We live about 10 min from a Costco but it was on the other side of an expensive toll bridge. They have now removed the toll and it’s sad how happy that makes me 😅
Asian middle aged lady here…I get my exercise by power walking to the $4.99 rotisserie chickens at the back of the store then I cross train by wandering around the parking lot because I forgot where I parked. 😂
My Asian mom lives in a very white area with no Asian markets around. Costco carries kimchi, nori, rice, gyoza, etc. it’s the closest she can get to an Asian market and at great prices!
I am originally from Croatia; I always follow little old Asian Grandmothers around Costco and buy whatever they buy. You can see Koreans and me nose diving in Persimmons'(common fruit back home) crates trying to find the best batch. We do have Asian stores in my town, but they usually just resell Costco merchandise at a significant markup. Kimchi and Rose rice are my pantry staples for the last 20 years. We used to have a locally owned supermarket that had amazing selection of "hard to find" produce, which included a Kimchi from a small batch producer that was out of this world. I am still looking to find a substitute. In the meantime, Costco's will do.
That $1.50 hotdog is effective. I went to costco thinking we will save lunch. Started strolling around and went home with a $600 camera that was on sale, which I had no intention of buying to begin with. Most expensive hotdog ever.
I think most Costco shoppers are financially smarter and have the cash to spend bc nobody goes there and not spend at least $300 per visit. It's a really great deal if you know what you're buying.
@@user-dv8sh8ew8o LOL yes, there's cost-splitting. But I've mostly seen sharing or giving amongst Asian families. I make big buys at Costco and I often give my elderly in-laws extra packs of TP. I cut the 6-packs of chicken breast and give 'em 2. The 2-packs of smoked salmon - they always get one after a trip. 3-packs of English cucumbers? They get one. My elderly mum is always giving me an extra something from Costco whenever I visit. And various elderly aunties in her neighborhood are always giving her something extra they bought at Costco. No money is exchanged.
Reason #12: Less choice is better. For immigrant communities still learning the English language, too many choices can be overwhelming. Shopping for a fresh box of oranges or a hunk of fish is easy for an immigrant. But for someone whose English isn't great, evaluating 300 different fancy shampoo products at Target is very hard. Costco has a few good choices that do the job.
@@slyktech1860 It depends on the product. Some things like toilet paper or diapers, they carry a name brand and they carry their brand Kirkland. Shampoos, they might carry 2 or 3 name brands, and then Kirkland. Something like soft drinks, they'll carry Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, etc, but no Kirkland. They will also carry 10 different brands of coffee, wine, or vodka, and only 1 Kirkland coffee, wine, or vodka. Some items, like white T-shirts, are Kirkland only and no other name brands. But overall, my point is that Costco shopping is easier when there is less choice.
I live in Hong Kong. Sales at supermarkets in HK are down -14% the past 12 months because so many people are crossing the border into Shenzhen to shop at the new Costco.
yeah... I used to go to LA meet my relatives and they bring me to sam's club to buy gifts.......now we have costco and sam's club in Shanghai, I don't have to pack those heavy big packs of moistririser anymore!!! thanks god...
Costco has always remained consistent in having cheap prices for decent quality food. If you're lazy, their ready-made rotisserie chicken can last you two days. Even their food court is amazing. If you factor both taste and price, their pizza is the best fast-food pizza you can get. Asians know a good deal when they see one.
More than 10 years ago, when I visited Costco with my parents, the only Korean related product was television. Samsung and LG were small competitor to Sony in retrospect. In 2024, I see black-beaned noodle, Mandu, Ginseng energy drink, Kimchi, Raddish Kimchi, Milkis..... I can almost complete my korean groceries with one Costco visit. That is a miraculous change that I have witnessed in 10 years.
Almost feels like watching a South Park episode where all the Asians make their way into Costco as their pilgrimage. Finding spiritual enlightenment in the bulk snack aisle and feed your soul with free samples.
A few years ago, the stock market "experts" said Costco would go into decline because the Millennials don't like to shop in bulk and prefer smaller items from boutique stores instead of warehouses. They totally ignored the power of Asian shoppers and immigrants in general. Instead of buying more shares, I tended to avoid the stock. What a mistake! Now some analysts predict this stock is going to $800.
Many millennials moved out of the cities into suburbs during the pandemic. Many are also having families. Costco is going to be just fine. Millennial Costco shoppers I know appreciate its quality, organic products, and the fact that Costco does not exploit its workers like Walmart does.
