Costco Chaos in Suzhou [second store opens with huge line down the street]; Big Boxes on their Way to Nanjing

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://www.thenanjinger.com/news/regional-news/costco-chaos-in-suzhou-nanjing-hangzhou-could-be-next/

Giant American wholesaler Costco has opened its sprawling warehouse in not-so-distant Suzhou, making the city the first other than Shanghai with a Costco in China. The discounted-bulk-buying brand is also on its way to Nanjing, with an even bigger store.

There were scenes of chaos outside the new Costco in Suzhou New District yesterday as opening time neared. Some had queued from 3 in the morning.

Concerned for possible dangers to life and limb, local authorities had dispatched ambulances to the site, while drones patrolled overhead, monitoring the crowd for potential flashpoints.

As a further hint of what was to come, more than 10,000 people applied for a ¥199 membership card back in August, not only surpassing the Shanghai record set 2 years ago, but also breaking Costco’s global record for sales of first-day memberships.

And then the doors opened. The Beijing News has remarked that the chaotic scenes in Suzhou were little different from those when the first store in Shanghai opened. As The Washington Post reported at the time, “They fought over Birkin bags and Moutai liquor. They wrestled for detergent and grabbed at a piece of pork with their bare hands, even as the butcher was trying to cut it”.

The world’s newest Costco is also on a par with the first Shanghai store in terms of size. In April of last year, Costco’s subsidiary in Suzhou spent more than ¥140 million on the 52,000 square-metre plot for the new warehouse.

At a time when China-US trade is supposedly on the wane, Costco has become more and more ambitious in the Middle Kingdom market. The Seattle-based, big-box retailer has plans for southern China and all over our very own Yangtze River Delta.

And this is the year it all starts. In April, Costco signed a deal with Guangzhou; in June, it was our turn with agreements reached for not only our beloved Nanjing, but also Hangzhou and Ningbo.

But there is still quite some time to wait before we can shop ’til we drop in Costco Nanjing. The relevant investment agreement, signed on 25 June with Jiangning High Tech Zone, shall locate Costco Nanjing in the Fangshan part of Jiangning District.

And the Nanjing store could also turn out be the biggest in China, with a total construction area of about 54,000 square metres. Costco Nanjing is planned to open at the end of 2023.

 

[Leishangthem]

china denounce all and everything US and their allies,denounce everything anglo and anything of similar visage.

 

[AViet]

It is just a trick by event organizer to spend some money to hire people queuing. It has happened in Vietnam for years, especially with Western brands.

Starbucks, H&M etc. all had big queues and made a lot of noise at openings in Hanoi. And after a week, people forget about them. And now they are dead, or almost dead on the market.

East Asian brands normally do not use this method for advertisement.

 

[MH.Yang]

china denounce all and everything US and their allies,denounce everything anglo and anything of similar visage.

China is a staunch supporter of global economic integration, we should not boycott an enterprise because of its nationality.
We only boycott those enterprises that insult and oppose China, for example, Dolce & Gabbana.

 

[Leishangthem]

China is a staunch supporter of global economic integration, we should not boycott an enterprise because of its nationality.
We only boycott those enterprises that insult and oppose China, for example, Dolce & Gabbana.

You misunderstand,or may be I didn't make myself clear enough,I encourage the absolute public grassroots( not direct central gov edict) de westernization of everything from clothes, imported brands, foreign labels, and even aesthetics, visually culturally,a total detoxification,and then chart on indigenous development of everything traditional like it was before west tried to paint the world in their color, the grassroots movement must be created to educate people so that when someone views Arc de Triomphe,he should not view it as some grand historical edifice but see it as a symbol of the monuments built on blood spilled by the colonizers, Louver or British museum shouldn't be regarded as some of the most magnificent museum but simply a glorified warehouse operated by thieves of historical art and objects stolen from global south, all the historical edifices and the cultural footprint of the west must be viewed for what is it in realistic view,how the monuments were built? and how their culture was spread? if one realizes that with absolute clarity of mind,he/she will not be swayed by the West dominated era's viewpoints which serves the western commerce.
Say when Chinese decide to attend the Harvard,he/she must realize that it was built by drugging the Chinese;better if change the name of US from Meiguo,because it's misleading, it's a place of real atrocity against the Chinese in past or present ,atrocities has been committed toward those that build the railways now toward that that travels through it.
Like how some Chinese reacts to Japanese politicians visiting the Yasukuni shrine where some Japanese were unilaterally labeled war-criminals by the Victorious US led alliance ,if only Chinese and global civilians kept same energy and historical awareness toward the Western edifices and their accumulated wealth and their cultural footprint.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

It is just a trick by event organizer to spend some money to hire people queuing. It has happened in Vietnam for years, especially with Western brands.

