'Disney Theme Park Level Crowds:' What Costco's Busiest US Store Is Like, According To Reddit

Costco fandom is nothing short of a global phenomenon. Every day, throughout hundreds of U.S. warehouses (and hundreds more abroad), customers brave crowded parking lots and long checkout lines to score impressive deals on bulk groceries and home goods. Still, some locations have a reputation for getting particularly packed. Whether you view massive crowds as a hallmark of the best Costco locations in the country or the absolute worst ones depends on your perspective, but however you see it, one warehouse store in Honolulu, Hawaii — best known as the Iwilei Costco — takes the crowded cake.

Despite being one of five Costco locations on the island of O'ahu, the Iwilei Costco has long been known as the busiest Costco location in the world. In 2007, the Seattle Times reported that the Iwilei Costco location made $300 million in annual sales, more than double the company's $129 million average. Given how inflation has affected grocery prices in recent years, one can only imagine that number has since skyrocketed even higher.

According to customers on Reddit, shopping at the Iwilei Costco lives up to its reputation. "It's like a combo of The Thunderdome and Fight Club," wrote one commenter on a post in r/Hawaii. Another commenter compared the lines to "Disney theme park level" and warned that "parking is an event." Some commenters indicated that the chaos could be avoided by going at less peak times or making a game plan before entering, but others said they prefer to skip it altogether and visit a different O'ahu branch.

The Iwilei branch is the largest Costco location in O'ahu — the most populous island in Hawaii — but that doesn't entirely explain why it's the busiest Costco store in the United States and, by all accounts, the world. To fully understand that, you have to understand the importance of Costco to residents of Hawaii. Due to the island state's lack of farmland and in-state manufacturing, most residents rely heavily on goods imported from the U.S. mainland, which come at hefty prices and in limited quantities. Costco allows Hawaiians to buy bulk goods at cheaper prices than most other stores, a model which has proven extremely popular. Back in 2007, the Seattle Times even claimed that half of all O'ahu residents had a Costco membership.

It's not just locals who rely on the grocery hotspot, either. Tourists and time share visitors frequent the warehouse chain to stock up on food and treats for their stay, particularly the Iwilei location, which is strategically placed between the airport and the famous Waikiki neighborhood. In addition to typical grocery items, Costco warehouses in Hawaii carry exciting regional finds, like fresh poke and locally grown macademia nuts.

In addition, the Iwilei Costco reigns supreme on the island because it doesn't just cater to family households — it also supplies local businesses. Being both a Costco Wholesale warehouse and a Costco Business Center means more customers and more product on-site — which also means anyone planning to visit the Iwilei Costco should be prepared for a little chaos.