How Costco Decides Where To Open A New Store

[terracore]

It took me a minute to find this- there was a similar thread on city-data in 2017.  One of the posts stuck out:

"   Costco coming to Hilo

I know an architect working for a firm in Bay Area. Design of new Costco for Hilo is virtually complete.

No word on when construction actually begins. He couldn't say."

So, ASSUMING this poster wasn't full of it, in 2017 they were serious enough about an East side opening they were designing a store.  How many stores get designed and never built?  Probably a lot.

This was the only post the user ever made, so no way to follow up.

Around 2012 there was supposed to be a new development "near the airport". Lowes was going to be the anchor store. Petco was planning to lease space there. The development fell through (presumably because Lowes pulled out). Maybe wherever that was going to be, a Costco could go.

[kalianna]

There was an April Foolʻs joke about this several years ago that has been repeated occasionally over the years.

[terracore]

It was well documented here: https://punaweb.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=18229

and the actual joke article: https://web.archive.org/web/201704012152...st-hawaii/

[HiloJulie]

I for one would love to see Costco in Hilo! As well as Lowe’s. 

Now I may just be naive, but while shopping today at the greatest bastion of Hilo humanity AKA Walmart, I noticed this sign. I don’t know if it’s new or how long it has been up. I just noticed it myself today. 

I am hoping most, if not all follow Walmart’s friendly suggestion.

   

[TomK]

I guess they could just put up a sign saying "Friendly advice, don't be an asshole".

Whatever happened to Damon? Is he still active?

[Ccat]

Costco is coming to Hilo side of Big Island  it is a matter of time. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to pay less for higher quality food?
People of Hilo side are being ripped of by ……( Malama market ,Safeway ,KTA ,Food Land ,Cost u less ,Target ,Walmart) for way to long …….change is coming 
Personally  Costco will be only store ( beside Home Depot) I will spend my hard earned money.

yep.  just about the same with me.  If you shop at Costco regularly, theres not much you wont eventually find there.  Almost all my clothes, and most of my shoes,  even come from Costco.  

They even have very nice house finishing/repair/replace stuff like sinks and faucets.   I still get building supplies and gardening odds and ends from Home Depot.  

Hilo seriously needs Costco.

Ccat

[Durian Fiend]

Hilo needs one? Puna is where all the newbies are going.   But where, pray tell, would the location be?  Smack dab in the middle of HPP seems like the most central location possible. 


"Puna was sparsely populated back then.
In 1970, 5,154 residents called the district home. By 2000, there were six times as many people. The population had ballooned to 51,704 in 2020, according to census data.
Puna is expected to top 75,000 residents by 2030. By contrast, growth in Hilo, the county seat, has been stagnant. Its population was 44,186 in 2020, barely 900 people more than in 2010."

https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/05/puna-i...0in%202010.

[alaskyn66]

Surely, a Costco would fit in Shipman (Keaau) area somewhere... If they were to put it in Hilo... I'd say bulldoze Walmart, Safeway, and Target down to make room..

[punikahakaiferret]

I am liking the sounds of this! Costco in Kea'au?Yesssssss! I don't have a membership since I never go Kona side, but this could definitely make me sign on the dotted line!

Going back to the Walmart sign, what exactly are "Sensory Friendly hours"?

[terracore]

Going back to the Walmart sign, what exactly are "Sensory Friendly hours"?

It's for people with autism:

https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2023/...urs-return

"Earlier this year, we took a step in making shopping in our stores more inclusive for those with sensory disabilities by taking measures to create a less stimulating environment for a couple hours each Saturday. During the back-to-school season, we changed the TV walls to a static image, turned off the radio and lowered the lights where possible. The feedback of the pilot program was overwhelmingly positive. These changes may have seemed small to some, but for others they transformed the shopping experience. Our biggest piece of feedback? Keep it going! 

We’re excited to share we are bringing back sensory-friendly hours from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. local time, not only on Saturdays, but every day at all Walmart U.S. and Puerto Rico stores, beginning Nov. 10, with no planned end date. During these hours, we hope our customers and associates will find the stores to be a little easier on the eyes and ears. These changes are thanks to those who shared their feedback on how their stores could help them feel like they belong. "


I accidentally went there during their sensory-deprivation tank hours. The lights were so low it was hard to read anything in the aisles. I didn't know they had done it on purpose and just assumed there was something wrong with their electrical system or the store was on emergency backup lights only. I wouldn't recommend it unless one needs it, especially if one needs reading glasses where dim lighting exacerbates that problem. It seemed to make the regular Walmart zombies move more slowly and stagger around with even less apparent purpose.