Costco China Store Forced To Close Early After Supermarket Scrum On First Day

Snaking queues and frenzied buying are not uncommon when new stores open or trendy new products hit the market in China.

Consumers lined up for hours to buy hamburgers at Shake Shack when it opened its first China store in Shanghai earlier this year, and scalpers reportedly held places in line or hawked burgers at huge mark-ups.

German supermarket chain Aldi also experienced long lines of shoppers when it opened two stores in Shanghai in June, which were also its first in China.

Local media said the Costco store in Shanghai, unlike other supermarkets which mainly sell fresh food and daily necessities, also offered products such as handbags from luxury brands Prada and Chanel as well as high-end foreign beauty products.