Make Money Side Hustles

Sideline Sampler: Get Paid $1,000 to Taste Test Costco’s Gameday Snacks

FinanceBuzz is hiring a football fan to rate Costco’s frozen and prepared foods for their next viewing party.

By Chris Lewis

Updated Jan. 10, 2025

Football fans, are you ready for some side hustle? At FinanceBuzz, we love finding unique ways for our readers to make extra money, and this one involves three of our favorite things: snacks, pigskin, and our favorite bulk warehouse shopping center — Costco.

As the football playoffs heat up, we’re hiring someone to taste their way through Costco’s frozen and prepared foods aisles to help us create the ultimate gameday party shopping list. Whether it’s pigs in a blanket, pizza bagels, buffalo chicken dip, or jalapeño poppers, we realize that for many, the last football Sunday of the season is much more about the party than it is the game. We want your help in evaluating the store’s best snacks for your next viewing party.

We’ll pay our selected Sideline Sampler $1,000, plus cover the costs of their party food haul with a $500 Costco gift card.

Why we want to pay you to taste test

There’s nothing better than wrapping up another football season with friends and food. With an estimated 127 million hungry people watching every year, the big game is a major event for grocery shoppers trying to feed a crowd.

At FinanceBuzz, we’re always dishing out ways for our readers to spend less on groceries, and we especially love sharing ways to save at Costco, a fan favorite among our readers (and our editorial staff). When it comes to parties, nothing beats bulk deals, so we wondered: How can shoppers maximize their Costco membership benefits while shopping for the big game?

The answer: by skipping items that just aren’t worth it. With this seasonal side hustle, we need your help to figure out which items are a touchdown among partygoers and which fall shorter than a failed two-point conversion.

This side hustle is not affiliated with or endorsed by Costco. We're just fans looking for another Costco lover to help us find its best gameday snacks. Please do not contact Costco directly about this opportunity.

What you’ll get

If selected, you’ll get paid $1,000 for completing our taste test. Additionally, you’ll get a $500 Costco gift card to fund your frozen and prepared food shopping spree.

The assignment

This role is perfect for anyone planning on watching the game with others or throwing their own watch parties. You must have access to a Costco membership and live near a Costco store where you can shop in person.

Using your gift card, you’ll purchase, prepare, and taste test 20 frozen or prepared party foods, including chicken wings, frozen pizza, mini-tacos, cheese bread, mozzarella sticks, potstickers, and more. For each, we’ll ask you to:

Photograph each item.
Rate the food on several criteria, like how difficult it is to make, how tasty it is, and more.
Write a brief description of your experience with the product.

We’ll share your experience on Financebuzz to help shoppers budget for their next gameday meal.

How to apply

If you’re screaming “Put me in, coach!” and think you’re the right quarterback for this team, fill out the application form below and tell us more about yourself.

Applications are due by January 21, 2025, at 11:59 Eastern so you have enough time to prepare and shop for your gameday fix. The selected Sideline Sampler will be contacted via email and have until February 14 to complete the assignment.

Applicants must be based in the United States and be at least 18 years of age. We will also update this page to announce our newest team member and share the final results.

Other ways to make more money

Earn rewards while grocery shopping. Make the most of every Costco trip with these Costco hacks.
Take advantage of the weekend. Take on a weekend side job so you have another way to earn money.
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