Out of all the things I love about living in Australia one of the things I can’t stand is the stranglehold that Coles and Woolworths have on this country. They are both insanely over priced and depending on where you live you may pay more or less.

American retail giant Costco is opening its doors in Australia and already has its first location under construction in the docklands district of Melbourne. A lot of Australians have no idea what Costco is. I’ve even seen it compared to the German grocery store “Aldi’s”. Well, I can tell you that Costco is nothing like Aldi’s .. in fact I’d go as far as to say that Costco makes Aldi’s look like a second rate market stall. Costco isn’t just a grocery store, it sells everything from car parts to big screen tv’s and everything in between. What I am the most curious about is how Costco will effect the grocery market here in Australia. Some doubt that Australians will warm to the bulk buying style of shopping experience that Costco brings to the table. But I think the money saved from buying bulk will have them lining up around the block.

If its done right and the Australian government doesn’t get in the way, Costco will revolutionize the way Australians buy consumer goods. For far to long Australians have been getting royally screwed on the price of groceries, electrical goods and many other household items. Coles and Woolies had better be prepared to lower there prices and scrap there 1950’s model of what they call a grocery store. We can only hope that there plans to expand into Sydney and Brisbane happen quickly. Rumours have been circulating that Costco are looking at a site near the logan hyperdome as the home for the Brisbane Costco superstore.  Other then a few pics from locals on the skyscrapercity.com forums there has been little news from Costco regarding its new stores. You can be sure I will report any news I hear about future locations and the much anticipated opening of Costco Melbourne.