When I saw the headline to this article, all I knew was that once I read the part that said “China’s First Ever Costco…” I knew that there was going to be some ironic gold, even before I got to the part about the fights over rotisserie chickens. Because let’s be real here, China isn’t just their own country, they occasionally act as if they’re an entirely different civilization from the rest of world, based on the shit they pull.
I mean, if the whole debacle with Ikea Shanghai weren’t any indication, where people routinely go into the store in order to take naps or just have a relaxing, air-conditioned venue in which to hang out or do chores like picking beansprouts, and Disney Shanghai, where guests would defecate in public places didn’t convince you, then it shouldn’t be a surprise that a Costco opening in Shanghai would also turn into a mammoth clusterfuck of a scenario.
Asians in general are notoriously cheap, so putting a known successful wholesale retailer in the mix with an entire Asian culture is an easy recipe for pretty much every Chinese person within the region to come and try to capitalize on those sweet, sweet savings.
I don’t think I could be paid enough money to go inside of a Costco in China, especially during its grand opening. Asian businesses are often encouraged to offer deals and discounts and prizes during grand openings to help entice shoppers and new customers to come in, but companies like Costco whose reputation precedes them, then clearly just the idea of them arriving was enough to get pretty much all of Shanghai to show up.