China’s First Costco Was So Popular It Had To Shut Down Early

(PHOTO CREDIT: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

The crowd was of Black Friday proportions

Costco is pretty much building a cult following in the United States and now they are doing so across the world in China. The country’s first Costco retail store, which opened in Shanghai on Tuesday morning, was so popular that it had to shut down early on its first day because too many shoppers crowded the store to stay open.

“The store has been clogged up with crowds,” Costco said in a text message alert to its members in China. “To provide you with better shopping experience, Costco will suspend business in the afternoon. Please don’t come.”

The store became so crowded that even police were deployed to restore order and manage traffic jams. Shanghai police said in a statement on its verified account on Chinese social network Weibo that customers should “maintain a rational attitude about consumption and avoid going out during rush hours.”

Costco later had to issue an apology on social media on Wednesday, saying that it will put a cap on the number of customers allowed in the store to 2,000.

Costco previously had an online presence in China for five years through a partnership with Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba. But this new brick-and-mortar store in Shanghai marks a significant investment for the company in China.

By: Maytinee Kramer