Countdown to Costco: Gas station opens one month before much-anticipated retail warehouse
STUART — Costco Wholesale Corp. opened its members-only gas station here Tuesday, one month before opening its highly-anticipated retail store.
The gas station is the first finished piece of the 49-acre development at 3173 S. Kanner Highway, just south of Martin County High School. The 156,438-square-foot Costco Wholesale store is to open 8 a.m. April 25.
Workers waved signs along Kanner Highway Wednesday, beckoning drivers to sign up for memberships at a kiosk near the store entrance and to fill up their vehicles for the first time.
Drivers who already had Costco memberships said they were impressed with the gas prices and said they were eager to start shopping at a Costco store closer to home.
"It's quite a bit cheaper," said Jaimo Opila, of Stuart, after filling up his Ford Ranger XLT. He's had a Costco membership for more than 25 years, he said. "Not having to run to North Palm Beach is very, very convenient."
A gallon of regular gas cost $2.73 per gallon Wednesday at Costco, the cheapest price in Martin County, according to GasBuddy, a comparison-search website for gasoline.
"I just renewed my Costco membership at the end of last year, knowing that Costco was coming to Stuart," said Carla Williamson, of Stuart, adding she is excited to buy fresh produce and other goods in bulk. "I am thrilled, because it is going to help my family, in terms of cost of living. I have young children and food costs a lot."
More: Stuart Costco store to open April 25 as 49-acre Kanner Highway development nears completion
More: Stuart could get 'vast majority' of $206M-$400M economic benefit from Brightline station
The gas station is open to members only. It has 12 pumps and 24 fuel positions.
The station sold 500 gallons of gasoline on its opening day, according to Tony Sleugh, a Costco fuel operations manager. A Costco station typically sells 35,000 gallons of gas per day, he said, but the Stuart location is expected to ramp up to that volume once the adjoining store opens.
Jack Randall is TCPalm's economy and real estate reporter. You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com or 904-466-4755.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Countdown to Costco: Gas station opens one month before retail store
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