The Line For Japan's Newest Costco Is Stretching Out The Door
On August 24, 2024, the Nanjo City, Okinawa Costco Wholesale location opened its doors. The opening day started off three and a half hours before its standard business hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Nanjo City location features the standard Costco amenities: A gas station, food court, and spacious parking lot, in addition to products used in Japanese cooking such as miso soup and green tea.
It became increasingly clear that this opening was one to remember as the line to enter continued to grow, eventually reaching a five-hour wait time. At 11:19 p.m. Japan Standard Time on August 24th a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, featured pictures of the line outside of the Nanjo City Costco and a crowded store interior.
The first Costco $COST in Okinawa opened today. They opened it 3.5 hours before its normal hours. The building quickly reached max capacity. Cars wrapped around the parking lot. They could only let new people in as others left. There was a 5 hour wait to get in. pic.twitter.com/PwyJqoaVaT
— Joseph Carlson (@joecarlsonshow) August 24, 2024
Countless people were organized in a winding line in the Costco parking lot well before sunrise. Similar posts have shown up on Reddit and Instagram, all of which highlight the remarkable crowds. After the building itself quickly reached maximum capacity, customers were only allowed in as others exited the building.
The Okinawa Costco as a force of change
From Sapporo to Kumamoto, Costco already operates 34 locations across Japan, and the Nanjo City location fills the absence of Costco locations in Southern Japan. New locations like this have been one of many ways Costco has been changing in 2024, but some things will still remain the same. For example, the Nanjo City Costco location keeps the legacy of the $1.50 hot dog combo alive and well, pricing it at ¥180.
The new Nanjo City location is seen as a boon to a stagnant local economy and declining population, especially with Costco's hourly wage of ¥1,500 and prioritization of employing local workers. At the same time, it is recognized that revitalizing the economy in this way may have a negative effect on local competitors. While it is uncertain what the employment experience at the Nanjo City location will be like, there are other employee accounts of what it's really like to work at Costco that might provide some insight. But one thing's for sure — the people of Nanjo City sure seem to be excited about Costco's latest opening.