People, people, people!!! Shopping here can be a nightmare when you barely have the space to walk at a leisurely pace with your trolley cart. CLAUSTROPHOBIA!!! Crowds and queues everywhere :O , very noisy too! I don't know the price of the rotisserie chicken here but it must be cheap enough to cause this snake-line queue. No thanks. No queueing for me.
This is definitely a different experience from the Costco shopping experience in the United States (or at least the one at Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale) on a typical Saturday and Sunday. Well, queues at the cashiers are similarly long but at least you have much more space to move around with your huge cart while shopping along each aisle.
How do you know if you are in Costco Asia or Costco Taiwan ? Well...first, there are Mandarin characters that translates to rotisserie, seafood, etc. :O FYI, they call Costco - 好市多 (pronounced Hao Shi Duo) here in Taiwan.
Second, you get huge packs of kimchi - warehouse size, warehouse prices (hopefully). That's my shopping cart. :)
And, can even find Prima Taste Singapore Curry available. This is definitely not availabe in Costco in the United States.
Lastly, we could not believe it when the cashier told us we could only pay CASH!!! (alternatively use a Costco credit card). For those holding on to any other credit card - sorry...but it just won't work. Pissed off! Who on earth would bring so much cash around especially when you shop at a warehouse that carries huge items such as refrigerator, large screen plasma/LCD TV etc. Well, in this country, CASH is king. Here, you either bring enough cash (in a portable safe?) or don't buy so much. It is certainly one good way to help you curb your spending but is this what the merchant really wants?
Tag: costco
Cash? Oh no!
ReplyDeleteYou should go shop at the supermarkets in China. The queues at the cashiers ate very very long.
I hope you will forward this post to Costco corporate headquarters, so they know there are improvements to be made. Here in the US Costco is very good about customer service, so I'm sure they'd be interested to have your feedback.
ReplyDeleteThat is some line there! Looks like you make good use of what you but, going by these other photos!
ReplyDeleteCredit card not accepted? That's ridiculous! It would have made better business sense for them to impose a minimum spending of say NT$100 or $200 for the use of credit card.
ReplyDeleteWhen Carrefour first opened here several years ago, similar queues formed for their roast spring chickens because they were very cheap - S$5.90, I think. But the craze soon fizzled out. Now people are queuing for doughnuts, would you believe it?
Hmm... looks like you will be in Taiwan for quite some time.
In general, I thought that Costco only took Costco credit cards? That's how they do it at ours in Missouri, anyway. This was a very informative post, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hate that cash only policy. We never carry cash. I love Costco though!
ReplyDeletehahahah that is why you dont see me there as I am not a cash king! lol!
ReplyDeleteMy man and I hate to shop during weekend, esp. in the morning, too many people and kids around that I could literally lost my mind!
ReplyDeleteSo Costco only accept cash?! I thought we are living in the 21st century!
as a former employee, i can assure you that ALL costcos only accept cash or american express cards (business partners). in the US, i am pretty sure they accept debit cards too. the reason they do this is because there are fees attached to using other credit cards, and in order to keep their prices down they dont pay those fees.
ReplyDeleteCash at Costco eh? I wish the local ones here have kimchi and Prima Taste. Long lines is the reason why I don't go to Costco on weekends. :)
ReplyDeleteWow..!! prima taste..!! never mind.. i'll pay cash...!!
ReplyDeleteThey don't take AMEX at Costco Taiwan?
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone carries so much cash these days, maybe they just want you to apply for their credit card.
ReplyDeleteI wanna shop at Costco in Asia too!
ReplyDeleteCostco? I haven't heard of that yet till today. Wow! Looks like another giant chain of supermarket. I think it is ridiculous to have a cash only rule though. hmmm
ReplyDeletewow, looks like u bought lotsa food stuff ;p~ (drooling) Yep, asian countries tend to be more crowded, everywhere is ren shan ren hai (human mountain human sea :P) ... I personally hate queuing too ... keke...
ReplyDeleteECL, ya lor! In the end, I had to remove some items from my shopping cart since I did not bring enough $!
