Hundreds line-up for opening of new Costco

Normally this kind of anticipation is for Black Friday or Boxing Day, but it’s fair to say there was a shopping frenzy Thursday morning for the opening of the new Costco Wholesale in Kelowna.

Hundreds arrived before the store opened at 6:30 and some even hung out overnight to ensure they were first in line for some big deals.

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Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran was among the dignitaries on hand for the ribbon cutting, for the replacement of the previous Costco which opened Aug. 15, 1991.

“I actually thought this would be the first time I get to park near the front door but apparently not. There are some really eager shoppers who beat me to that.

“I want to say it doesn’t take 31 years to get a development through city council,” Basran joked. “However, we are so glad to have had Costco here in our community for so long.”

Once the ribbon was cut and the doors opened, customers were greeted to applauding staff lining the entranceway.

Some items in the store were more hotly anticipated than others. Costco was stocked with PlayStation 5’s which many retailers have difficulty finding.

One shopper, Mike, has been trying to get his hands on one since it came out in November last year.

“I go to see if they are in stock in many stores, they’re not there. I end up looking online and they’re selling them for triple the retail price,” he told Kelowna10. The store placed a limit of one per household on the console. Other big-ticket items on sale were flat-screen TVs, stand-up paddle boards, appliances, and bicycles.

Basran took the opportunity to do a little early morning grocery shopping of his own.

“Well, I figured since I helped open the store and I’ve got to take my kids to Vancouver for a Hockey tournament, I may as well load up on snacks,” he said. “No PS5 or new TVs for me but I know a lot of people were really excited to get some deals.”

Costco said the new store is 24 per cent larger than its predecessor. It boasts wider aisles and promises a larger variety of specialty departments like bakery, expanded meat and produce, optical centre, hearing aid centre, etc.

The parking lot is larger with 871 spots, 246 more than the last. The warehouse also created about 100 new jobs.

Shopper Franz Pynappels and his daughter showed up around 6:15 a.m. wanting to experience the first day. They didn’t anticipate buying a paddle board but got swept up in the excitement.

“I started shopping at the original Costco 30 years ago … my daughter is 19. I was that age,” he said. “It’s the start of a new era, I guess. Sort of a new generation of Costco shopping.”

(Story by David Hanson/Kelowna10)