Brentwood Costco customers line up early, many for bourbon

BRENTWOOD, Calif. - Some customers in Brentwood lined up a day ahead of Friday's new Costco opening, in the hopes of scoring good deals, especially on bourbon. 

That's what father-and-son Fred Thurman Jr. and Sr. came for. 

"We've been here since yesterday," Fred Thurman Jr. said. "There's a lot of awesome people here sharing bourbon and bourbon knowledge." 

As for Eric Thompson, this was his third early-morning Costco opening. He, too, was there for the bourbon.

"Well, it's more about the community," he said. "We all love the same thing." 

Not everyone was there for the alcohol.

Kathy Murray, celebrating her 30th birthday, came for birthday cake.

But, her husband, of course, came for the bourbon.  

Doors officially opened at 7:30 a.m. in a grand opening ceremony that felt like a rock concert. 

As executives welcomed shoppers into the store, customers and staff members whooped and cheered. 

Costco made a bold move this year, stating it would stick with diversity, equity and inclusion practices, despite a Trump administration mandate to end these efforts. Other companies, like Target, Walmart and McDonald's, said they would get rid of DEI. 

As one of his first moves in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at terminating DEI programs within federal agencies. Conservatives have long condemned them, arguing they violate the U.S. Constitution by considering factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation.

Some Costco customers lined up a day in advance to enter the new Brentwood store. March 7, 2025

But despite this pressure, in January, the Costco board of directors voted unanimously to uphold DEI practices, saying in a statement that "our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary." 

The directors’ message to shareholders details how having diverse employees and suppliers has, in their view, fostered "creativity and innovation in the merchandise and services that we offer" and led to greater customer satisfaction among Costco members.

Friday's opening in Brentwood is all part of Costco's plan to expand in the coming years.

Six locations will be opening across the United States this month.

Two of those will be in Texas, one in Massachusetts, one in Michigan and two in California. 

Costco’s first warehouse location was built in Seattle in 1983, and the founders at the time had no idea the model would be this successful.

Today, the retailer has more than 600 locations here in the United States. 

As of 2024, the chain had more than 137 million members nationwide.