Nov 12, 2009 9:14 am US/Eastern
Super Wholesaler Costco Opens In E. Harlem
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A Costco wholesale store in Tacoma, Washington. The warehouse club giant opens its doors in Manhattan on Thursday, November 12, 2009.
AP
The largest "warehouse club" in the country is opening its first store in Manhattan.
Local shoppers finally get the chance to buy in bulk from the place where bargains are big and the merchandise even bigger.
Super-wholesaler Costco, which failed to open a Manhattan store in three previous attempts over the last decade, will unveil Thursday a 105,000 square-foot discount emporium at East River Plaza, a shopping mall overlooking the FDR at 116th street.
Other big retailers like Target and Marshalls are expected to move in starting in the Spring. The East River Plaza complex will be offering some 1,200 paid parking spaces.
This Costco, because its on the cramped isle of Manhattan, will be fifty percent smaller than the average Costco. Fans of the chain, who pay a $50 annual membership fee, brag about the great deals on a variety of products from High-Definition TVs to gallons of low-fat milk.
But some worry how it'll work in Manhattan where most residents don't have the space to store cartons and cartons of paper towels. Costco hired some 450 employees, mostly from the surrounding neighborhood. And while some people who live around here are concerned about added traffic and late-night deliveries, others welcome the arrival of Costco.
"It's good for the neighborhood, we need something like this here. What I'm worried about is the school kids, the little kids when they come out of school. That corner on 120th Street they need a light because there is going to be a lot of traffic, and it's not enough with the crossing guards," said resident Rafael Cabrera.
In a concession to neighbors, the developers agreed to give out 2,000 free Costco memberships to residents.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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