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A book signing to recall

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A large mass will take over the Costco in Huntington Beach this weekend, but it’s not a tumor.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign copies of his tell-all autobiography, “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story,” at the store on Saturday morning as the conclusion of his book tour.

John Checa, assistant general manager of the store, said store employees are “excited” about the event.

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“It’s a brand-new location, and we don’t really market ourselves as media marketing,” he said. “So, we’re basically word-of-mouth. His appearance here will help people realize we’re here in Huntington Beach. This is a good way to market our building.”

This is the first celebrity appearance at the Huntington Beach location, which opened earlier this year, Checa said. He said there have been book signings by celebrities, like Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, at the Fountain Valley store.

“It’s rare, but we do get celebrity book signings,” Checa said.

Checa said Costco is taking precautions to cater to the large crowd at Saturday’s book signing. He said there will be crowd control and organization, including starting the attendance line outside the building, so regular customers who don’t want to partake in the signing can still enjoy their shopping experience.

“Our goal is to give our members something to look forward to and hopefully get new members,” Checa said, adding that parking, however, may be harder that day.

When asked how the store may control visitors who express concern about news reports of Schwarzenegger’s infidelity, Checa said that he “didn’t know how that will play out.”

“I’m assuming there will be positive and negative feedback from the book in general, since he was a political figure,” Checa said. “All we’re going to control is crowd control and the amount of people that do want to see him.”

The event, Checa said, is open to Costco members only, and all memberships will be verified. People who would like to attend the signing but are not Costco members can sign up at the store to be a member.

Early arrival is recommended for those interested in the book signing.

“We understand that there may be a huge crowd and everyone may not have the chance to meet him while he is here,” Checa said.

Schwarzenegger will be signing at the store at 7562 Center Drive beginning at 11 a.m. on the “non-food side of the building,” Checa said.

Although there is no specific ending time listed, Checa said book signings normally last between an hour and an hour and a half.

According to Schwarzenegger’s website, 30 minutes before the signing, his team will choose someone from Twitter to come to the front of the line and take a picture with him. The first person to tweet at @Schwarzenegger, with the hashtag #TotalRecall and #HuntingtonBeach, will be asked to come to the front of the line to take a photo.

For more information, visit schwarzenegger.com/announcements/post/book-tour.

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