What Ipswichians think about Costco and their first haul
THIS week may have been one of the biggest retail events ever in Ipswich as Costco in Bundamba flung open its doors for the first time.
The doors opened early on the first day of trading at Costco in Bundamba, and despite the queues, traffic and parking headaches, everyone was leaving with a smile on their face.
Usually the warehouse opens at 10am, but for the first day an early start was welcomed by people who got there super early to grab a bargain.
Customers were spotted lining up outside the doors at sunrise.
Police were in attendance to assist with the traffic, and traffic controllers were manning the roundabout with vehicles queued up on the Warrego Highway and up Ashburn Street all the way to Dinmore.
Traffic conditions are expected to be like this for several days, especially on the weekend.
The vast majority of shoppers had stocked up on everyday items, but so far nobody has been spotted walking out with the $144,000 diamond ring or the $18,000 TV.
Popular items in most trollies were bulk packs of toilet paper, pastries, cleaning goods and frozen foods.
The QT asked some of the first shoppers about their impressions of the superstore and what they bought:
Robyn and Michelle Romi from North Booval
"We've been coming here for a while, Michelle is American and they sell a brand of maple syrup that she loves.
"For a few weeks we've been coming over this way just for the petrol, you save on petrol enough in a year to cover the membership easy.
"Today we've bought bulk items for home. I think we will come here several times a year, it's only up the road from home."
Jennifer O'Sullivan with Phoebe and Linda Perea from Ipswich
"It's great to get lunchbox snacks in bulk, that saves a lot of money when you have kids to make lunches for every day. We'll come here a fair bit I reckon."
Danny and Rose Summerville from Leichhardt
"I came to check out the prices, I've never been to one before. Everyone should come and check it out, i bought lots of meat, bread, lots of odds and ends. I think we will come here once a month, buy in bulk and do lots of food prep. There's so many products to buy, we think we will save a lot of money over time."
Trisha Tully and Lorraine Lions from Rosewood.
"It was great. We got bulk food, I like to shop that way as there are six of us at home. The best thing I saw was the meat section and the bakery. I think I'll shop here all the time. We got a big chocolate cake to eat for when we get home, worn out from all the shopping!"
