Hundreds line up before dawn for first day of Kelowna’s new Costco

Before sunrise, and hours before the doors actually opened, the lineup for Kelowna’s new and 24 per cent bigger Costco warehouse ballooned.

Hundreds of shoppers were ready to stream into the new warehouse that was built just a short distance from where the original was for 31 years.

One man said he’d been there since before 10 p.m. the night earlier, determined to get his hands on a highly sought-after PlayStation5 for his teenage son.

Right behind him were others from Kamloops, who had the same purchase in mind. Roughly 300 video game consoles were in stock when the day started, though their numbers significantly diminished as the morning wore on.

Electric bikes sold out even faster.

While some had a specific deal in mind, others were simply excited to see what was in the store.

“We are thrilled about the Costco Wholesale Kelowna relocation,” Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said. “The upgraded Costco has created valuable employment opportunities for the region, and will strengthen the local economy by offering a wider selection of goods and services to our residents and visitors.”

The new shop, located at 2125 Baron Rd., has been in the works for 150 days. It’s 167,000 square feet in size, and features wider aisles and a larger selection of food than the previous one, which closed at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

It also includes more specialty departments, such as an on-site bakery, fresh meat, an expanded produce area, a rotisserie chicken section, an optical centre — including an on-site independent optometrist — a newly introduced hearing aid centre, five tire centre bays, a large food court, a gas station with 24 pumps, a propane station and an expanded pharmacy.

There are 14 checkout registers, a new self-checkout section with nine stations, and 1,000 shopping carts.

The lot also has 871 parking spots — or 246 spots more than the former location.

READ MORE: Customers flock to opening day of Kelowna’s first Costco gas station for cheaper fuel

The new Kelowna warehouse also created more than 100 additional jobs. The old store employed 450 people.

“With the opening of this new warehouse, we can serve all of our members in the Kelowna and surrounding area and can bring new consumers and businesses to uncover the benefits of a Costco membership,” said Pierre Riel, senior vice-president and country manager, Costco Wholesale Canada.

“We are very proud to share this new location with our valued members and member businesses in the local community and throughout the area.”

Costco Wholesale is open to members only. The gas station that goes along with the new warehouse opened Dec. 10, and also drew a big crowd.

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