Giant American wholesaler Costco has opened its sprawling warehouse in not-so-distant Suzhou, making the city the first other than Shanghai with a Costco in China. The discounted-bulk-buying brand is also on its way to Nanjing, with an even bigger store.
美国批发巨头好市多(Costco)在不远的苏州开设了庞大的仓库，这使得苏州成为除上海以外第一个在中国开设好市多(Costco)的城市。这个折扣大宗采购品牌也正在前往南京，并拥有一家更大的商店。
There were scenes of chaos outside the new Costco in Suzhou New District yesterday as opening time neared. Some had queued from 3 in the morning.
昨日，随着开业时间临近，苏州高新区Costco新店外一片混乱。有些人从凌晨3点就开始排队了。
Concerned for possible dangers to life and limb, local authorities had dispatched ambulances to the site, while drones patrolled overhead, monitoring the crowd for potential flashpoints.
由于担心生命和肢体可能面临危险，地方当局已派遣救护车前往现场，无人机则在上空巡逻，监视人群是否有潜在的爆发点。
As a further hint of what was to come, more than 10,000 people applied for a ¥199 membership card back in August, not only surpassing the Shanghai record set 2 years ago, but also breaking Costco’s global record for sales of first-day memberships.
更进一步的暗示，8月份就有超过10000人申请了199元的会员卡，不仅超过了两年前在上海创下的纪录，也打破了Costco全球首日会员销售记录。
And then the doors opened. The Beijing News has remarked that the chaotic scenes in Suzhou were little different from those when the first store in Shanghai opened. As The Washington Post reported at the time, “They fought over Birkin bags and Moutai liquor. They wrestled for detergent and grabbed at a piece of pork with their bare hands, even as the butcher was trying to cut it”.
然后门打开了。新京报评论称，苏州的混乱场面与上海首店开业时没有什么不同。正如《华盛顿邮报》当时报道的那样，“他们为了铂金包和茅台酒而大打出手。他们争夺清洁剂，并徒手抓住一块猪肉，尽管屠夫正试图切它”。
The world’s newest Costco is also on a par with the first Shanghai store in terms of size. In April of last year, Costco’s subsidiary in Suzhou spent more than ¥140 million on the 52,000 square-metre plot for the new warehouse.
全球最新的 Costco 规模也与上海第一家店不相上下。去年4月，Costco苏州子公司斥资超过1.4亿元人民币，购置了5.2万平方米的新仓库。
At a time when China-US trade is supposedly on the wane, Costco has become more and more ambitious in the Middle Kingdom market. The Seattle-based, big-box retailer has plans for southern China and all over our very own Yangtze River Delta.
在中美贸易日趋衰退之际，Costco在中国市场的野心却越来越大。这家总部位于西雅图的大型零售商计划进军中国南部以及整个长江三角洲地区。
And this is the year it all starts. In April, Costco signed a deal with Guangzhou; in June, it was our turn with agreements reached for not only our beloved Nanjing, but also Hangzhou and Ningbo.
今年是一切开始的一年。 4月，Costco与广州签约； 6月份，轮到我们不仅在我们热爱的南京达成了协议，而且在杭州、宁波也达成了协议。
But there is still quite some time to wait before we can shop ’til we drop in Costco Nanjing. The relevant investment agreement, signed on 25 June with Jiangning High Tech Zone, shall locate Costco Nanjing in the Fangshan part of Jiangning District.
但到南京好市多购物之前，我们还要等待相当长的时间。 6月25日与江宁高新区签署的相关投资协议，南京好市多将落户江宁区房山区。
And the Nanjing store could also turn out be the biggest in China, with a total construction area of about 54,000 square metres. Costco Nanjing is planned to open at the end of 2023.
而南京店也可能成为中国最大的店，总建筑面积约为54,000平方米。 Costco南京店计划于2023年底开业。
