Customers enjoy food at a new Costco store in Shanghai on the first day of its trial operation on March 10.China News Service | China News Service | Getty ImagesBEIJING — If retail sales slowed this summer, it hasn’t felt that way in parts of China.In the weeks around early July, New York residents David and Susan Schwartz visited three Costco stores, known as warehouses, on the outskirts of Shanghai and the neighboring city of Suzhou.They said average daily foot traffic was around 7,000 people — double that of the U.S. — for stores that are about the same size.”In China we just saw a lot of people every day we went, anytime we went, from morning to evening, weekdays and weekends, just lots and lots and lots of people,” said David Schwartz. “We didn’t get a sense of any ebb and flow at all.”That contrasts with Costco locations in the U.S., where weekdays aren’t as busy as the weekends, he said in an interview last week. David and Susan are co-authors of the forthcoming book “The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z.” They spent seven years visiting warehouses in nearly every region where Costco has a presence — more than 10 countries and over 40 U.S. states.The book is not sponsored or officially authorized by Costco, although the U.S. retailer has put in orders to stock it, the Schwartzes said. Costco did not immediately res …
