Save Big At Costco Liquor Stores
Last year, my wife saved us 10% off a substantial liquor store bill just by asking for a discount. As we prepare for our annual summer kick off party this year, we’ve decided that my wife won’t be doing that again. Not because we don’t want to save money, but because we won’t be purchasing anything from that liquor store this year.
We’ll be fulfilling our alcohol needs by shopping at Costco’s liquor store instead. We were shopping at Costco over the weekend, and decided to stop in their liquor store to compare prices and were astonished at what we found. Here are some examples of the advantages of shopping at the Costco Liquor Store:
- Captain Morgan Spiced Rum: A 1.75L bottle at our usual liquor store would cost $24.99. At Costco, it cost us $17.99, for a savings of 28%.
- Risata Moscato d’Asti : My wife loves Moscato, and this is her favorite. We normally pay $15.99 a bottle for this, but at Costco, the price is $11.99. That’s a 25% price difference!
- Grey Goose Vodka : 1.75L bottles of the Goose are $56 at our local liquor store, but only $42 at Costco. Once again, that’s a 25% price difference.
- Store Brand: Costco also sells their store brand, Kirkland, versions of different kinds of products including Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, and wine. I’ve had the vodka and some of the wines, and they’re good quality, and are well priced.
You may not even have to be a Costco member to enjoy these prices. If the products are located inside the main Costco store, you will need a membership to buy them. But if there is a separate liquor store, such is the case with my location, no membership is needed to get these great prices. If you do run into trouble check out how to shop at Costco without a membership over at saving advice.com.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
As an added bonus, in most states purchases made at the Costco Liquor store qualify for the 2% cash back rewards program included in the Costco Executive membership (check the terms of the membership regarding your specific state).
Last year, my wife scored us a 10% discount just by asking. This year we’re getting a 25% discount by shopping at Costco.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, my wife did ask if they could give us an additional discount. They declined 🙂
Do you buy alcoholic beverages at Costco? What’s the best deal you’ve found?
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Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
Liquor in Michigan is regulated by way of state minimum pricing. Stores get a list of the minimum price that they can sell each item and size, and they are not allowed to go below that. They may charge more, but since they can’t go below, Costco definitely loses their advantage here. I suppose in other states where there are not regulated minimum prices, this would make for a great savings opportunity.
@MoneyBeagle – Yikes…..I’m a big fan of the free market, and this seems like government being a little overly intrusive. Just my opinion.
don’t bother getting grey goose, just get the kirkland vodka. it is grey goose just in a different package and lower price. costco is obviously passing on the volume advantage they have over microbusiness liquor stores. if you’re looking purely at cost, costco is not always the cheapest, but overall customer service, ability to return products, and predictable shopping experience makes it the preferred shopping venue for me.
@brock – concept of free market is an illusion. you can’t some some laws and still call it free market. there is no such thing as free market in the USA, especially when it comes to regulated products such as alcohol.
@sun – I know that in many cases the same manufacturer will put the same product in different packaging…..but I didn’t think vodka (grey goose / kirkland) was one of them – is that true?
Here’s an interesting article I found…..
http://rebelbartender.com/2011/07/14/review-kirkland-signature-vodka-or-is-it-or-is-it-not-grey-goose/