Costco are throwing open the doors for non-members to shop at Costco without a membership at their Melbourne stores on Tuesday November 28 only.
Also, if anyone signs up for membership on the day, they will receive a hamper with Costco goods worth over $100 as a bonus! - Only ~100 per store (thanks to yoyo6)
EDIT: Link to flyer. It’s says Mums, but anyone can shop: http://melbourne.kidtown.com.au/images/mmsocialmedia1_1.jpg
Thanks. I guess we will see tomorrow
I have to imagine that parking will open up at Docklands for non-members. Otherwise, where will the "invited guests" park??
I plan to get to the Docklands around 9:45am or so tomorrow. I used to be a member, and will shop a lot and see if I want to rejoin again.
U.S. Costco sell the Vitamix blender (model 5200) for a good price (US$500). Anyone know if Costco AUS sell the same blender and at what price?
Thanks
I’ve seen them there but not sure on price
not sure what model but spotted a model for sale around $700
On facebook, a person confirmed with the Ringwood store that is is free for MUMS ONLY today.
Just identify as a woman. Problem solved.
just take a copy of the docklands email above that states its open for everyone and if they dont let you in complain
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of W05101 Membership
Sent: Wednesday, 22 November 2017 5:58 PM
Subject: Melbourne Open Day without membership - November 28
Hi
Thank you for your email regarding the VIP day.
All Costco warehouse in Melbourne will be hosting a VIP day on
Tuesday November 28th from 10am till 8:30pm.
This VIP day is open for all non members to shop 1 time (not just for mums)
Non members arriving on the day will receive a VIP flier to be used as their membership card.
There will be a table set up near the entrance door.
Kind regards,
Costco Membership Team
Docklands
That's not proof. They can say you made it up.
If you tell them what sex you identify as though, they're not going to ask for proof. They have to respect that.
Just identify as a woman
Apparently that's not enough either, you need to have given birth… Not sure if they have a doctor there to check…
It was still packed
I think I saw you there.
That's weird because I drove past
Anyone know what is in the hamper? Pls post details if you have
Total waste of Time. Line not moving and about 200m long.
Hahaha…Go back to work mate. Its not worth your time to stand in those queue and fight with other shoppers…
Which store are you in? And it seems the event is not exclusive to mums?
Has anyone gotten a hamper? It seems like the queue is ridiculous
No one can confirm whether they're gender biased for entry?
Anyone can get in at Docklands, can confirm.
gender biased? why would this ever be a thing???
It was advertised as an event for "mums".
Ended up leaving the Moorabbin store after waiting in line for an hour. Too many people not knowing where the end of the queue was so just started their own line in the carpark which just pushed into the middle of the actual queue. Staff did nothing to stop it. A staff member told me if I wanted to join for the free hamper then there was a 'much shorter queue' up the front. Went there and another staff member didn't know where the end of that queue was and it would be a 3-4 hour wait to join up. Gave up after that :(
Really poorly organised. They needed to have staff directing people or even just rope off a passage so it would be obvious where you need to queue.
Wow sounds like a real mess
Gees, I only wanna go to Moorabbin store to fill up the petrol in the afternoon. Do I get a chance there?
Not worth your time. Petrol is cheap, but queues are long even on a normal day.
The servo is still only for members today.
Thanks. You saved me hours.
Yeah it wasn't very well thought out.
That many people cramming into the store on one day as way above the capacity Costco can handle. Even on the weekends you won't find a car park or even a trolley.
They've oversold their subscriptions already. This was a marketing attempt to convert more non-members into members, but there's no way they can handle the load.
If they were to do this properly, it would have to be a whole week that the public can get access.
What slowed the line down is that they can't just let people in the door. They have to take details of every freeloader and issue a temporary membership. If they skipped that process it would be much quicker, although the inside of the warehouse will be overloaded with people.
It's still a few months away, but when Epping opens it will reduce the pressure on the Ringwood and Docklands stores, which will be good. Now we just need Ringwood and Docklands to get servos and all will be good!
So wifey needed me to go to BCF today so I figured as it's on the way to Costco Ringwood that I'd do my bi-monthly shop.
Completely forgot about today's promo.
Driving up to it there were freakin cars everywhere, and I could see the entrance which was just packed with people with trolleys. What a mess.
Given I had the toddler with me and it was approaching 11, it would have been a nightmare for me, a member, to shop at the store I am rarely able to get to.
I'll be popping in later this week or next week for a quiet shop and then cancel my membership once I'm done.
With Kaufland coming soon, and the fact Ringwood is 30 mins away, Costco is too difficult for me.. especially when I make mistakes like I did today.
tl;dr: RIP Costco membership
If you have a membership you can skip the queue. That queue is only for the people trying it out.
Still would have to fight past the line and then fight through the non members in-store and then line up at the checkouts with them.. unless they had member-only checkouts? It should really have been conveyed better to members via email. The email that came in two days ago had no mention of it whatsoever.
