Costco開業(yè)首日，因太火爆提前閉店

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.

Costco在美國已經(jīng)培養(yǎng)了一群狂熱的追隨者，如今輪到中國了。中國首家Costco門店生意太火爆了，開業(yè)首日就因人潮洶涌而早早停業(yè)。

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

8月27日早晨這家零售超市在上海的首家實體店開業(yè)后，很快就因太過擁擠而關門。

"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."

Costco在發(fā)給中國會員的短信提醒中說：“因賣場交通人潮擁塞，為提供您更好的購物體驗，今日8月27日下午開市客賣場將暫停營業(yè)，請避免前往。”

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

警方還出動警員來維持開市客周圍的秩序，疏通交通擁堵，執(zhí)法人員敦促人們保持冷靜。

"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.

上海警方在微博認證賬號上聲明稱：“為了您的安全，希望有意前往的市民理性消費、選擇錯峰出行購物。已經(jīng)前往的顧客，請務必服從現(xiàn)場指揮。”

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."

和聲明一起發(fā)布的照片上可以看到開市客樹立在店外的一個招牌，上面寫著：“停車場已滿，等待需要三小時。”

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.

通過和阿里巴巴合作，Costco已經(jīng)在中國線上營業(yè)了五年，在上海新開的這家實體店標志著一次重大投資。

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.

Costco在中國的會員卡年費也比美國便宜，前者售價是299元人民幣(42美元)，后者是60美元。Costco的會員費是其利潤的主要來源。

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.

不過，盡管Costco的上海門店迎來了開門紅，但是能否一直火下去還有待證明。它不僅要與全球對手沃爾瑪和中國對手阿里巴巴、京東競爭，還要應對中國飛速變化的經(jīng)濟形勢和線上零售業(yè)的發(fā)展壯大。

"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.

荷蘭合作銀行上海分行的分析師米歇爾·黃說：“Costco在中國的市場潛力很大，因為它的物有所值的策略對許多中產(chǎn)階級消費者都很有吸引力。”

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

她補充道：“長期來看開市客是否能成功，取決于它是否能適應中國動態(tài)發(fā)展的零售格局。”

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

盡管面臨著未來的挑戰(zhàn)，但是Costco中國門店的早期造勢相當深入人心。

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歲的上海金融專業(yè)人士艾科·周說，她早上9點10分就到了開市客門口，但直到一個小時以后才把車開進了停車場，最后進店時都已經(jīng)11點了。

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

她說：“周圍的道路都癱瘓了。附近的高速公路也陷入了擁堵。”

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

“我進店的時候，成群的大爺大媽們已經(jīng)把一些貨架上的東西一掃而空。”

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.

周女士說，她決定不買東西了，因為店里基本上已經(jīng)沒有立足之地了，到處都是擁擠的人群和大型購物車。

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

她補充道：“反正我已經(jīng)是會員了，我打算三個月后再去看看。”