Costco as International Travel Destination

Fun article, Dave. I went to a Costco in Aberdeen a few years ago, although it wasn’t that much out of my way. I think it’s interesting to see chain stores that I frequent in the US in a different country. The Aberdeen Costco had haggis for sale and also had a small curtained off area for buying cigarettes. It was fun to see!

I've done this in reverse! British Costco member here. My nearest is Glasgow which is 7 hours from my home. But have visited Costco warehouses in Montana, California, New Mexico, Colorado, New Jersey and New York.

Going to a place like Costco would be the LAST thing we would do on an overseas trip.

Having been the seafood buyer for a Chicago grocery chain, and then a marketing consultant for grocery chains for 20+ years, my husband does the reverse. He loves to see local grocery chains in the country/region he is visiting. He would pass on visiting a Costco.....

I really enjoy visiting a big grocery store in other countries. I especially like seeing the gigantic cheese aisles. Or the beer aisle in Belgium.

And I love visiting small hardware stores.

The idea of visiting foreign versions of common chains is not new, and can be interesting and fun. It can give you an insight to the culture you are visiting, contrasting it with your own.

I would certainly visit a Costco in Europe, why not, I visit grocery stores in Europe, just to look. While I usually do not eat much fast food, I still look over menus at McDonalds, Burger King KFC, and other US chains, to see how they adapt for local culture. It is all part of travel.

If you want a bit more, there are many YouTube videos of people going to Paris or Spanish Costcos, giving a tour, talking about the things they find.

My nearest is Glasgow which is 7 hours from my home.

Skyegirl, you must really stock up when you head there! There are people living in Northern Minnesota who live four to five hours from the Costco near me. They come in once a month and fill up 2-3 carts with stuff. 😊

So now I need to pack my Costco card along. Would never have thought… Adding Costco location research to my planning tasks.

I love perusing local grocery stores when I travel. Sometimes, you can find incredible deals. When I was in Haarlem, I found a little grocer selling bottles of Westmalle Tripel for a euro each. The candy aisle is always fun, too. I always buy a few bags of candy I've never tried before just for the experience. The same with crisps and snacks. Doesn't hurt to try something new.

-- Mike Beebe

We go to Costco in Iceland on our trips and we love seeing what they have as quite a bit of it is very different. To me, it is like going to a grocery store in another country, which it basically is, and checking things out.

A couple years ago my husband bought a shirt there and still loves it, and we have never seen it here. It is some German brand. I bought a lightweight jacket on that same trip and did not see it here until this past summer. For us, it is sightseeing in a way.

Great!!

I love to visit supermarkets in foreign countries and if there is a Costco, I would go. I've been to the one in Mexico City but I was surprised that much of the merchandise is the same as back in the US.

The credit card I use most often overseas is the Costco VISA from CitiBank; no exchange fees, and lots of cash comes back to me!

I enjoy taking people into Aldis here and I get a kick out of visiting them in the US.
Not sure if I have ever been in a Costco. Did make it into a Whole Foods and a Trader Joes a few years ago.

I love love love a Lidl and will visit one any chance I get. As a dedicated AirBnBer, food shopping in local shops, chain groceries and fresh markets is part of the experience. Also, a great source for gifts--and not just candy. I often buy toothpaste-style tubes of mustard and, last time, curry ketchup. Irish brown soda bread travels pretty well, too.

I've always enjoyed visiting supermarkets, pharmacies, and other shops that cater not to tourists but to locals. It never occurred to me to visit a Costco, but since few Costcos are located in parts of the city where I'm likely to spend my time, I don't think I've ever come across a Costco in all my travels.

There are two Costcos in Guadalajara, about an hour drive from where I live. Many people in my town go to Costco to buy things for others as a paid service. In addition, several markets in town stock Costco products. To me it's worth it to spend a little more to buy things without shlepping to Guadalajara.

But I admire anyone whose passion for travel takes them off the beaten tourist path. If that means Costco, who am I to judge?

