Shopping at Costco can look completely different depending on the country — here are all the main differences (2024)

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A Costco in Los Angeles has everything Costco is known for having.

Source: Business Insider

Including vast isles filled with food and drink items.

Source: Business Insider

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All the technology you could ever need.

Source: Business Insider

A wide selection of clothing.

Source: Business Insider

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And things you never knew you needed in bulk, like 72 Eggo Homestyle waffles.

Source: Business Insider

There's also a "small batch" of Kentucky straight bourbon.

Source: Business Insider

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And some things you never knew you needed at all, like this electric fireplace.

Source: Business Insider

Most of the world's Costco warehouses are in the US and Canada. But in Canada, Costco is the only warehouse club store.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

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That means that in Canada, Costco doesn't have to compete with other stores like Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

So Costco does really well in Canada.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

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In fact, it's the second-largest retailer in all of Canada after Walmart.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

While Costco warehouses around the world have many local vendors supplying their products, Costco Canada's selection may be more like Costco warehouses in the US than any other country.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

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And this is because Costco Canada gets some of its vendors from the US.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

"If we notice in the US something's doing extremely well, and it makes sense with what we know our member wants today, we'll call that vendor and say, 'Want to come up in Canada and meet with us?'" a senior food VP at Costco told Canadian Grocer.

Source: Narcity,Canadian Grocer,CBC

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Across the pond, Costco has 28 locations in the UK, one of which is in Manchester, England.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian, The Kitchn

Costco works a bit different in the UK. Aside from plenty of UK brands, one other trait sets UK Costco warehouses apart.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian

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In the UK, Costco memberships are cheaper, but they're not for everyone.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian, Costco

In order to get a membership at Costco in the UK, you have to have one of only a few different occupations.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian, Costco

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The different occupations range from finance to public service, and they can all be found on Costco's website.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian, The Kitchn

This is because, in the UK, Costco keeps a "low profile," and only wants customers with "steadier jobs," according to the Guardian. And the result is a lower membership fee.

Source: Forbes, The Guardian, The Kitchn

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Across the globe, Costco has 26 stores in Japan.

Source: Business Insider

In Japan's Costco stores, you'll see both English and Japanese languages on products and throughout the store.

Source: Business Insider

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While sections like tech are pretty similar to other Costco stores ...

Source: Business Insider

... the significant differences come in the seafood section, as you might've guessed, where this crab was on sale for almost $200.

Source: Business Insider

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There's even seafood incorporated into their prepared foods, like this pizza, which has shrimp and squid on it.

Source: Business Insider

Costco in Japan is also known for its meat section, which includes beef bulgogi, a product that isn't sold in Costco warehouses in the US.

Source: Business Insider, Forbes

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Also, in Japan, Costco warehouses are open 364 days a year — every day except January 1, unlike US locations, which close for major holidays.

Source: Business Insider

Just southwest of Japan, Costco in China has a really interesting situation.

Source: Business Insider

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In all of China, there is only one Costco.

And it just opened in the summer of 2019.

Source: Business Insider

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Opening day at Costco Shanghai was extremely crowded and chaotic.

Source: Business Insider

In fact, the sheer volume of members at Costco Shanghai's opening day broke records.

Source: Business Insider

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So much so that the warehouse had to close early.

Source: Business Insider

In Shanghai, Costco's customers are drawn to the meat section for its low prices ...

Source: Business Insider

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... especially those rotisserie chickens.

Source: Business Insider

After such a crazy opening day, Costco plans to open another store in Shanghai, China.

Source: Business Insider,China Knowledge

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Just southeast of China, Costco has 13 locations in Taiwan. This one is in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Vice

It has an escalator that holds shopping carts ...

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Vice

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... and ads line the walls in light-up boxes.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Vice

About two-fifths of the products in Taiwan's Costco warehouses come from the US.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Vice

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Some of their locally sourced items include these fresh cakes that come in many flavors.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Vice

Far south of Taiwan, Australia has 11 Costco locations.

Source: Business Insider

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All Costco warehouses locally source vendors, and Australia's Costco warehouses are no different.

Source: Business Insider

In fact, most of the produce in Australia's Costco warehouses is locally grown.

Source: Business Insider

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And Costco sells Australian Angus beef, which also supports the local farming industry.

Source: Business Insider

This particular Australian Costco has a shockingly huge home section, according to Business Insider.

Source: Business Insider

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Like in the other countries, Australia's Costco warehouses look like Costco warehouses in the US, but some key differences are worth noting if you're a traveling Costco member.

Source: Business Insider