one place for too long lol.
Choncé says
There definitely were some boring times but it’s more interesting when you work with other people who are doing different demos as well.
Michelle Jackson says
I always smile when I see a drink ambassador sampling out wine. For obvious reasons! I would love to do these but I don’t have a care right now.
Michelle Jackson says
Um that’s-I don’t have a CAR right now.
Choncé says
Yeah it’s hard to do without a car unless you have a home store and it’s super close.
DC @ Young Adult Money says
My sister does wine tastings on the weekend for a previous employer. She really enjoys the wine industry and is passionate about it, but has since moved on to a new job at a new company. It’s a nice side hustle for her, though, and she enjoys it.
Choncé says
It does really make good money and most places start you off with at least $20/hr. I did alcohol tastings for several months on the weekends and while I wasn’t really passionate about it, but it was easy money.
Jessica says
This is so interesting! I occasionally check out the samples at Costco, depending on how crazy the area is. I’ve always wondered if more products are sold due to samples or whether people just like free stuff.
Choncé says
The samples definitely help more products get noticed and sold. I don’t know how many times I walked into a store with a list and came out with a few random items that were on sale. It just happens and it’s so easy to change your mind and discover new food and recipes after you try something.
femmefrugality says
Back in the day a reader told me about this, though she called it being a brand ambassador. She made bank! She did it in college, too…wish I had known about this back then! Great post!
Choncé says
Yeah another term used to describe this job is brand ambassador and I think the only slight difference is that these people represent distinct products and brands (mostly non-food items) for the entire duration of their job and this position is focused more heavily on sales since it’s harder to get people to buy items like lotion, make-up- cleaners, pillows, rugs, and anything that’s not food or doesn’t reflect the lower cost of food items.
Christina @ Embracing Simple says
That really does seem like such a fun job! Plus you’re the new BF of all the shoppers that are sample obsessed like I am 🙂
Choncé says
Very true, haha. The spotlight is definitely on you when you have something free to give away.
SavvyJames says
Now here is a side hustle I had not heard about in any detail … a nice share. While I don’t think it would work for me, I can definitely see how it might work pretty well for some.
Choncé says
Yeah, I worked with a lot of retirees who just needed an extra income along with people who already made a full-time income during the week and just wanted to make extra money on weekends. It think it’s best as a side job.
believeinabudget says
Everyone who does product demo’s are always so nice! It seems like a good source of extra income, but I would be way too shy to do this! It seems like a really fun way to side hustle!
Choncé says
I’m super shy too so I don’t know how I did well at the job 🙂 but It’s super relaxed and most customers are really nice.
Cook With a Shoe says
Another thorough description of an interesting side hustle with some pretty decent money! In college, I would time my trips to Sams Club around meal times so I could partake of all the samples (free food all the way!). You have had some awesome side gigs Chonce!
Choncé says
I worked at Sam’s Club for a few years. They have the best samples there and each summer we did an event called The Taste of Sam’s Club and it there was so much free food and desserts offered that we actually handed out cook books as well. It was pretty fun and I learned a lot of tasty and healthy recipes from that job.
anumyoon says
Oh wow I had no idea you could make good money doing those things. I feel like I wouldn’t mind standing around as long as I get to meet new people and talk to them. I used to work as a receptionist at a mall in Korea (back in college) and we were required to wear heels and always stand. THAT was painful, so I think comfy work shoes sound amazing.