@@jenkins5265 I'm Gen-X and I remember when Costco's predecessor was Price Club in SoCal. I mentor a couple of college kids, and on a road trip, they wanted to stop by Costco to get pizza. They were so happy, and I was too. I think Costco will be great for their generation too. And Walmart is Hellmart.
I think you don't have Aldi in US? at least I didn't see one when I was in New York and LA. I used to live both in UK and US. I love the M&S, waitros, whole foods and trader joes!!! but now I am back to Shanghai and have a family, I love to shop in Aldi! the size of the product is not too huge and the price is good!!!! I use to use aesop hand wash which is at least $20 a bottle, while the hand wash from Aldi is only $2 and it feels good! I used to think Aldi is only for dirty cheap product and low quality when I was in UK and never visit one... now I see how silly I was!!!
Costco is smart and catering to the Asian population. One side of the frozen aisle is dedicated Kimchi dumplings, gyozas, lumpia, Chinese New Year dumplings, curry, pho, white rabbit ice cream, etc… and they’re from legit brands from Ranch Market but double the size! They also have Kew Pie, Korean ginger for tea, Japanese green tea, Korean Ramen (carbonara) and money trees 😂 I don’t think I’ve seen any Asian products growing up in the 90’s
Yeah, good Asian products that Asians actually want, in big sizes and at prices that are hard to beat. They don't always have the absolute best brand but that's what you shop for at the regular Asian grocery, and then you bulk up on other stuff at Costco.
That $1.50 Hot dog and soda has every older asian hooked. My mom and dad don't even really like hot dogs or soda but for that price its unavoidable, they gonna get lunch there. You can't even get a drink at most restaurants for $3 and Costco gets you 2 hot dogs and 2 sodas!
@@siriusgu4579 All the CostCo's in LA. I get my lap cherng and oyster sauce there. And don't forget, the absolutely amazing pineapple cakes from Isabelle.
I’m FiI-Am grew up around Costco because my Mom works at the Costco Optical lab here in my hometown of San Diego CA. She has been working there since a year before I was born in 1986 back then when it was called Price Club. So it only makes sense that we go there religiously. Costco is a pilgrimage😂 for Asians.
Hey, I remember When Saul Price had FEDMART before he started the Price Club on Morena Blvd. in San Diego, that later became Costco. FEDMART always had tasty food near the checkout.
My SIL lives and dies for Costco she is that demographic. She is a middle aged Korean woman. But being a Washingtonian I mean, Costco is Washington State's local church. It's like Walmart for people in Arkansas. And yes, I was born in Arkansas and relocated to Washington. Kirkland's brand much better that Walmart or Western Family. ( Do your remember Western Family?) Kirkland anything is pretty good. But seriously, Costco's return policy is amazing.
23 years ago my future wife was fresh off the boat from China. She had a $50 a month food budget in Hawaii and she was able to survive by splitting the cost with her group of Chinese exchange students. They bought a large bag of rice, large bag of raw chicken wings, and large cartons of eggs from Costco. One day she ate a free tuna sandwich from a Catholic Church-who made free tuna sandwiches for college students who would hear their sermon. One day a person would take the group out to lunch. The other days, it was a boiled egg for breakfast and rice and chicken wing for lunch/dinner. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. After her college finished,her salary is considered pretty good. She can her food budget is quite expensive since college.
I'm surprised that gas had not been mentioned in the vid. I used to work there back in '05. One thing the manager had told me and the other person they hired on the first day was that the gas is very good quality. It goes through a special process (filtration, etc) and that it lasts longer, and it's better for your vehicle than pretty much any other gas station out here. The price per gallon is usually just under or a good amount under its competitors, and there is NO FEE for using your debit card (screw you Arco!) From the L.A. area btw. Love the vid. Costco is indeed the holy land xD
I have one Mercedes that does not like Costco gas. Everyone now and then, her Mercedes cannot go over 30 mph when my wife does a fill up at Costco. I keep telling her please do not to buy Costco gas. I have to get water remover and put it in her tank. Therefore I disagree with you on the quality of Costco gas.
We live in Albuquerque which doesn't have the largest Asian population but you wouldn't know it going to Costco. My husband who is Vietnamese and I have talked about this.
Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and, occasionally, our local Asian market: that’s all the grocery shopping we do. We definitely price shop between the same items at Costco vs. Whole Foods. Sometimes a sale at WF’s will beat Costco but very, very rarely.
