开市客首家中国门店开业，引发购物狂潮

8月27日，开市客（Costco Wholesale Corp.）在中国开设的第一家门店开业，争抢打折产品的顾客很快就把店挤得爆满，不惜在收银台前排队数小时。

根据美国零售巨头开市客发给持会员卡消费者的短信，当天下午该店不得不以“交通拥堵和顾客人流过大”为由提前暂停门店运营，还在微博上宣布了消息。

在开市客上海门店吸引人潮汹涌之际，中美的贸易摩擦丝毫没有减退的迹象，结果是美国公司对在亚洲最大的经济体中国投资持谨慎态度。开市客进军中国的另一个背景则是，许多全球竞争对手在进入中国以后都陷入困境，并最终决定放弃。今年6月，家乐福刚刚折价出售了中国子公司的80%股份，而德国批发商麦德龙也正在寻求出售中国业务。

开市客首家中国门店开业当天，大量人群涌入导致店内爆满，迫使当地警方介入。

——CNN商业新闻（@CNNBusiness）2019年8月27日报道

“上海开市客只能用‘疯狂’这个词来形容了。” 一位微博用户说道，该用户看到收银台排队要两个小时后放弃了购物计划。其他一些微博用户则分享消息称，开车排队进停车场要等三个小时，有些人决定步行前往以避开交通堵塞。

其他一些照片显示，店内顾客手里抓着一袋袋烤鸡，一边用肘奋力挤开其他人。当地新闻报道称，开市客给某些产品打四折，而包年会员费仅为199元（约合28美元）。在开店促销活动中还出售了备受国民推崇的茅台酒和五粮液酒。

在美国，开市客的门店因为特朗普总统对中国进口产品征收关税而陷入困局。在8月27日的购物狂潮爆发后，媒体纷纷致电和在线要求开市客发表评论，但该公司并未马上回应。（财富中文网）

译者：艾伦

审校：夏林

Costco Wholesale Corp.’s first outlet in China opened on August 27 and was soon overrun with customers willing to fight over discounted products and wait hours to pay for their purchases.

The American retail giant had to suspend operations in its Shanghai store in the afternoon citing “heavy traffic and customer flows”, according to a text message sent by the company to consumers holding its membership card. The message was shared on Weibo, China’s micro-blogging website.

The frenzy at Costco’s store comes at a time when the U.S. and China are locked in a tit-for-tat tariff war that shows no signs of abating and is making American firms wary of investing in the largest Asian economy. Costco is also entering a market where many of its global rivals have struggled and given up. Carrefour SA sold 80% stake in its China unit at a discount in June while German wholesaler Metro AG is looking to sell its operations.

Local police had to step in when massive crowds overwhelmed China’s first Costco store

— CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) August 27, 2019

“There’s no other word to describe Shanghai’s Costco but crazy,” a Weibo user said, who gave up on the shopping plan after seeing two-hour queues at the checkout counters. Other Weibo users shared that they had to wait three hours to enter the parking lot while some decided to walk to the store to avoid the traffic jam.

Other pictures showed customers grabbing packets of roast chicken and elbowing out other shoppers at the store. Local news reports said the retailer offered discounts as deep as 60% on some products and annual membership for just 199 yuan ($28). The sale also includes the nation’s coveted fiery liquor drink from Kweichow Moutai Co. and Wuliangye Yibin Co.

Costco, whose U.S. stores have been financially pinched by President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, didn’t immediately answer phone calls or an online inquiry seeking comment on August 27’s shopping frenzy.