What is "costco"

Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise. It is currently the largest membership-only warehouse club in the United States.

, Costco was the third largest retailer in the United States. By 2015 it was the second largest in the world (after Walmart).

Costco's worldwide headquarters are in Issaquah, Washington, USA. The company opened its first warehouse in 1983 in Seattle. Through mergers, Costco's overall corporate history dates back to 1976, when its former competitor Price Club was founded in San Diego, California.

, Costco has a total of 705 warehouses, spread throughout the United States (493), Canada (90), Mexico (36), United Kingdom (27), Japan (25), South Korea (12), Taiwan (12), Australia (8), and Spain (2).

Compared with Walmart's reputation for "low prices" and Target's for selling "cheap chic", Costco is known for offering low-price, limited-selection "retail treasure hunts", where "one's shopping cart could contain a $50,000 diamond ring resting on top of a 64-ounce vat of mayonnaise".