Don't forget about the $5 chicken!! Asian moms always buy more than 1, and use the meat for noodle soup or lo mein several meals a week. Cook noodles, drain, mix with soy sauce and sesame oil and rip some costco chicken and voila!
You guys are REALLY funny! I sent this link to all my Seattle area Asian in-laws. They all joined Costco in November, 1983, shortly after the original 4th avenue store opened. BIG fans. Thank you for the insightful humor.
You have helped me see Asian Americans in a whole new light. They are very much like me. I buy clothes for business at Costco. Their shirts are close to Brooks Brothers. No lie!
Similarly, as a fellow Latino I noticed a lot of us at the Asian owned 99 Ranch markets. Talk about great deals... I recently purchased a 25 lb bag of jasmine rice for $15. It's also one of the best places for ceviche ingredients.
I live near a 99Ranch in a predominantly Hispanic area and noticed that the majority of the people lining up at the seafood section were non Asians. Then I gave it some thought and realized that it's the best place to get seafood in at least a 10 mile radius.
A little known policy of Costco is that they will not ever put a store in a service area of less than 500,000. They refuse to do the Walmart thing and put every small business in smaller markets out of business.
I live in Plano, TX ( near DFW). I'm almost 60 and I've never seen my local Costco as busy as I did before Chinese New Year. The lines were longer than the week before Xmas or other holidays. I was shocked, and I've always lived in areas where there are big Asian populations. Costco is constantly expanding their Asian products. Asians are good consumers. There are just as many or even more Indian customers too . Maybe someone should do a video for them too. Lol
I am an Indian. I have purchased Asus netbooks and Seagate USB drives at Costco and Target. These were lower than even Amazon and Newegg. Don't forget their excellent and freshly baked chocolate chip oats cookies.
Agreed. As an actual 90s kid (DOB 1988), my Sundays included going to dimsum, meeting with aunties and uncles, and then someone whips out the Costco card and we all go together and partake in the savings. It is church for Asians and guess what? I still go to “church” to this day. Hallelujah!!!
Omg you should see the Costcos in Asia. They are constantly FLOODED. They offer good deals for small business owners and I saw a lot of them stocking for their stores. I see students just coming to grab their lunches or stocking for their picnic dates. When I went, there were literally lines going all around the perimeter just to get parking. I heard so many people go to just eat at the food court because it's the only place to get cheap American food which if you were to get it anywhere else, it's super expensive. Also there wasn't a reputable wholesale style of market like this in Asia so Costco really hit the gold mine by opening in Asia. But also Asian societies tend to put western brands/stores on a pedestal which is a whole other topic. Its a bit more expensive there than American Costcos so if ur going to Costco regularly for your groceries means you're rich, so its sort of a luxury. You'll see a lot of rich Asians shopping there. You also see a lot of foreigners shopping there too.
Are you talking about the one in Shanghai? lol they sells maotai, hermes handbag and diamonds when they first open. Ppl went crazy!! each visit my parents would spend at least 3000 rmb per visit.. the 6 pack of baby formula would cost 1000, but still it's a little bit cheaper than anywhere else, and plus they must sells the geniun ones and won't be the fake ones.. because in china, if you see a too good of a deal, I fear it's fake... So I trust costco!
Costco is always jam-packed here in Japan (Iruma). If you visit Costco you will need a lot of budget. Whenever I go to Costco, I have a list of 2-3 items but, after that the receipt is long. Tons of items that are not on my list. Hahahaha.
I'm mexican and for me going to costco has become almost like a religion, my dad showed me the way and now, 15 years later I literally go every week, not weekends because there's too many people. My Japanese gf and I are going to japan in december, first for me and fuck disney tokyo, I'm going to costco. I already went to the first costco ever and costco madrid as well as the first price club, yeah, like a fucking pilgrimage.
As a former Whole Foods employee I can testify to the older Asian ladies coming in for the loss leader deals. Corn 10/$1? Sea of Asian ladies sitting on the ground shucking corn. Not even lying. They’re committed to the deals and I support it. One day I’ll attain that level of wisdom and no f***s given.
For my dad and I, it was the samples in the late 90's. And early 2000's. You could get a small meal as you shopped just by making a point of visiting every food sample station, all while stocking up on products that could last weeks for a family of 5 or 6.
