North America's "most unique" Costco opens in Vancouver

[Policy Wonk]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

North America's just don't know how to live. Everything is about being cheap, as big as you can get, etc.

For shame - imagine being able to feed your entire family with high quality food for a relatively small portion of your income.

[fountainhead]

Geez, after reading some of these responses one would think that big box retail is an essential component of American life, if ever removed we'd all go broke and starve.

Wouldn't have thought there would be so many mindless and brainwashed consumers on this board. Might as well treat yourselves to a caramel macchiato on the way home with some of the savings. Make sure it's from Starbucks though. Enjoy!

[InlandEmpire]

Originally Posted by mhays

I agree with Arbeiter. Costco at least pays better than many other retailers, especially Wal-Mart, where nearly every employee is in the "working poor". Costco's products aren't sold purely on price, causing jobs to be shipped off to the lowest-pay places; rather they try to have decent quality in whatever they sell.

As for Kirkland jeans, I've never heard of them, but I assume they're named after Kirkland, Washington, which is a prosperous inner Seattle suburb with a fairly decent center, next to Lake Washington. When Costco was a smaller company it might have picked a name that had a good connotation with locals.

Hey Mhays- not sure if this is 100% true but I live in Kirkland and some locals say the chain used to have its' headquarters here - I believe it's now based out of Issaquah?? Most Kirkland Signature products are of fairly decent quality. I think this Costco in Vancouver is a great use of space.

[BlackRedGold]

Originally Posted by fountainhead

Geez, after reading some of these responses one would think that big box retail is an essential component of American life, if ever removed we'd all go broke and starve.

You do know that the Vancouver in the subject title is Vancouver, BC as in Canada? Hence, we're discussing Canadian life.

[fountainhead]

^^^ Canadian life in the context of American Corporations?? Culturally Canadians and Americans are so similiar and intertwined that I don't see how you could discuss one as entirely distinct from another. Not in regards to big box retailers at least. That is why this thread garnered so much interest from both sides of the border.

[CGII]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

For shame - imagine being able to feed your entire family with high quality food for a relatively small portion of your income.

With cost to the economy, enviroment, and culture.

[Policy Wonk]

that is a bargain most of the world would take with delight!

[JiminyCricket II]

Originally Posted by fountainhead

I agree that these stores do destroy a sense of place. I have to admit that I was taken aback at some of the flippant responses to your post. Superficially these incursions seem innocuous, but we all know that COSTCO is just WALMART in sheep's clothing. Does paying 6 bucks for your Camembert as opposed to 6.5 bucks really necessitate these spirit crushing behemoths? I don't want one in my neighbrohood, because I'm perfectly happy shopping at my 1500 sf grocer and don't want him to go belly up.

CostCo is NOTHING like WalMart. Go ask an veteran cashier of both how much they like their job, I'm sure the Costco cashier will like their $50,000 a year earnings w/benefits compared to walmarts $20,000(if they're lucky) wage w/o benefits.

Really cool development, and I agree it fits the location. I'm not sure if this were in another area it would make the streetscape any better.

[vid]

My dad gets about 24,000 at Walmart, as a stockboy.. I know people that work at Safeway (unionised entirely, and I couldn't start a co-op there without approval from the Union. Safeway Thunder Bay has gone on strike twice in the past 15 years) in more specific jobs that barely break past the 20K mark.

Lets no forget union dues, and their lack of relevance in todays society. We can tell by their usurption of many pulp mill's will to live that they are now causing more harm than good.

If mike doesn't want us to shop there, fine. Don't lose sleep over it. He can't hurt you if you do.

[He11razor]

Originally Posted by fountainhead

Wouldn't have thought there would be so many mindless and brainwashed consumers on this board. Might as well treat yourselves to a caramel macchiato on the way home with some of the savings. Make sure it's from Starbucks though. Enjoy!

Damn! shopping at Costco makes people mindless and brainwashed! What other establishments should I be aware of? If I get a ride in a SUV, am I funding terrorists? This is fun!

[miketoronto]

I don't buy the excuse that people are saving money by shopping at Costco.

You guys make it sound like if you don't shop there, you will be broke.

Funny how families raised more kids then families have now, going to mom and pop shops before the advent of the suburbs, and they did just fine.

Plus the average Downtown Vancouver resident is not hurting for money. They have very high income levels.

So the poor excuse does not wash.

[Policy Wonk]

and what would be their reward for doing as you would wish?
other than the approval of a smug teenager on the internet?

North American consumers have never before enjoyed such an abundance of goods available to them at such a low price. It is the triumph of the market and globalization.

You will have a whole lot of difficulty convincing the mainstream north american who just brought home their $499 HDTV on boxing day that this is anything but a good thing.

[vid]

"You guys make it sound like if you don't shop there, you will be broke. "

No, we make it sound like if you don't shop there, you will be ripped off. Did you understand anything about my other post?

Vanderwees is a local egg company. They're on the edge of town, and they makes packs of eggs, one size has 18 eggs.

The prices are as follows:

Walmart: 2.89
Safeway and A&P: 3.18
Quality Market (Locally owned): 3.39
Mac's: 3.69
Hutch's Variety (Locally Owned): 3.99

Now, where would you go?

[CGII]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

that is a bargain most of the world would take with delight!

That's a rather silly excuse for it. Hitler could've said the same to justify the holocaust!

[He11razor]

Originally Posted by CGII

That's a rather silly excuse for it. Hitler could've said the same to justify the holocaust!

Nice Godwin! Thread over.

[BlackRedGold]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Funny how families raised more kids then families have now, going to mom and pop shops before the advent of the suburbs, and they did just fine.

Ever hear of the Great Depression?

Plus the average Downtown Vancouver resident is not hurting for money. They have very high income levels.

They also have very high mortgages. Vancouver, as a whole, does not have high income levels.

[vid]

"Plus the average Downtown Vancouver resident is not hurting for money."

Tell that to the ones living in the street!

[CGII]

Originally Posted by He11razor

Nice Godwin! Thread over.

Your point? So what if I hyperextend a cliche? It's the absolute truth and his argument is moot.

[vid]

OK...

How does CostCo negatively impact economy? My city has one. Do you mean to tell me that CostCo is to blame for multiple shutdowns of pulp mills, or of small businesses not being able to pay their taxes? Note, if you will, that our CostCo is located a good half mile from anyone's home.

How does CostCo negatively impact enviroment? Is it because we use our cars to get there? We use our cars to putter around downtown. For many people, CostCo is closer than Downtown is. Is it because it clears out a large area? Our CostCo is in infill areas. (Built in a swamp) this CostCo in Vancouver is UNDERNEATH an apartment building. IMAGINE THAT!!! UNDERNEATH!

How does CostCo negatively impact culture? Did some sort of Culture-hating thing emerge from Hell and decide 'Hey, this looks like a nice culture! I'm going to put a CostCo here and fuck it all up!!!'? CostCo kinda came from our culture, didn't it? People were tired of having to go to 30 stores to get their weekly needs and wanted to spend more time with their family, so our culture devised a way to do just that - every store you need, in one store! Wow!

I'm all for local enterprise, but really, we only have ourselves, our culture, to blame for CostCo and Friends.


You can shop at Ma and Pa stores all you want, but you're barely accomplishing as much as Vegetarians are in their fight to make everyone stop 'hurting animals.'

[CGII]

You have to understand, vid, that there is more to CostCo and big box retailers than just the buildings that affect the enviroment, economy, and culture, namely the sources for their products. Industry, labour, etc. You only accomplished talking about the effects the structures have on the world.