- Costco opened its first location in Seattle in 1983, building off Price Club’s warehouse format.
- Today’s company is the product of a 1993 merger between Costco and Price Club, which opened in 1976.
- Costco provided Business Insider with historical photos of the chain’s inaugural warehouse.
Costco is a staple of the big-box-store landscape. Since its beginning in 1983, it has attracted a devoted flock of members thanks to its low prices and bulk sizes.
But the wholesale retailer’s origin story is a bit complicated.
The Costco of today is in fact the result of a 1993 merger between Costco and its predecessor, Price Club, which was founded in 1976 by legendary entrepreneur Sol Price.
Costco provided Business Insider with a number of photos of the company’s first warehouse from 1983.
These images provide a glimpse into what making a Costco run would’ve looked like back when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.