Brentwood officially has a Costco, and if you thought the East Bay wasn’t going to show up in full force for it, you clearly haven’t met a Contra Costa County suburbanite on a mission for bulk savings.

The brand new, 155,000-square-foot Costco at 5151 Heidorn Ranch Road opened its doors this morning, and let’s just say, people were ready. We’re talking lined-up-the-night-before levels of enthusiasm. The crowd surged in as soon as the doors opened at 8 a.m., like a well-trained army of deal hunters, carts at the ready.

A Costco Built for the Big Leagues

This isn’t just any Costco, it’s now the largest one in Contra Costa County. It’s got all the usual suspects: a bakery, pharmacy, optical center, food court (hot dog and soda combo still $1.50, don’t panic), and a tire center for when your wheels give up from driving all over the Bay. But the real power move?

🚗 A 32-pump gas station, one of the biggest in California. Because nothing fuels an exhausting Target-Costco-Home Depot shopping spree like saving a few cents per gallon (until someone blocks the pump while taking their sweet time adjusting their seat).

Jobs, Traffic, and More Traffic

Brentwood’s Mayor Susannah Meyer is calling this a game-changer for the city, bringing hundreds of jobs and a much-needed boost in tax revenue to fund things like roads, public safety, and probably some extra traffic cones (because let’s be real, it’s about to be a mess around Lone Tree Way).

And speaking of traffic, yeah, it was already a disaster today, and it’s not getting better anytime soon. The city warned people to prepare for delays near the new store. Hope y’all filled up on patience at that giant gas station.

Bourbon Was the Star of the Show

Forget toilet paper and rotisserie chickens, the real MVP of today’s opening? Costco’s bourbon section. Turns out, a whole crew of whiskey lovers camped out just to get their hands on bottles of the good stuff. Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, Weller, Costco’s liquor aisle turned into a treasure hunt, and people were READY.

If you showed up hoping to casually grab a bottle, sorry babe, the bourbon bros had already claimed their prizes.

Big Picture: More Than Just Bulk Savings

Brentwood’s Costco isn’t just a shopping mecca, it’s part of a larger development plan aimed at turning the area into a major retail hub. The new store is expected to attract more businesses and make Brentwood even more of a destination for shoppers who don’t feel like trekking all the way to Concord or Livermore.

So, congrats, Brentwood, you’ve officially leveled up. Now let’s just hope the parking lot doesn’t turn into the next Hunger Games arena. Happy bulk shopping!