Here's a reply via Costco Facebook msg regarding filling up petrol today at their petrol station. Hopefully it helps.
Unfortunately no, as at the petrol station you are required to insert your membership card. This event is only in the warehouse.
I dont care about the hamper. Is it possible just to go shopping as I know exactly what I want (Nandos sauce)?
Yes, but the queue to get in is massive. They only have mild sauce too that I could see.
Mild is fine.
I went to the Moorabbin store at 9.30 just in case there was a queue to get the hamper and membership, then rush of to work. I did not have to wait too long luckily, just 20 minutes. Apparently they opened the membership sign up at 9 am. By the time i left the queue was massive (as expected). So for those wondering whats in the hamper:
Exchange vouchers to redeem item for free:
1. 1.5 kg Battered Whiting Fillets
2. 1.5 kg Chicken Breast Nuggets
3. 500 g Sliced Ham
4. 1 kg Swiss Cheese Slices
5. 1.8 kg Blueberries (Frozen)
6. 360g Cheese
7. 12 Pack Croissant
8. Iced Coffee or Mango Smoothie
9. $50 off 4 Tyres
10. $50 off Optical
Actual items (In the box):
1. Paper Towels
2. Some Chocolate Kisses
3. 2 x Moisturising Lotion (~100 ml)
4. 2 x Laundry Detergent (samples)
5. Toothpaste
6. 100 pack of Baby Wipes
9. Strawberries (Fresh)
Plus some morning tea - few miniature pastries and biscuits
So all in all not bad but sucks for those who turned up around 10 am (stated opening time).
Just got back from Ringwood, got the "hamper". There was no gender checking, although I did bring my mother in law with me, lol.
There were two lines, one for those that want to sign up, the other for those that just want to take advantage of the free day.
It was very confusing, people didn't know what to do. You had to grab a form first from the tent set up outside the entrance, two different forms depending on what you want to do, one to sign up, the other just for the free entry today.
Those that want to sign up also had to get a number at the entrance if they want the hamper. I started lining up at 9:40, was already a huge line ahead all the way to the car park, so I didn't think I would have a chance. But lots of people were there just to get the free day pass (some members too), not too sign up. My number was 53.
The hamper is a coupon sheet with about 8 free fresh/frozen items, and once you check out, you get the other items that are part of the hamper, like strawberries, Colgate toothpaste, etc… You have to collect the coupon items yourself, which is a nightmare today with all the people, and the coupons expire today.
Car park also full by at the time I left.
Horrible
Yeah, it was. Feel sorry for the members who didn't know what was happening today. The staff were all very good trying to organize the mess.
The 100 hampers long gone by now, but still tons of people lining up to sign up, don't know why, can just come back another day to do it.
Talked to a staff member at checkout, apparently this was the busiest the store has ever been, even compared to the launch. The VIP day was actually supposed to be a limited offer (the whole "Mums" thing), but apparently, it was made public by the media and certain unnamed websites (ahem), and so they had to honour the deal even though this wasn't what they were prepared for. This might explain the disorganisation a bit.
@DVDGuy:
Went to the Ringwood store- no queue but constant flow of people. Had a good browse of the whole store but gave up buying anything when the queue at the checkout was ridiculously long around 7.30pm.
There was an announcement up the front that this open day will "never happen again".
So is it worth driving down to Docklands from Bendigo? I was planning to leave at 2.30.
Well they will still be open til 830 so - yea you can do some shopping, but think about the after-work crowd, you will be squeezing by the aisles.
Be prepared for it to be packed especially in the carpark getting in - if you have 2 people and someone drops one person out to shop it might be better .
For a drive that far just go on another day and spend the $65 for a membership. I got there at 10am today and left because it was too busy, with cars lining out around the block.
Thanks for the update. Let's see how crazy it will be later tonight after work…..
You have to collect the coupon items yourself, which is a nightmare today with all the people, and the coupons expire today.
Oh wow. That is bad. That's a big amount of perishables that someone like me couldn't possibly go through in time.
I've always wondered with events like this, how come SO many people go? What about work etc? I know there's a lot of people that do shift work etc, but not at the amount that you see at these events.
Do people literally pull a sickie just to go to these? Insane. I would never take a day off work for this unless there's a very big incentive to go.
I always wondered why I could never get a car park at my local shopping center (Chadstone) even during business hours. Looks like not many people work these days.
Maybe most of them work at the shopping center..
Have you been to chaddy? There's no way that all the cars in those big carparks are employees at the centre. It's definitely shoppers.
Oh gosh your local shopping centre is Chaddy? My deepest sympathies are with you, vicky88.
I avoid that place like the plague, terrible to find parking and the crowds are too much. I prefer a more quiet relaxed shopping experience.
That's why I only go to Chaddie after 6.30pm- fuss free and I get to do what I want. Only applies to the majors that open late (i.e. groceries).