Starbucks, H&M etc. all had big queues and made a lot of noise at openings in Hanoi. And after a week, people forget about them. And now they are dead, or almost dead on the market.

East Asian brands normally do not use this method for advertisement.

This is the second store because the first one was a success.

You misunderstand,or may be I didn't make myself clear enough,I encourage the absolute public grassroots( not direct central gov edict) de westernization of everything from clothes, imported brands, foreign labels, and even aesthetics, visually culturally,a total detoxification,and then chart on indigenous development of everything traditional like it was before west tried to paint the world in their color, the grassroots movement must be created to educate people so that when someone views

China has gone way past the point of no return in Westernizing. People aren't going back to Mao suits, sandals, simple bicycles, little coal stoves, and sheyuans.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

It is just a trick by event organizer to spend some money to hire people queuing. It has happened in Vietnam for years, especially with Western brands.

Starbucks, H&M etc. all had big queues and made a lot of noise at openings in Hanoi. And after a week, people forget about them. And now they are dead, or almost dead on the market.

East Asian brands normally do not use this method for advertisement.

I remember when Uber was said to be the next big thing in China, where are they now?

They said Ebay and Amazon was gonna take over ecommerce in China, where are they now?

They said Walmart was gonna take over retail in China yet Walmart is slipping away.

 

[GiantPanda]

This is the second store because the first one was a success.

China has gone way past the point of no return. People aren't going back to Mao suits, bicycles, little coal stoves, and sheyuans.

True. Only the US government is trying to make people think otherwise so they can have a handy enemy.

China is basically a consumer society like the US except for one difference -- it spends money on infrastructure instead of war.

 

[MH.Yang]

Costco is quite successful in China, it doesn't have to fake. Costco, Sam's supermarket and other membership supermarkets are relatively successful in China.
Costco's nationality is not a problem, China is not India. We will not ban 59 apps.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Costco is quite successful in China, it doesn't have to fake. Costco, Sam's supermarket and other membership supermarkets are relatively successful in China.
Costco's nationality is not a problem, China is not India. We will not ban 59 apps.

Costco has disgusting and low class bulk food. It is worse than feeding animals. I will never regard it as better than the small stores that you can walk to easily like a human.

 

[MH.Yang]

Costco has disgusting and low class bulk food. It is worse than feeding animals. I will never regard it as better than the small stores that you can walk to easily like a human.

My city only has Sam's club, not Costco. I don't know Costco, so I can't comment on it. But as far as I know, Costco is developing well in China.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

They said Walmart was gonna take over retail in China yet Walmart is slipping away.

Walmart has been in China for 25 years..how long has a Chinese retail store been in the US??? Even retail stores in the US are lucky to last that long before being finally edged out.

Aug 12, 1996

WAL-MART OPENS ITS FIRST STORES IN CHINA | Journal of Commerce

After long negotiations and a few hiccups, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opened Monday its first stores in Ch

www.joc.com

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

My city only has Sam's club, not Costco. I don't know Costco, so I can't comment on it. But as far as I know, Costco is developing well in China.

Don't let his bias fool you. Many items Costco sells are actually big name brands with a Costco label slapped on. The issue is retailers feel threatened by wholesalers like Costco buying name brands in bulk and selling at lower prices. To offset this (and no doubt avoid Government intervention) Costco first tests the name brand to see if it sells well at a given price. If it works it then goes to the manufacturer and has the brand label replaced with their own.

Here are the big brands hidden behind Costco's Kirkland products

While some of these names are public knowledge, others remain a closely guarded secret.

www.yahoo.com

Of course not all are name brands. If they can find some little known company that can sell them tons of fruit they'll buy it from them too.