Recently, the American discount retailer Costco opened its latest store in Mulhouse, France, about 30 minutes from Basel and close to the border with Germany. On 9,000 square meters, this new Costco store located on Rue des Romains in Mulhouse offers food and non-food departments, as well as a restaurant, a gas station, an optician, and a tire service station.

If you are unfamiliar with the Costco model—it is a low-overhead consumer mecca that sells everything in bulk quantities at prices that are, at most, 14% above cost price. To shop at Costco, however, you must have a membership, which can also be purchased on-site. Membership costs € 36 per year and is valid at all Costco Warehouse Clubs worldwide. Thus, if you already have a valid membership anywhere else in the world, it is valid at the Mulhouse location. Costco makes its money primarily on membership fees, with nearly 70 million members worldwide and a 90% membership renewal rate.

The new location is open Monday to Friday from 10:00-20:30, Saturday from 09:00-20:30, and closed Sunday. The gas station is open Monday to Saturday from 07:00-21:30.

Note that while shopping in bulk may seem cost effective, there is a limit on what you can bring across the Swiss border without having to pay duty taxes. Each person can import up goods worth a maximum of CHF 150 per day into Switzerland, which includes food and non-food items, household pets, repairs, and/or maintenance work carried out abroad on your own private vehicle. In addition, there are strict limits on the amount of meat, dairy products, fat, alcohol, cigarettes, and other tobacco products that can be imported daily. For more information about duty-free allowances and limits, see our post “Duty-Free Allowances and Limits in Switzerland.”

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