Imagine if they did this on a weekend..
it's already packed on weekends. You won't find a place to park (unless you stalk someone leaving) or a trolley.
You haven't noticed the population explosion in Melbourne lately? The rate of immigration from overseas and interstate into Victoria?
Yes, I agree, I've thought about that, but still, shouldn't most of the population be working during these hours?
White collar workers will be concentrated in the city
Teachers and students at schools
Doctors, nurses, and health care workers at hospitals or private practices
Thinking about it, most jobs are 9-5 on weekdays so either all these people contributing to weekday crowds must be one of:
Unemployed
Have the day off work (part time etc)
Pulling a sickie
Have a VERY generours employer who doesn't care when they come into work / not come into work
The population is much bigger than we can handle, if 'handling' means there's enough car parks and the place isn't overcrowded to the point it's hard to get around.
If there's this many people on a non-work day, imagine the weekends.. the only thing stopping it from being even worse than it is, is insufficient car parking.
Yes, I agree, I've thought about that, but still, shouldn't most of the population be working during these hours?
When there's that many total people, even the minority who aren't working that day is a large number of people. As mentioned above, more people migrated to VIC, but we didn't build new shopping centers or roads for them or expand enough car parks because there is limited space to expand to.
The people working on a weekday far exceed the ones going shopping. You just don't see how much worse it is because there are limiters (i.e. car parking spaces).
Try going to Apple during xmas time. Hah.
Its most likely number two. Welcome to the gig economy.
I’ve noticed it. I could previously get a seat on the train at my station, then a standing spot, now I can’t even get on sometimes (within a 2 year period) they have increased trains to run every 3 mins from 7 mins originally during peak but it’s not enough.
Yeah my partner catches the train to work everyday, from Cranbourne (end of the line), and most times gets a seat. But she says that the next station people are already in standing mode, that's a looonngggg journey to be standing all the way!
Which station do you get on at?
@MathNerd:
Clayton so yes the same line. They are building over 6000 apartments (former factory site) next to the station before mine. I wonder what will happen then!!!
@vicky88: yeah back when I was in school (2004-2008) I caught the train from Clayton and the train was already full then… Can't imagine what it is like now!
Just a bit of warning, it can get VERY crowded especially with the xmas shopping rush and also this "open to all" day. I bought a big bag of cheetos puffs for $3.59 and they're excellent. Also try the squid jerky - very well seasoned. In the freezer look for the Noodles with shrimp dumplings 6 bowls in a box for $18. They are selling for $5 per bowl at colesworth and very tasty and fast to cook. They have a house brand Kirkland paper towels for $31 but they are much wider than regular paper towels and also have small "select a size" perforations, so it actually lasts longer since you use less every time.
They have proper Cheetos :D I may have to renew my membership.
DO THEY HAVE MUCH GLUTEN FREE STUFF?
No idea; but they do have keyboards with working caps lock keys
Ive been to docklands a few times before but never seen every trolley taken from the front carousel so its super packed - there was a pretty big line of cars trying to drive in too so be prepared to wait or if you have more than one person get them to jump out and start shopping while you wait for a park.
Does anyone have live updates? Have they already been today? What was the crowd and parking like?
A news article about today's event had these pics attached of the Moorabbin store queue:
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/152953c2d12533aea8e47cedf…
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/bdcf622ad7ce05f6eb3714196…
That is bonkers. High heat plus crowds makes a smelly, throbbing, dense situation that is not very pleasant. So glad I don't work in the city!
They would have got 5 digit new customers today, easily, across 3 stores. If 10% of them got memberships, that's a nice haul.
Thanks to those who took the time to post their experiences at Costco here today.
Glad I decided to give it a miss. Looking at how they struggle on a busy day I thought it would get messy pretty quick. Not worth the stress/waiting time unless planning to spend big in which case you could probably justify the membership and shop on another day anyway to avoid the crowd of visitors today!
Funny enough I wonder whether the parking hassle/crowds would convert more people to shop online when Amazon ramps up their offerings.
i wonder if the massive turn out may make them consider lowering or removing the membership?
You can only keep dreaming
Arrived at Docklands around 12 25 PM, pretty short entry lines, ridiculous checkout lines however. Aisles weren't that packed at that time. Really enjoyed the $2 hot dog + unlimited drink.
Wonder if they caught non-member shoplifters today??
nah, pretty hard unless those managed to open a can of lollies, pick a few and stash into pockets. Most items are bulky and the security guys out the door check every person and receipt (not literally every items but enough to deter theft.
Only Docklands has controlled parking for members only. No restrictions of any kind at Ringwood or Moorabbin.
If you have trouble parking at Costco Ringwood, you can park inside Eastland (note that you can only park there for 3 hours for free), or you can park at Ringwood Square (where the Bunnings / ALDI / Coles is). The undercover car park there has heaps of spots and never gets full. Both options are about a 10 min walk away though.