The First Ever Costco Has Opened In New Zealand And It's Chaos

What is it about Costco that makes shoppers so crazy? Is it the promise of big savings at block-busting prices? Is it the affinity for giant oversized packages of snack foods? Or is it that for literal pocket change, you can eat like royalty at the indoor food court? Maybe the reasons are trivial in the end, considering that no matter what it is, something draws thousands upon thousands of Americans to Costco every year. In 2016, Forbes published an article exploring the phenomena of what it calls " Costcoholics," shoppers who seem almost addicted to visiting and shopping at their local Costco.

While this may seem like a riff on Costco as a whole, the truth is that Costco has an attractive business model and it's darn good at what it does. People love saving on big purchases, and Costco provides that in spades. You could joke about how Americans must be crazy about fast food considering McDonald's popularity, for example, but you can't deny that it's a wildly successful profit model. With 583 locations across the United States (via ScrapeHero), Costco's model of membership-based, warehouse-style shopping has made it one of the most recognizable names in American retail shopping. Americans love Costco and Costco seems to love us right back.

But if America is the homeland of big-box shopping, how would another country, such as New Zealand for instance, react to a Costco opening up for the first time in their area? 

"Hello from opening day at the first Costco in New Zealand, it's about 11:30 and they are sold out of hotdogs. Also: CHAOS." This statement comes courtesy of one Reddit user, who posted an image of what opening day was like at the first New Zealand Costco. The scene seems to be one of madness, where shoppers crowd the checkout lines with carts of bulk items, standing in line or shuffling between rows to get ahead. Apparently, the food court had run out of hot dogs before 11:30, which adds credence that many New Zealanders wanted to enjoy the fruits of American excess, big-box items, and of course, the beloved hot dog and soda deal.

"I didn't get a picture, but there is a growing line currently down the street a bit just to get in," wrote the OP, adding "They hired an extra 500 carparks down the road and there is a traffic "mini–Incident Management Team" in place. Pretty popular so far!"

"I'd love to experience a Costco for a the first time ever, again," said one nostalgic user. "Im glad the Kiwis finally are subjected to the power of the food court," joked another user.

It would seem that the first few days of the new Auckland Costco have been something of a chaotic one. According to The New Zealand Herald, smoke from a commercial oven on October 2 forced a mass evacuation of hundreds of people, creating quite a hectic scene.