Costco（开市客）真的来了！
美国最大的连锁会员制超市Costco大陆首家门店今日正式在上海开业。
The U.S. membership-only warehouse retailer Costco Wholesale launched its first brick-and-mortar store in the Chinese mainland amid the increasing tension between China and the U.S.
Located in Minhang District of east Chinese metropolis Shanghai, the Costco store held a grand opening on August 27.
然而因为开业首日人流量过大，Costco下午已经暂停营业。
为什么一家美国超市，能引发消费者如此大的购物热情？
自1983年第一家门店在美国西雅图开业至今，Costco在30多年间已在包括日本、韩国在内的全球 11 个地区都开设了门店，经营逾770家卖场，会员量超9600万，90%以上的美国家庭都是他们的会员，是全球最大的零售商之一。
As a U.S. wholesale giant and one of the biggest retailers in the world, Costco runs businesses in over 11 countries and regions with over 770 warehouses and over 96 million registered members.
Costco的中国大陆首家旗舰店位于上海闵行区，总购物面积1.4万平方米，停车场可容纳1200个停车位。Costco方面称，这是其全球最大的停车场。
The Shanghai store covers an area of 14,000 square meters. It is also equipped with 1,200 parking spots — the largest parking lot for a Costco store in the world.
Featuring bulk consumer products and good after-sales service, Costco won over many Chinese buyers long before its debut on the Chinese mainland by 2014 through Alibaba's cross-border e-commerce platform Tmall Global.
据Costco亚洲区总裁张嗣汉透露，Costco非食品类的百货商品价格低于市场价的30%到60%，食品类则能低10%到20%。
It has gathered over tens of thousands of memberships within the two months before its opening. By August 26, people were seen crowding around the Costco store, busy registering for membership and getting prepared for opening day.
"Shanghai residents are so enthusiastic! You have to wait in queue for four hours to get a membership!" a netizen commented.
许多中国消费者对Costco并不陌生。包括红酒、芝士、橄榄油、保健品、护肤品、冲锋衣、综合坚果、洗浴用品等Costco产品，早就在中国成为爆款，笼络了一批忠实主顾，很多人不惜高价从海外购买。
早在2018年5月，当Costco高调宣布将进驻中国时，便掀起了一阵热潮。未开先火的Costco在开业前一个多月已积累数万会员，网上也不乏“Costco必买清单”、“Costco购物攻略”、“Costco退货政策全解析”等功课分享帖。
热情的上海市民早就已经摩拳擦掌。8月26日，Costco店内已然人山人海，全是簇拥来注册会员的消费者，甚至直到晚上7、8点还人满为患。
根据网友描述，如果你白天来办卡，很有可能要排队4小时！No.2
会员制与特朗普，
谁才是Costco的阻碍？
据Costco称，为了进军中国，Costco可谓用心良苦。
为了提前了解市场和消费人群，Costco布局近五年。它在2014年10月于天猫国际首次亮相，并在五年中逐渐拓展品类、培养团队、积攒运营经验。
这样谨慎的态度与Costco付费会员制的经营模式联系密切。即，消费者在进店购买前，需要支付一定的会员年费。
此前，外界对于Costco能否在中国市场获得成功也是聚焦于会员制。毕竟，这样的盈利模式对于中国消费者相对陌生。除了老牌的Sam's Club以外，Costco是第二家进入中国大陆的会员制超市。
Costco曾表示：“只有在市场成熟，消费者购物能力提升的情况下，才适合Costco开设线下门店。”
然而，Costco好不容易等来的时机，如今看来，却很可能由于特朗普政府而让一切努力付之东流。
不止步步紧逼的关税成本，零售商还面临着品牌形象受挫和消费者抵制的风险。6月13日，Costco曾协同沃尔玛、Target在内的600多家公司和行业贸易协会致信白宫，敦促特朗普停止对中国输美产品加征关税，结束正在进行的贸易战。
信中指出：“我们知道附加关税将对美国企业、农民、家庭和经济产生重大、消极且长期的影响。升级的中美贸易战不利于国家发展，最终将两败俱伤。”
8月24日，美方宣布将提高对约5500亿美元中国输美商品加征关税的税率。当日，特朗普发推特说，将命令美国公司立即开始寻找在华经营的替代方案，包括从中国迁回美国并在美生产。
对于Costco而言，贸易争端无疑是目前最为头疼的问题。
Costco has been careful in making their foray into the huge but brutal Chinese market.
Zhang Sihan (Richard Zhang), Costco's senior vice president for Asia, said the team has been waiting a long time, assuring a deep understanding of the local market. It also has been patient while Chinese consumers get to know the brand as well as the membership concept before entering the country.
However, the retailer is facing another challenge – the White House.
The latest round of disputes kicked off on August 24, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced an increase in existing and planned tariffs on 550 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese goods.
Trump even issued an "order" in a tweet on Friday, urging U.S. companies to look for an alternative to China, and start "bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA."
在Costco之前，德国零售业巨头ALDI（奥乐齐）已经抢先一步，在中国“安营扎寨”。
6月7日，奥乐齐入驻上海，在静安区和闵行区首开两家门店。
进驻中国后，它对自己的经营路线做了调整。在国外，奥乐齐以“最低的价格”为卖点，走的是廉价折扣超市路线；在中国，奥乐齐则走的是中高端路线。此外，奥乐齐在中国的门店也以销售自有品牌产品、餐饮鲜食产品等作为卖点。
但是像Costco和奥乐齐这样的海外零售商能在中国站稳脚跟吗？
电商在中国的兴起和快速发展，对零售业造成了一定的冲击。一众之前“抢滩”中国的海外零售商深受影响。德国“超市之王”麦德龙开始出售中国业务；“大卖场模式首创者”家乐福向苏宁易购出售了80%的股份；其他海外零售商，如沃尔玛、卜蜂莲花等也逐渐显露颓势。除了受到电商的冲击，它们也面临着和本土零售商的激烈竞争。近年来，中国本土零售业品牌也在悄然崛起。以盒马鲜生、7Fresh、超级物种为代表的国内品牌采用了“线上+线下、餐饮+超市”的模式，大受消费者欢迎。
Apart from Costco, other foreign supermarket chains also want to test the appetite for retail and seek to make inroads in China.
ALDI, a grocery chain based in Germany, opened its first two grocery stores in Shanghai on June 7. Different from its stores in other countries that are always positioned as discounters, ALDI's first two Chinese branches are targeting medium-to-high end customers, specializing in the sale of privately labeled products, fresh produce and ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals.
However, foreign retailers have confronted zigzags during their Chinese journeys. Traditional retail shopping in China is in decline due to the continued growth of e-retail, online activity and digital spending. This trend had led to the departure of certain foreign companies. For instance, German food wholesaler Metro, the fourth-largest retailer in the world, is in the final stages of selling its Chinese stores to a local retailer. In June, French-based Carrefour sold 80 percent of its stake in its local unit to Chinese retailer Suning.
Foreign retailers also face fierce competition from domestic retailers, especially the "new and innovative stores." Supermarkets such as Hema Fresh and 7Fresh blend online and offline shopping as well as provide catering services, becoming very popular among Chinese consumers.
中国消费者巨大的购买力无疑给Costco带来无限商机，但贸易战、零售业的式微和激烈的市场竞争又为其发展增添了很多不确定因素。