The Only State Where You Can Shop At A 2-Story Costco - Tasting Table

"Typical Costco warehouses are 146,000 square feet. That can make it overwhelming for new shoppers trying to decide what to buy on a first-time trip. But there are a couple of Costco locations that take this experience quite literally to the next level. There are only a pair of two-story Costco warehouses in America, and both are located in the same state. One is in Port Chester, New York. The other, Costco's first two-story warehouse built back in 1996, is in Brooklyn."

"Costco is no stranger to unique architecture. Unlike many chains, Costco doesn't require uniform exteriors and layouts. The company adapts to the space available. Some locations are entirely subterranean, like the one in San Francisco that sits beneath two levels of underground parking. In general, however, Costco prefers to have the whole store on a single floor. Almost every retailer prefers it this way, as it's a matter of cost and logistics."

"In dense urban places like New York, where land is more expensive and a lot of red tape comes with development, companies need to make the most of limited territory. As Costco CFO Richard Galanti told CBS News when the brand began moving into malls in 2010, Costco "can't always find the 10 or 12 acres needed to build a store," so it has to use the space available. Because of that, Costco found itself building up instead of out."

Typical Costco warehouses are about 146,000 square feet, which can overwhelm new shoppers deciding what to buy. A pair of two-story Costco warehouses exists in New York: one in Port Chester and the other, Costco's first two-story store from 1996, in Brooklyn. Costco adapts store architecture to available space and occasionally uses subterranean or multi-level designs instead of a single floor. Urban land costs and regulatory constraints push the company to build up when large parcels are unavailable. The two-story locations place food on the upper level and nonfood items below, but shoppers criticize them for crowding, confusing lines, limited samples, and cramped parking.

Read at Tasting Table