Haha great video gents . 38yr old irish american , i dont give 2 - F's about where i get my clothes . If i can food shop and buy new kicks ? You had me at hello Costco . The 1.25 hot dog /soda is dope . But you boys forgot my absolute favorite! The .25 cent water bottle vending machine! My membership card alone is worth it to top off my Costco shopping on a hot summer day / waiting on line for 40min . But i always leave happy after buying that 25 cent water at the end . Costco knows how to get ya
You missed another reason- The supplements that Asian women buy as gifts whenever they are about to make a trip to visit their family in the homelands.
A Central Asian here: I don't love Costco. Their business model is based around getting you to buy stuff you don't need in quantities that you don't need. Never has my wife left Costco without spending $400-500, where about 200 was some random crap that she wouldn't have bought at any other store.
as an Indian American, it’s the rice, bulk size spices, and western produce that starts your costco journey then you end up a repeat customer for everything else 😂
Reason no. 11. Asians love Costco because Costco loves Asians. I do see lots of Asian mechandises for Lunar New Year at Costco. Some are Chinese food for new year. Some are nice flowers for Vietnamese new year. That means Costco does spend time doing research on different Asian cultures and food.
And what Costco does the most sales in the world? Hawaii of course. The island is majority Asian and since buying stuff on an island is always more expensive because everything comes by boat or plane, we get good deals at Costco.
Costco Taiwan, Korea and Japan are where you see disciplined, polite and non-rude shoppers that don't rush, don't elbow, don't stop in the middle of the isle, take more than one sample and stand in line and wait their turn. I was surprised to see these stark differences.
I have agoraphobia that has gotten really bad since covid and I make monthly to every other month plans to go to Costco early in the morning on a weekday so I can walk around and spend 3-4 hours there😅 without stress.❤
Great list! Loved how you guys deliver this with humor and great respect for your people. I also like that there are better and better Asian foods in Costco. It's so cool that the localized stuff overseas works its way back to the states. Still, gotta shop at H-Mart! Thanks for this video!
Asian old guy here. My wife just bought a box of excellent five-nuts moon cakes, good brand, good quality. And...the price is only 1/2 of the same box from 99 supermarket! We shop at Whole food and Sprouts too, but Costco offers good prices and GOOD quality!😊
Our town used to have 200,000+ population and we have 1 Costco store. Now our population has increased passed 300,000 people and Costco is building another one about 4,5 miles away from the current store in Kennewick city of Washington state.
Costco is VERY good at keeping prices consistently low for certain items such as hot dogs, rotisserie chicken, banana, bottled waters and etc... On the other hand, if you don't pay attention, Costco is actually more expensive on other items. (comparing the SAME EXACT branded item in other stores...) So, as a smart Asian shopper, you gotta cherry pick in Costco =P
I'm an Asian and worship Costco. I love it so much that I bought many Costco stocks during the past 10 years and literally made million dollars. I'm always thankful to the store and amazed at what they have done 👍
My neighbor has an older Greek immigrant mom, and I am told that Mom likes Costco for many of the same reasons. They go there for a mother-daughter outing.
11:47 - I love Costco, but since it's been so crowded lately, Sam's Club is actually not that terrible. I just had a great experience getting a new set of Goodyear Assurance tires installed at Sam's Club in Long Beach. The service and experience was pretty much similar to Costco's but at a lower price.
Mixed Asian Family here, We've literally been to every Costco in the places we've lived all over the US. The wife wanted to buy a house near Costco when we lived on the Northeast cost and when in Cali it was 10 min away.
Costco's layout and display are much less cluttered than in many Asian markets. We go there for gas, water, beer, sodas, eggs, paper towels, toilet paper, coffee, and laundry detergents. Occasionally, we get a hot dog, soda, and a slice of pepperoni pizza. I get all my jeans at the store or online. Finding a parking spot is not a problem for us, as we go there on weekdays in the mid-afternoon. Love our Costco.
Re: "takedown" versions of name brand products. Costco carries unique model numbers of certain name brands (like the iRobot Roomba), which I guess would qualify as "takedown versions." But, unlike Sam's Club - undergrad in Los Angeles area, grad school in midwest in the 1990's before Costco reached there - it isn't to preserve THEIR margins, it's to preserve the MANUFACTURERS margins and hinder price comparison. Costco has a strict policy on the margins they make (one percentage for Kirkland Signature and a higher percentage on everything else). So they wouldn't be able to carry certain items because they'd make "too much money" on them vs. what some manufacturers (pretty much everyone other than Apple) allows/tolerates in terms of reduced MSRP. So, some manufacturers make Costco-specific model numbers in order to not be compliant. These models are almost always the same models as you can buy elsewhere bundled with extras (or they might only sell multiple of the same item at a reduced price, sort of like a retail bulk buy). Again, this is very unlike Walmart or Sam's Club or an "outlet" store where the things aren't just "takedown" they are "cutdown" to be a completely different, lower quality item. If you check out the digital camera section, they do bundles where the MSRP matches but it will include stuff "for free."I bought Sony NC Headphones the other day and it came with like a $50 or so Apple iTunes gift card for the same reason. Etc. Once you understand Costco's business model, you realize that shopping at Costco takes "customer value" to a whole new level that I think us Asians can really appreciate. It's probably the only shop full of Asians where none of them are haggling or complainting over price.
