[thelegges]

Originally Posted by Switter

I think people overestimate the volume of people and traffic that will be going to Costco, thinking it will be some kind of Armageddon. I go to the one in Claremont, usually on a Saturday morning, and it's not bad at all. Plenty of parking and although 50 has a lot of traffic, it's not solely because of Costco. That's just a really busy road in general. If people do end up coming down from Gainesville it's only gonna be a hearty few that will drive over an hour and pay tolls to get here, especially with Sam's Club and BJ's around. I am a die hard Costco shopper and I was hesitating whether renewing my membership when I moved here, just because it takes 50 minutes to get down there and I have to pay tolls.

The other thing is people typically don't go to Costco multiple times a week like they might with Publix or Walmart because you're usually buying bulk product. For me, I go about once every two weeks, even when I only lived 20 minutes away from it up in Minnesota. I'm sure they'll be a noticeable increase in traffic but I think it will be fine.

Gainesville to The Villages Costco is by I 75 there aren’t any TP tolls. You would be surprised how many people in the villages drive all the way to Gainesville Orlando to go to Trader Joe’s, so the reverse isn’t a surprise.