Costco's first China store was so popular it shut down traffic

美国会员制超市开市客(Costco)首家中国门店周二在上海开业，结果被蜂拥而来的消费者挤爆，才半天就被买到停业。茅台、爱马仕全都被抢光，门口甚至出动了近十辆警车来维持秩序。

People queue to sign up membership at a U.S. hypermarket chain Costco Wholesale Corp store in Shanghai, China August 24, 2019. Picture taken August 24, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

Costco has built a cult following in the United States — now it's China's turn. The country's first Costco store is so popular that it had to shut down early on its first day because of too many shoppers.

开市客在美国已经培养了一群狂热的追随者，如今轮到中国了。中国首家开市客门店生意太火爆了，开业首日就因人潮汹涌而早早停业。

The retailer opened its first physical outlet in Shanghai on Tuesday morning, and it quickly got too crowded to stay open.

8月27日早晨这家零售超市在上海的首家实体店开业后，很快就因太过拥挤而关门。

"The store has been clogged up with crowds," Costco said in a text message alert to its members in China. "To provide you with better shopping experience, Costco will suspend business in the afternoon. Please don't come."

开市客在发给中国会员的短信提醒中说：“因卖场交通人潮拥塞，为提供您更好的购物体验，今日8月27日下午开市客卖场将暂停营业，请避免前往。”

Police were deployed to restore order and manage traffic jams around the store, with law enforcement urging people to remain calm.

警方还出动警员来维持开市客周围的秩序，疏通交通拥堵，执法人员敦促人们保持冷静。

"For your safety, we hope citizens who want to go to Costco can maintain a rational attitude about consumption and avoid going out during rush hours. Those who have already gone there, you must follow orders," the Shanghai police said in a statement on its verified account on Chinese social network Weibo.

上海警方在微博认证账号上声明称：“为了您的安全，希望有意前往的市民理性消费、选择错峰出行购物。已经前往的顾客，请务必服从现场指挥。”

The photos posted by police with the statement included one of a sign Costco put up outside the store, which read: "The parking lot is full. It takes three hours to wait."

和声明一起发布的照片上可以看到开市客树立在店外的一个招牌，上面写着：“停车场已满，等待需要三小时。”

While Costco has had an online presence in China for five years through a partnership with Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba, the new brick-and-mortar store in Shanghai marks a significant investment.

通过和阿里巴巴合作，开市客已经在中国线上营业了五年，在上海新开的这家实体店标志着一次重大投资。

brick-and-mortar store: 实体店

Costco's annual membership program, which accounts for the bulk of its profit, is also cheaper in China — it costs 299 yuan ($42) compared to $60 in the United States.

开市客在中国的会员卡年费也比美国便宜，前者售价是299元人民币(42美元)，后者是60美元。开市客的会员费是其利润的主要来源。

bulk[bʌlk]: n. 大多数，大部分

But despite the early buzz around its Shanghai store, the US retailer will have to prove it can stick around for the long haul. It has to contend not only with global rivals like Walmart and big Chinese players like Alibaba and JD.com, but also with China's rapid economic changes and its growing online retail industry.

不过，尽管开市客的上海门店迎来了开门红，但是能否一直火下去还有待证明。它不仅要与全球对手沃尔玛和中国对手阿里巴巴、京东竞争，还要应对中国飞速变化的经济形势和线上零售业的发展壮大。

"There is big market potential for Costco in China, as its value for money strategy is attractive to many middle-class consumers," said Michelle Huang, an analyst at Rabobank in Shanghai.

荷兰合作银行上海分行的分析师米歇尔·黄说：“开市客在中国的市场潜力很大，因为它的物有所值的策略对许多中产阶级消费者都很有吸引力。”

"Whether Costco can succeed in the long term depends how well it can adapt to China's dynamic retail landscape," she added.

她补充道：“长期来看开市客是否能成功，取决于它是否能适应中国动态发展的零售格局。”

While there are challenges on the horizon, the early hype around China's Costco stores is very real.

尽管面临着未来的挑战，但是开市客中国门店的早期造势相当深入人心。

Echo Zhou, a 28-year-old financial professional in Shanghai, said she arrived at 9:10 am, but didn't make it to the parking lot until an hour later and finally got into the store around 11 am.

28岁的上海金融专业人士艾科·周说，她早上9点10分就到了开市客门口，但直到一个小时以后才把车开进了停车场，最后进店时都已经11点了。

"The surrounding roads were paralyzed. The highway nearby was also congested," she said.

她说：“周围的道路都瘫痪了。附近的高速公路也陷入了拥堵。”

"By the time I got in, there were crowds of old people who had already wiped out some shelves."

“我进店的时候，成群的大爷大妈们已经把一些货架上的东西一扫而空。”

Zhou said she decided to leave without buying anything as there was little room for shoppers inside the store, which was packed with crowds and the big shopping carts.

周女士说，她决定不买东西就离开，因为店里基本上已经没有立足之地了，到处都是拥挤的人群和大型购物车。

"I will give it another chance three months later as I've got the membership," she added.

她补充道：“反正我已经是会员了，我打算三个月后再去看看。”

英文来源：CNN

责编：周杨

来源：China Daily