Originally Posted by JRcorvette (Post 2439190)

Sounds like Costco is going to be giving stuff away… every day will be like a Black Friday event!

Originally Posted by Switter (Post 2439145)

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.

Originally Posted by MandoMan (Post 2439143)

I’ve been a Sam’s Club member for around thirty years. I don’t see much reason to switch. The sort of things Costco sells that Sam’s Club doesn’t sell are generally things I don’t buy anyway.

Yes, there will be more traffic on 301 and 466, but considering that most of the traffic on 466 keeps going rather than stopping to shop at the many stores, we should not assume that this is going to change. Even if twenty cars per minute on 466 turn to go to Costco, which. Is not likely to happen very often, traffic won’t be affected very much; we can handle it. In general, it will not be “a nightmare.”

What WILL be “a nightmare” is trying to drive there, park there, or shop there in the first week it is open, or perhaps even the first month. Thousands around here will want to come check it out. Why not just wait and let the excitement and the parking and traffic jams die down? Parking close to the building will be the worst, so why not plan to park on the outskirts and just do a little extra walking. (You’ll be walking inside the store anyway, right?) We all know that it will usually be packed on Saturday and Sunday, so why not just stay away on weekends and leave it to the people who work for a living? It will be least crowded Monday through Friday before 11, so why not limit your visits to weekday mornings? I hate crowds, so that’s what I try to do at Sam’s Club.

Originally Posted by Topspinmo (Post 2439181)

Failed to mention plenty Walmarts all around villages.

Originally Posted by UpNorth (Post 2439194)

Costco and Aldi's in LSL soon to be a short cart drive away for me. A shopping dream come true.

Originally Posted by JRcorvette (Post 2439190)

Sounds like Costco is going to be giving stuff away… every day will be like a Black Friday event!

Originally Posted by thelegges (Post 2439199)

Until the “New Smell” wears off Walmart on 44 will be packed. I am hoping like other states this one will be open 5a-midnight. Wishing for 24 hour open I don’t think is going to to happen ever again.

Originally Posted by bragones (Post 2439161)

Costco in The Villages will be golf cart accessible, at least it is now as I've driven by in my cart a few times. That will ease the traffic concerns a bit and should be a nice benefit for locals.

Originally Posted by CybrSage (Post 2439211)

This is why I love the Villages. People with no knowledge or experience in doing something are all better planners than those who do it for a living.

Of course the city and CostCo did traffic studies, etc. This is not the first CostCo ever built, after all.

Cities can, and do, make the company build out road improvements and such if needed.

But please, never stop posting about how much more you know about something than the experts, it is fun to read over morning coffee
.

:)

Originally Posted by CybrSage (Post 2439211)

This is why I love the Villages. People with no knowledge or experience in doing something are all better planners than those who do it for a living.

Of course the city and CostCo did traffic studies, etc. This is not the first CostCo ever built, after all.

Cities can, and do, make the company build out road improvements and such if needed.

But please, never stop posting about how much more you know about something than the experts, it is fun to read over morning coffee
.

:)