Fredericton Costco FAQ
Posted by Lamespotting on 16 Aug 2010 at 04:00 am | Tagged as: Fredericton, unbwoodlot
Is it open yet?
Yes.
Where is it?
Top of Regent St. on the UNB Woodlot.
UNB woodlot? Isn’t that environmentally sensitive wetland?
No. Other parts of the woodlot are, but not the area where the Costco is going.
What’s the best way to get there?
You should avoid the Regent/Prospect intersection if possible. If you live in the city, you won’t have much choice, but if you come from away, you can easily avoid it.
From Woodstock and further places North-West, don’t turn off at the Fredericton exit (Hwy 8), keep going on TCH#2 towards Moncton, and take exit 285 (Hwy 101). At the end of the ramp, turn left, drive through the woods and Costco will be on your right.
From Oromocto and further places South-East, don’t turn off at the Fredericton exit (Hwy 7), keep going on TCH#2 towards Edmundston and take exit 285B (Hwy 101N). At the end of the ramp, turn right, drive through the woods and Costco will be on your right.
Will it kill other businesses in Fredericton?
Probably not. Downtown businesses won’t be affected as they won’t be directly competing with it. Some stores in the malls may have some difficulty if they can’t compete on price. However, the Costco will bring in more people from farther outside the city who will presumably go to other stores as well.
When is it open?
You should really check the Official Web site, however:
- M-F 10:00am – 8:30pm
- Sat. 9:30am – 6:00pm
- Sun. 12:00pm – 5:00pm
When is the gas bar open?
- I’ll have to get back to you on that, I heard it was one hour earlier and later than store hours.
My husband and I got passes weekend before last to look around the Saint John store. We are trying to decide if we want to become members when F’ton opens.
We were generally disappointed. The prices were certainly not better than Wal-Mart and the groceries, in particular, were quite a bit more expensive than our usual stop (Atlantic Superstore). The piles of products were hard to navigate, unattractive and confusing, and what is with checking peoples’ receipts on the way out the door? Almost creepy degree of security going in and out. So all it would really offer us is a little variety in products on occasion. Not sure that is worth spending a hundred bucks a year on.
Nevertheless, always glad to see development and growth in Freddy.
It’s too early to say that “downtown business won’t be affected” just because the Costco itself isn’t competing with downtown stores. The strip mall at the Corbett Centre will get spin-off traffic from shoppers at the Costco, which will make it a potentially more-attractive location even for small non-big box stores, the kind that we already have downtown. Will retailers downtown move up to the Corbett Centre? Google research for other cases seems to go either way. Can’t blame them if they do – but more empty storefronts downtown won’t be a good thing.
I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the land still belongs to UNB, and that the developers are simply leasing it from them. Is that right? If so, does UNB have any say over the design/layout of the stores? I don’t know how many universities have the luxury of having a commercial centre under its control, but it would make a great project if UNB (eg, under Engineering/Urban Planning/Architecture departments) directed it as a case study in integrating best planning principles. Eg, minimum LEED standards, integrated housing, transit-oriented development. http://hberry86.wordpress.com/ presents some good examples.
I have a feeling that the lease with the developer probably won’t allow UNB to dictate better design standards. Considering that Fredericton has a shortage of office space, it’s a shame they didn’t think of putting a level of offices on top.
Can not wait until Fredericton’s opens
We are a family of 5 and Costco definitely is where we save our money. It probably isn’t the most economical for someone that is single because of the bulk purchases. I really like the prices on clothes which are unbeatable when you look at the quality you are receiving compared to other stores. I think that having a Costco in Fred. is a smart move for all. Not to mention that it brings more jobs to the town.