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I am taking full advantage of this - I just called my local Costco in DE and the woman who answered the phone confirmed that you do not need a membership to buy alcohol. It's even tax free! This is very helpful for buying large amount of alcohol for a beach house in the Outer Banks for 20 people. Thanks for the great info!!

SmartMoney: kelligrant
Data regarding warehouse club policies came from the warehouse clubs themselves. Their interpretation of Vermont (and other states') laws and regulations is that they must allow access. Such laws are often esoteric, so the clubs tend to err on the side of the consumer - hence the Sam's Club stance that alcohol can be purchased without a membership in any location.

Kelli B. Grant
Senior Consumer Reporter
SmartMoney.com

I was all psyched and emailed the DLC at the State of Vermont to get the actual law so that the store couldn't argue the point. Turns out Vermont has no such law. Why they're on the list is beyond me!

<<Thank you for your question. According to our Chief of Education, Licensing and Enforcement, Bill Goggins, there is no such law in Vermont. Liquor laws are very different from state to state; so, it very well could be that there are laws against requiring a membership to purchase alcohol in other states, but it appears that Vermont is not one of them.



Thank you,

Marcia

Marketing/Customer Service Supervisor

Vermont Department of Liquor Control>>

I stopped shopping at Costco after they scanned my drivers license under the 'guise' of renewing my membership.

I first joined Costco when they opened a new store in my area and were offering a free one year membership.

I asked for an application and noticed they asked for many personal details other than what I thought should have been required for something as innocuous as a store DISCOUNT card.

WHY do they need your SS#, drivers license, phone, work phone, etc? They AREN'T issuing me credit OR doing my taxes.

I filled in none of these except my name and address. When I went to renew my membership, the clerk asked for my drivers license. I stupidly handed it to her and she SCANNED it into their data base. I hadn't provided this the first time and this REALLY PISSED ME OFF.

Screw Costco for their draconian methods of obtaining information on their customers WITHOUT asking. I haven't renewed my membership and if I do, it will...(Read more of this comment) be under an assumed name. God help the next employee who asks me for more information than they are ENTITLED to. (Show less of this comment)

I much prefer to shop at my local neighborhood store. The owners know us, what we like, they will order anything we ask for and most importantly, they know about customer service, something you will not find in Costco or Sam's Club. Try asking a Costco employee to make a wine reccomendation...you may end up with vinegar for a salad!! :)

You should also check your local bars and pubs. We've got one here that sells 1 liter bottles at a set amount above their cost, and that's ALWAYS a ton cheaper than any store's price on a 750ml. I picked up a 1L Skyy for $13.50 and a 1L Maker's Mark for $24. Not too shabby.

It's worth more than their discount to avoid Sam's. I much prefer to shop at a locally owned wine shops even if it means paying a small amount more for my selections. Sam's and WalMart would have to offer items for free for me to think it worth going into their stores. And even then, I'd have to need that free item!

That is good to know. However, if you are like me and don't have any of these clubs near your home, the extra gas that I would have to purchase to get there definitely outweighs the savings that they offer.

Why is it ok to charge a cover at a bar? Its like a membership fee that you have to pay each time you enter the building. Are bars an exception from the rule for some reason?

As far as liquor being the only non-member items for purchase it is my understanding that in New York any warehouse club with a pharmacy must allow non-members in to use the pharmacy and at no additional cost.
At least that's what I've been told!

Another way to take advantage of Costco without membership is to use a gift card. If someone with a membership purchases a $5 gift card for you, you can purchase any amout of merchandise and pay the balance with either cash or debit card (they don't take credit). I don't know the policy in the other stores.

I wrote to customerservice@costco.com yesterday:

Is Costco membership required for the purchase of alcohol in California? According to this article, membership is not required: http://yahoo.smartmoney.com/dealoftheday/index.cfm?story=20060616
xxxxxxxxxxxx The reply: xxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you for emailing Costco Wholesale. You need to be a Costco membership to make any purchase at Costco.
Sincerely,
Grace M.
Executive Service

Good to know skbarton13... sounds like a good value, but no member card is required to purchase alcohol? Non-members can only buy alcohol if there is outside access?

Good to know skbarton13... sounds like a good value, but no member card is required to purchase alcohol? Non-members can only buy alcohol if there is outside access?

Interesting. The closest Costco to my home in Georgia has a liquor section and it has its own entrance from the outside -- no need to go past the card checker to the main store. Beer and wine, which all the Costcos in Atlanta sell, are in the main store.

And so here's the smart money. If I were running Costco, or one of those, I would welcome my newfound supply of alcohol-buying potential members. I would put up a special section for the booze that was intrinsically tied into buying a membership. You wouldn't be buying only booze for too long with this directed sales approach. You'd be lucky to get out without buying a time share!

Where does Rhode Island and Massachusettes stand on this.

Where does Tennessee stand on this?