Costco tests standalone gas stations near warehouse locations
Costco planned a test of two fuel-only stations within two miles of warehouses, starting with a 40-pump, members-only site in Mission Viejo.
Costco planned to test a couple of stand-alone gas stations within two miles of existing warehouse locations, a format that could pull fuel traffic off crowded club lots and change the pressure on front-end and fuel teams. The first site was in Mission Viejo, California, at 25732 El Paseo, the former Bed Bath & Beyond location, and Costco’s website said the gas station had no warehouse attached.
The Mission Viejo station was set to open by the end of June 2026 and was reported to have 40 pumps, making it Costco’s largest gas station ever built. The members-only site mattered inside the warehouse as much as outside it: if drivers can buy fuel without circling the main club parking lot, store managers, attendants and front-end assistants may see fewer complaints about gas lines spilling into shopper traffic and fewer questions at the membership desk about where to line up, park and enter.
Costco has sold gasoline since 1995, and analysts have long pointed to its busy pumps as evidence of the chain’s member draw. Neil Saunders has said Costco gas is a $29.96 billion business for the company, and the stand-alone test gives Costco another way to protect that business without adding more congestion at the warehouse door.
The fuel-only format also put pressure on nearby convenience retailers in Orange County, where one later report said Mission Viejo pricing ran well below the county average. If Costco extends the model beyond Mission Viejo, the question for warehouse workers is whether the new sites become a relief valve for gas lines and parking overflow or simply another stop in the same member routine, with the load shifted rather than removed.
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