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Florida Woman Arrested After Impersonating Costco Employee Serving Tequila
A post shares a news story about a 32-year-old Tampa woman accused of posing as a Costco beverage employee and serving tequila shots to shoppers as samples. The text is a lightly satirical recounting of a local incident.
Original post · 3 min read
They should make her VP of marketing A Florida woman was arrested after allegedly impersonating a Costco employee and turning an ordinary shopping trip into what witnesses described as a full-blown “warehouse happy hour.”
According to authorities, 32-year-old Brianna Keller walked into a Costco location in Tampa dressed convincingly enough to fool both shoppers and employees. Wearing black pants, a red polo shirt, and a fake name badge that read “Crystal — Beverage Team,” Keller reportedly stationed herself near the frozen food section and began offering customers tiny cups of tequila disguised as free product samples.
Investigators say the scene escalated quickly.
Using miniature ketchup cups typically reserved for condiments, Keller allegedly poured tequila shots for shoppers while pairing them with frozen appetizers and snack foods. Witnesses claimed she confidently explained that Costco was “testing a new customer experience initiative” and referred to the alcohol as part of a “weekend tasting event.”
Several shoppers reportedly believed the setup was legitimate.
“She was so confident that nobody questioned it,” one customer told local reporters. “She kept talking about flavor profiles like she actually worked there.”
Authorities say Keller became increasingly theatrical as the crowd grew larger. Witnesses described her leading chants of “Weekend mode activated!” while customers laughed, cheered, and continued lining up for more samples. At one point, shoppers were allegedly dancing near the mattress displays while holding condiment cups filled with liquor.
Employees reportedly became suspicious after noticing unusually large crowds gathering around the snack aisle and customers behaving noticeably louder than normal. Managers approached Keller after hearing her pitch what she called “Bottomless Sample Fridays” to confused supervisors.
The situation came to an end when store management contacted police.
Officers say Keller continued attempting to rally customers even as she was being escorted from the building, shouting, “WHO’S READY FOR ROUND TWO?” while several shoppers applauded the spectacle.
She was arrested on charges related to impersonation, disorderly conduct, and unauthorized distribution of alcohol.
No injuries were reported during the incident, though authorities confirmed the store temporarily shut down the sampling area while employees cleaned up the scene.
One shopper summed up the bizarre event by saying, “Honestly, for a minute I thought Costco was just evolving.”
According to authorities, 32-year-old Brianna Keller walked into a Costco location in Tampa dressed convincingly enough to fool both shoppers and employees. Wearing black pants, a red polo shirt, and a fake name badge that read “Crystal — Beverage Team,” Keller reportedly stationed herself near the frozen food section and began offering customers tiny cups of tequila disguised as free product samples.
Investigators say the scene escalated quickly.
Using miniature ketchup cups typically reserved for condiments, Keller allegedly poured tequila shots for shoppers while pairing them with frozen appetizers and snack foods. Witnesses claimed she confidently explained that Costco was “testing a new customer experience initiative” and referred to the alcohol as part of a “weekend tasting event.”
Several shoppers reportedly believed the setup was legitimate.
“She was so confident that nobody questioned it,” one customer told local reporters. “She kept talking about flavor profiles like she actually worked there.”
Authorities say Keller became increasingly theatrical as the crowd grew larger. Witnesses described her leading chants of “Weekend mode activated!” while customers laughed, cheered, and continued lining up for more samples. At one point, shoppers were allegedly dancing near the mattress displays while holding condiment cups filled with liquor.
Employees reportedly became suspicious after noticing unusually large crowds gathering around the snack aisle and customers behaving noticeably louder than normal. Managers approached Keller after hearing her pitch what she called “Bottomless Sample Fridays” to confused supervisors.
The situation came to an end when store management contacted police.
Officers say Keller continued attempting to rally customers even as she was being escorted from the building, shouting, “WHO’S READY FOR ROUND TWO?” while several shoppers applauded the spectacle.
She was arrested on charges related to impersonation, disorderly conduct, and unauthorized distribution of alcohol.
No injuries were reported during the incident, though authorities confirmed the store temporarily shut down the sampling area while employees cleaned up the scene.
One shopper summed up the bizarre event by saying, “Honestly, for a minute I thought Costco was just evolving.”
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