They sell special models of popular appliances, electronics etc. produced just for COSTCO. In some cases they have added features or for battery powered products it's the same machine but comes with a more powerful battery pack.
I'm Chinese but I hardly return merchandise to Costco. As a member since 1996, the only time I returned my eyeglasses was even under the manager’s suggestion. When I came back to return it, he yelled at me saying, “You can’t keep returning it!”. He forgot that I returned it because he couldn't fix the problem for me. He took me as somebody else because all Asians look the same! Most of the people I know don't like to go to Costco in this location, because everyone is extremely rude, employee and customer, and there’s a reason.
My international colleagues from Malaysia or Asian countries send me a costco list before my travel - they want vitamins, moisturizer, and cereals to carry for them. 😂
omg...it is the American Dream...my aunt will have me get the pizza, drinks, and a table ready by the time she's done paying for an overloaded cart with extra empty boxes...with the option of looking from a distance while consuming pizza examining the displays of tires, travel destinations, and cars you could put on your Costco Card as you exit the store.
My 80+ yr old Chinese parents love the free snack tables while taking their walk around the store. They got really sad when covid hit and they could no longer fill up a meals worth of freebies.
I like Costco. While I am not Asian, I did graduate from the Bronx High School of Science. Bronx Science was only 40% Asian in the 1980s when I graduated, but is close to 70% Asian today.
I lived in a town in northwestern Minnesota near the Manitoba border. There's probably a costco about 300miles away. My brother said he's sending some care package which included 2 large package of pistachios, 2 large package of preserved mangoes from Thailand and two large package of mix nuts! My brother says that costco have their own delivery trucks.
You should come to Costco in Japan. It’s all high end. And we have Bulgogi Bakes at the food court for $5 (along with the 1.50 hot dogs for the white folk, but no sour crout)
This is good marketing! 😂😂 my son a 11 year old, he is begging me to go Costco. After he watched all these RU-vid videos. Sad we don’t have Costco in Singapore …
So, I served in South Korea and there was a costco there. It was literally shoulder to shoulder, packed to the max and the checkout line wrapped around the inside of the store. It was literally hundreds of people in front of you if you wanted to check out. You ride the shopping cart friendly escalator down to the food court and it's packed! They'd order their food but in Korean culture food comes with a lot of sides. They saw the onions for the hotdogs and thought "Oh, that's a side." So they pile up onions, mix it with mustard and ketchup, and they'd eat it as a side dish. It was known as Costco kimchi. They were wild about it and I couldn't believe they were just shoveling down chopped onions.
I bought an oral B toothbrush from Costco. Then I saw that several models were getting recalled. I am not someone who returns a lot of stuff. So, I told myself I would get around to exchanging it. 9 years later they took back my used toothbrush.
I am single and live in Atlanta! Costco is awesome but too much food for a single person because everything is in bulk! I just shop at Publix, Aldi, Kroger, and Lidl lol
More Asian Specific Reasons (from my own Asian family): 1. We buy lots of chocolates as gifts for visitors. Ferrero Rocher is almost always offered in Asian supermarkets but they are expensive there and you always get a smaller box. At Costco, the value is just much better as we get more for less. 2. We often have shabu-shabu at home. Buying sliced beef and lamb in Asian supermarkets is really expensive compared to buying in bulk and slicing with food slicer. 3. Costco often stocks Asian ingredients like soy sauce and Chinese sausages. Those can be stocked up and stored since they have longer shelf lives. This doesn't mean we don't go to Asian supermarkets as well. We still need to stock up on Asian ingredients like fermented tofu, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, etc. Of course, we take advantage of great deals sometimes offered on appliances and electronics, enjoy cheaper gas with the number of cars we have at home, etc. But these are general reasons for anyone going to Costco that Asians going there also enjoy as well.
