A foreign-owned membership-based large-scale retail store will open its first store in Shizuoka Prefecture.Costco Wholesale Hamamatsu Warehouse StoreI visited the store to inspect it as it had its opening day on September 1st, 2017, in Kaminishi-cho, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu City!
Costco Wholesale Japan, a global company with over 700 warehouses in 11 countries and regions worldwide and employing more than 200,000 people, will open its 26th Costco store in Japan, and its third in the Tokai region, following the Chubu Airport Warehouse in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, and the Gifu Hashima Warehouse in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture.
Built on the former site of Ito-Yokado Hamamatsu Miyatake store, the store's operating hours are normally from 10am to 8pm, but on its opening day, it was scheduled to open at 8am, but to alleviate congestion, it surprisingly started two hours earlier, at 6am!
We are Costco members, and my friendAyako MatsuiI arrived with [Name] at 8 AM, the scheduled opening time.
We didn't encounter any traffic jams near the destination, and we avoided crowded parking lots, so parking was much easier than we expected!
Entry to Costco was restricted to those receiving the special large shopping carts, resulting in long lines of visitors. However, since we were only there for inspection and planned to make purchases at a later date, we didn't need a cart. By showing our membership cards at the entrance, we were able to enter without any waiting!
As you know, Costco is a membership-based store, and each member can bring up to two guests aged 18 or older into the store!
The sheer volume of inventory piled up almost to the ceiling inside the warehouse is truly impressive!
From home appliances and daily necessities to outdoor and sporting goods, and household items, as well as food items such as fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, bakery goods, prepared foods, and alcoholic beverages, everything is available in American-sized oversized products. You'll be overwhelmed by the unusual sizes and surprisingly low prices!
The store is filled with party supplies for Halloween and Christmas season, and a giant "ghost house butler" greets you with an eerie voice, which might scare young children (lol).
From September 1st to 3rd, the opening day, there was an opening sale, with a steady stream of featured items appearing, visitors' carts overflowing with sale items, and the checkout lines becoming incredibly long! (ﾟДﾟ；)OMG!
Large shopping carts can become dangerous weapons if they hit someone, so caution is necessary!
In the food section, each booth had a tasting corner where customers could sample fruits, pancakes, prosciutto, cheese, and more. There were also wine and sake tasting events, which were a huge success!
I was able to thoroughly inspect the store, including sampling the products, so I'll use this information to help me with my next shopping trip!
Amidst the bustling crowd of visitors, a television crew was present, and the current CEO, Canadian Ken Terrio, was seen giving interviews to the press. Many executives from headquarters were also spotted!
Nearby, the "Hamamatsu Plaza Frespo Store" of "Ikinari Steak," a steak specialty restaurant that boasts incredibly low prices in a stand-up style and has branches all over the country, will also be opening at the same time, so it is expected to be bustling with activity!
Costco Hamamatsu Warehouse Store anticipates attracting 100,000 visitors per day, starting from its opening day.
It would be wonderful if Costco could create a synergistic effect in Hamamatsu and the surrounding areas!
Costco Wholesale Hamamatsu Warehouse Store
Address: 337 Miyatake-cho, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
TEL: 053-467-4700
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM, Opening hours on December 31st (end of year): 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Open all year round
Parking: Approximately 800 spaces available
