Growing up, my parents loved Costco because they could purchase foods for our family of four (gia đình 4 người) in bulk for low prices. I remember spending Saturday afternoons exploring the warehouse (nhà kho) with my brother while my parents shopped for produce (nông sản), snacks, and everything in between with (trong phạm vi) their membership.

While Costco started in the US — its first location opened as a Price Club in 1976 in a converted airplane hangar (nhà chứa máy bay đã được chuyển đổi) in San Diego, California — the wholesale outlet (cửa hàng bán buôn) is now in eight countries, including Canada.

As I learned on a recent trip there, Canada is home to (là nơi chứa) more than 100 locations, according to Statista. While I was there for the first time, I stopped by a location in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to see how it would measure up to (so sánh với) US stores.

Turns out (hóa ra), it's pretty similar (khá tương đồng)— but there were a few things that I found to be different.

The largest Canadian retailer (nhà bán lẻ) is Loblaws, a supermarket chain (chuỗi siêu thị), according to Statista. Costco surpassed (vượt qua) Sobeys, Metro, and Walmart, according to the same source (theo cùng nguồn tin).

I thought the inside looked the same, too. Like in the US, the warehouse had an open layout (bố cục mở) with stands of products (các quầy sản phẩm) in the middle and floor-to-ceiling aisles stacked with groceries (các lối đi được chất đầy hàng hóa lên tới nóc) along the perimeter (chu vi).

When I walked into Costco, I was immediately transported to my home country (tôi như được trở về quê nhà của mình) because the inside of the warehouse looked exactly like its counterpart stores (các cửa hàng cùng loại) in the US.

Ramsey Monroe, a Costco fan who has been to more than 200 locations around the globe (khắp nơi trên thế giới), previously told (đã từng kể) Insider that the layout is similar in every store she's been in.

"If I ever feel homesick (cảm thấy nhớ nhà), I can just go to Costco," Monroe said. "I just feel at home (cảm thấy như ở nhà) at Costco so no matter (cho dù) where I am in the world, it's just comforting (dễ chịu/thoải mái).

"The first difference I spotted (phát hiện) between the US and Canadian stores was the addition of French labels (các miếng nhãn dán) on products in Canada.

According to a report from Statistics Canada, more than 20% of the country's population speaks French as their first language.

While French is the primary language in Québec, according to the report, it's the minority language (ngôn ngữ thiểu số) in Ontario — the province (tỉnh) where I visited Costco.

In the clothing section (khu bán quần áo), I noticed a wider variety of (có rất nhiều loại) jackets than I've seen in US stores. They ranged in price from $50 to $100.

While many of the products looked familiar to me (trông rất quen thuộc với tôi), each Costco has locally sourced products (sản phẩm có nguồn gốc địa phương). So I scanned the store for Canadian labels to find foods I can't get back home.

All Costco warehouses locally source vendors (các nhà cung cấp), as Insider previously reported.

During my visit to the Niagara Falls store, I spotted maple leaf (lá phong) cookies, orange mango quinoa cookies, and Hungarian beef sausage among other items that I haven't seen at Costco in the US. In the meat section (khu bán thịt), I noticed that most of the products were also sourced (có nguồn gốc) in Canada.

From bison burgers to Wagyu beef, Costco stores in Canada have a wide variety of locally sourced meats.

The US has a variety of locally sourced meat and seafood as well, from Chicago steaks to bone-in pork cutlets (thịt heo cốt lết).

I also saw dessert items (các món tráng miệng) locally sourced in Canada. And there was some candy that I rarely see (hiếm khi thấy) in the US, like Aero — my favorite chocolate.

I see Aero chocolate bars — a popular treat (món ăn) in the UK and Ireland — in the US every so often, but they're not widely available (lúc nào cũng có sẵn) in my experience (theo kinh nghiệm của tôi). According to Mashed, they're hard to find outside of Amazon.

So I was surprised (bị bất ngờ/ kinh ngạc) to see them being sold in bulk (được bán với số lượng lớn) in this Costco. As I learned later reading Nestlé's website, it turns out the bars are widely sold (được bán rộng rãi) in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Japan.

In the coffee section, I noticed the store carried (có) coffee from Tim Horton's, where I got breakfast just hours before.

Tim Horton's is a popular coffee brand and fast-food breakfast joint based in Canada.

I got a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee drink when I visited the chain, and thought the food tasted fresher than that from most fast-food restaurants I've been to.

On my way out, I noticed the food court (khu ẩm thực) was selling poutine, a Canadian dish I haven't seen in US Costco stores.

Although I didn't get a chance (có cơ hội) to try it for myself (tự mình thử) without a membership, I noticed that the food court carried poutine, a popular Canadian dish that has three ingredients (thành phần): fries (khoai tây chiên), gravy (nước sốt thịt), and cheese curds (cục phô mai).

Later in my trip, I went to La Banquise, a restaurant in Montréal known for  (nổi tiếng với) poutine, and I really enjoyed it. The fries were crispy and greasy (giòn và béo) — just like I like them. I thought the gravy was reminiscent of (gợi nhớ đến) Thanksgiving dinner (bữa tối lễ Tạ Ơn), and the curds (sữa đông) added a unique texture (kết cấu độc đáo) without adding too much flavor (hương vị).

Ultimately (cuối cùng), I found that the Costco I visited in Canada was similar to its US counterparts. Next time, I'd go back with a member so I can try the products unique to Canada.

Although I was outside of the US, visiting Costco in Canada felt like a taste of home (hương vị quê nhà). With a nearly identical layout to the American stores I've been to, I felt transported to my childhood (tôi cảm thấy như được quay trở về thời thơ ấu) as I strolled the aisles (đi tản bộ trên các lối đi).

If I ever find myself in (tôi đến) a Canadian Costco again, I'll pick up  (mua) some Aero, Tim Horton's coffee, and poutine.

Source: https://www.insider.com/how-costco-canada-compares-to-us-photos-2022-9