Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
SHARON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — To say Costco shoppers were excited about the opening of a new store in Sharon would be an understatement.
"There were members that flew in from San Francisco and got here before our CEO arrived last night," store manager T.J. Cleary told WBZ NewsRadio.
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The popular wholesaler cut the ribbon at its first new Massachusetts location in more than 20 years Wednesday.
The new location at 160 Old Post Rd. includes a food court, gas station, tire service center, pharmacy, optical department, and hearing aids center.
"It’s beautiful," one shopper said. "Best Costco we’ve been to yet."
"Well laid out, the parking lot was very easy to maneuver, gas station’s huge," another shopper gushed.
1 of 2 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
2 of 2 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
For Sharon residents, the new Costco is a long time coming. It is built at the new Sharon Gallery, a mixed-use development visible from I-95 and close to the Rhode Island border. The town had been trying to build any new store on this land for years.
"I actually was in high school when the idea first came out and the concept of Sharon Gallery, or at the time I think it was even called Sharon Commons, it’s been years in the making," one woman said.
"It’s just humbling that, you know, the people of the community are willing to welcome us in," Cleary said.
Anyone who wants to shop at Costco must have a membership. Gold Star and Business memberships cost $65 a year and an Executive membership costs $130 a year.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.