I often buy toothpaste-style tubes of mustard and, last time, curry ketchupemphasized text

YES! A great gift for friends. I do that also. Dijon forte.

We’re not Costco members, but when I travel I could spend hours in grocery stores.
Fascinating.

Like S J, I find the grocery stores fascinating. Seagull eggs at the grocer in Kirkenes, Norway- who knew?

Even in the US Costco caters to the local market. There are things in stores Hawaii and Arizona that I do not find at home.

Was surprised to find that fresh pineapples in Hawaii cost more than at my local Costco.

It's been nine and a half years since Costco first opened in France, and I have never even bothered to look into going out there because my assumption is that it is a huge pain by public transport (i.e., I could be totally wrong because I have never even looked / researched !)

my assumption is that it is a huge pain by public transport

Not much you can buy at Costco is bus friendly. Drugs, jewelry, hotdogs and chicken being among the few exceptions

Not sure bringing a Costco chicken on to a bus or subway would be well received.

Unfortunately I am very disappointed with the Costco in Kona, Hawaii. Of course the last time I was there was 15 years ago. But yesterday when I went the only fish was previously frozen sockeye. No ahi or ono. However they did have lots of Portuguese sausage and fresh cut up mango rolled in li hing powder.

A friend of mine used to get a Dunkin Donuts coffee every day. (He has sadly passed away.)

He asked that if I saw any Dunkin Donuts shops in my overseas trips to go in and see how much they charged for a regular coffee. I would and sometimes take a photo of the store to send to him.

The most unexpected one was in Reykjavik, Iceland. I forgot the price but it wasn't cheap. It has since closed.

I'm also a fan of Muji products and have visited stores in London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Warsaw, Helsinki, NYC and their flagship store in the Ginza area of Tokyo.

The most unexpected place of business I saw, and Californians will know this one, was a Fatburger in Dundee, Scotland. It was a real Fatburger franchise. It closed during the pandemic.

And the Tony Roma's behind the main train station in Kyoto, Japan. (No, I didn't eat there.)

Trotter,
Ah! Li hing powder! So yiummy on watermelon too!

I just remembered being on a plane from Santiago Chile to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). There were lots of Islanders returning from the mainland after apparently doing some major stock-up shopping on the mainland. Many were toting dozen-sized boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. There was even a Krispy Kreme shop at the airport, so it must be popular on the island.

Judy, my husband just had Mac nut ice cream with li hing powder. I was jealous. I just had guava sorbet. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow!

We love browsing local grocery stores when we travel. We love seeing what is different/similar compared to where we live and trying foods/products that are new to us. Also, Costcos in different countries feature some similar products and some more local products. For instance, Costco in Australia sold kangaroo meat (which we didn't try) and Costco in the UK sold Victoria sponge cake, and the UK Costco food court sold cottage pie and jacket potatoes. We have shopped at Costcos in Canada, Japan, Australia, Korea, and the UK.

Went into ones in Chester, UK and Getafe, Spain and like the article states, they’re remarkably similar to the ones in the states. Many of the items were the same. The food court had a couple different items, like cottage pie at the Chester location. Unlike in the U.S., in Spain, the samples were limited to one. Our primary reason for stopping at them was to get petrol for the rental car since it was cheaper than other stations. We won’t go out of our way to visit one, but will stop and fill up if we go past one.

Many were toting dozen-sized boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. There was even a Krispy Kreme shop at the airport, so it must be popular on the island.

Judy, I was so excited when I saw a Krispy Kreme shop at the Birmingham Lime Street train station in England. It was SO much nicer than Krispy Kremes here in the States. The donuts were beautifully decorated with all kinds of flavors and colors and tasted wonderful. I was there twice and I bought a donut each time and do not regret it.

"Even in the US Costco caters to the local market. There are things in stores Hawaii and Arizona that I do not find at home."

This made me laugh because it's so true. I suspect that only in the Mountain West do the Costcos carry the 2-pack of Bear Spray.