ReplyDeletelydia, well- I know US Costco is good in service. I miss their "no qns asked return-policy" :D
sandy, I just got some frozen shrimps, kimchi and cereals. I had a hard time find cereals here.
victor, the Costco in US sells the rotiserrie chicken for about $4.99 (almost the same as Carrefour or Coldstorage in Singapore)
but what i meant was the queue in US was never THAT long and disorderly. Oh well.....
bassclef, maybe....I did not know much coz I use a non-Costco debit card to pay when I was in US Costco.
natalie, oh yes! We don't carry much cash around too.
bboven, but you are all money (in all forms)-king right? hahhahaha!
windy, they do accept credit cards but just Costco credit card or American Express. I mean, what's the probability of pple
holding these 2 cards? I thought as long as Visa or Mastercard - it should make better sense.
jess, yes. I know for sure US costco accept debit cards coz I use a debit card to pay when I was in US costco.
But, to be in overseas, they surely have to understand not many pple have american express credit cards.
What pissed us off was the cashier just gave 2 options - cash or american express credit cards. I don't think debit cards were accepted. That was the bummer.
East meets west, oh ya. I was quite surprised too. They even have ba hu (pork floss)!
I think they import some from US and some they source from local suppliers.
rex, hahahhaha....
nate, they do but no everyone has AMEX. We, for sure, did not have.
We would have thought Visa and Mastercard from reputable banks shd work.
little corner, ya lor. I think so too.
cindy, go back to Taiwan for a visit then :D
daphne, it is a well-established warehouse store in the US that only accepted Costco members.
noobcook, hahhhahaha......i agree. Lack of space!
They have Costco in Taiwan????
ReplyDeleteI've never even SEEN a Costco, let alone shopped in one!
Such a sheltered life I lead....
wow...cash only? I can't believe it!
ReplyDeleteWho doesnt LOVE Costco?!!! Hehe.
ReplyDeletekatiez, yes yes. I think also in Japan.
ReplyDeletelin, me too!
hillary, hahahha!
nice blog !!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletelast year i went to china tour in that i like : Zhao Mausoleum (Zhao Ling)
about : Zhao Mausoleum (Zhao Ling)
Zhaoling is the mausoleum of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty (618-907); he was one of the most brilliant rulers in Chinese history. Located in Jiuzong Mountain, 83 kilometers (51.5miles) from downtown Xian, Shaanxi, Zhaoling is the largest among the 18 mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty. It is also the largest royal mausoleum in the world.
Covering an area of 87.5 square miles, Zhaoling has 190 satellite tombs that have been verified with 37 which have been excavated. Th owners of the satellite tombs include famous ministers, royal families and high officials. All five forms of satellite burials in history have been represented here thereby justifying Zhaoling as the most typical imperial mausoleum in China. The configuration of Emperor Taizong's tomb as it overlooks the satellite ones symbolizes the utmost authority of the emperor.
The style of Zhaoling as it is set against the mountain is a miniature of the renovation in Tang Dynasty. Record has it that before her death, Empress Wende told Emperor Taizong that her burial site should be placed against a mountain so that there would be no need to build a tomb. After her burial, the Emperor wrote on the tombstone that an emperor regarded the whole world as his family. Why be bound to a mausoleum? In the mausoleum against Jiuzong Mountain, there was no gold or jade or anything precious except for some earthen and wooden wares. These were placed here to pacify thieves; their existence or loss was not important. From the excavated parts of the mausoleum, we could now say that the whole project was lavish instead of thrifty. Therefore, in setting the tomb against the mountain they protected it from theft rather than the initial propose as requested by the empress.
The construction of the mausoleum lasted 107 years beginning with burial of Empress Wende in 636 until completion in 741. Rich cultural relics were left on the ground and underground. Zhaoling as a witness to the development from the beginning of Tang to its eventual prosperity. It is also a valuable treasury to help us know the culture, politics and economy of the Chinese feudal society; kept in Zhaoling are large quantities of calligraphy, sculpture and painting works. The epitaphs written by reputed calligraphers in Zhaoling can be said to be the norm of calligraphy in the beginning of Tang Dynasty. Murals in Zhaoling are a portraiture of the real life in Tang Dynasty with a romantic touch. Glazed pottery figures are daintily designed with bright colors.
i, too, love costco but wish they would accept credit cards other than american express there because it would make costco shopping so convenient! i would only have to go once a month instead of once a week...
ReplyDelete