@Ms Jo....Did you realize that Aldi owns Trader Joes? And has since 1979? We finally got one here in the last year. Now I don't have to travel to Spokane to get their delicious vegan Kale pesto which is awesome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe%27s

And yes, even Les Frenchies YouTube channel has a review of the Paris area Costco.

https://youtu.be/3A24eMGCuPg?si=07xnujHRsL3y-t55

Fun thread, thanks Dave!

Did you realize that Aldi owns Trader Joes? And has since 1979?

Pam, it gets even more interesting as there are two Aldi companies in the "grocery" business--Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud. Both based in Germany.

Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's. But Aldi Sud owns the Aldi stores in the US. So...Trader Joe's and the Aldi stores in the US are not the same company.

I knew there were 2 Aldi's but I didn't realize the Aldi in the US was the "other" company, hahaha!

I've been to Costco stores now in the UK, France and Spain. They were interesting visits just to see which local products they had and to check out their wine selections. But what I really was most interested in was filling my rental cars with lower-priced fuel. Always good to have Costco!

I have to admit that I enjoy hypermarkets, as they're typically called in Europe. Shopping at a huge Auchan, Carrefour or Mercadona is always a treat, and the produce they have is usually top-notch. The selection of tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers is always welcome when we're in Europe. But visiting the halles marchés to see artisanal products is also a real treat.

I could not agree more!!!

I can't imagine someone who has an interest in food to NOT find some interest in local supermarkets..and in Costco!!!

I should probably not admit this, but after we checked into our hotel in Puglia last fall, the first thing we did was to drive over the former Carrefour, now a Conad, to wander around and pick up snacks and treats for our room. Bags of taralli, chunks of good cheeses, fruits (persimmon was in season..) and a few bottles of wine. And before we left for home, we made another stop for more taralli and cheeses.

Not much you can buy at Costco is bus friendly

Exactly !

And sure enough after responding last night, I put the two Costcos into CityMapper - to get to either would be 3 or 4 transit modes, including a bus on the end (and beginning of the return), and in one case a walk, and take over an hour.

I am astounded that the tourist cited above went out there but I guess he was happy to spend his money on a cab. Still, I am sure it would take 45 minutes to get to either one from the center of Paris in a cab at least !!!!

I should probably not admit this, but after we checked into our hotel in Puglia last fall, the first thing we did was to drive over the former Carrefour

Lol, I love a foreign supermarket. When I first arrived in Tbilisi last September I went for a stroll after checking into my hotel and I came across a Carrefour. I was like a child in a sweetshop and I stocked up on lots of adjika, spices and Georgian wine. I messaged my wife that evening and told her that it was the highlight of my day 😆

I have never been to the Costcos in Iceland or France (although time on every trip over is spent at Carrefour and/or Auchan) but I do frequent those in Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham, Watford, Leicester, and (probably never again) Thurrock, all here in the UK

You might be surprised to find that in various ways they all have different personalities even though the basic lines are the same.

I started out needing them for a business and now have continued on a few special lines. Two favs are Challah and Bagels (I try for blueberry) but they don't always have them. Challah brought in from North London, bagels and cakes and pastries in house.

Fueling at Costco - not all locations have pumps - is where I make an exception to using my phone to pay for everything. Only chip and pin cards inserted in the machines work, no cash, no contactless, no attendants, no kiosk. Typical Costco sizing for the pumps - traffic light controlled rows, usually 5 or 7 rows of 5 pumps each. With long queues and excellent prices. They really know their market and crank them through.

Oh I do love visiting foreign supermarkets, for sure.

I do not love spending three hours of my day getting to and from one. Any old one in town is fine for me.

Not Costco but I do like to check out local grocery stores. It’s interesting to me to compare offerings and prices but I am a closet produce maniac. Lots of pictures of row upon row of beautiful vegetables, and none of my husband rolling his eyes in disbelief. Could date back to grandpa’s and then dad’s green grocery shop in Cleveland post war days I recall fondly as a little boy. Also intriguing was the barrel of herring or some such fish. Very cool!

I agree a supermarket is like a museum of contemporary life.

Visitors love to see them in NY, too.