laikom wrote:Another reason to suck it up and get a membership...

Not to take away from the value of this post and these finds, but as discussed upthread, you don't need a membership to buy alcohol at a Costco in Illinois. State law prohibits paid club memberships for alcohol purchases. Just thought I'd mention it for the non-members who are interested in good finds such as these.

The GP wrote:I recently stood in line at a Costco membership desk to ask about buying liquor without a membership. I was told "they changed that" and it was no longer possible. Not having more time to pursue it, I headed to Binny's. Curious if anyone knows anything further.

Katie wrote:

laikom wrote:Another reason to suck it up and get a membership: Today at Costco I was surprised to come across an entire display, 4 sides of their regular wine displays, of craft beer and cider. Even more surprisingly is that someone who know's their stuff must be stocking it, because there was some really good stuff...

Not to take away from the value of these finds, and I'm a Costco member and fan myself, but as I think we've discussed here before, you don't need a membership to buy alcohol at a Costco in Illinois. State law prohibits paid club memberships for alcohol purchases. Just thought I'd mention it for the non-members who are interested in good finds such as these.

Not too far upthread it was posted that this is no longer the case. Not sure if that's accurate or not.

=R=

Well, I hadn't heard that the Illinois state law had changed, and it's up to the state, not Costco, but I admit that googling around right now, I can't find something to confirm it either. Does anyone have some up-to-date info on this?

Edited to add: After no luck with further googling, I decided to go straight to the source and sent an email the Illinois Liquor Commission to ask. I'll let you know if/when they answer back.

Katie wrote:Well, I hadn't heard that the Illinois state law had changed, and it's up to the state, not Costco, but I admit that googling around right now, I can't find something to confirm it either. Does anyone have some up-to-date info on this?

Edited to add: After no luck with further googling, I decided to go straight to the source and sent an email the Illinois Liquor Commission to ask. I'll let you know if/when they answer back.

I'm not sure about any changes in the law, and I'm not sure why I was curious about this matter, but here is my official reply from Costco when asked about the question ( I included the fact that I was in Illinois when inquiring):

Dear Sir/Madam,

We appreciate you taking the time to email Costco Wholesale. You are welcome to visit a Costco Wholesale location to see the valuable savings we have to offer. As a non-member, you may purchase prescriptions from a Costco pharmacy and pay with cash. However, you must be a paid member to purchase any other items.

For more information or to obtain an application, please visit the Membership counter at any Costco Wholesale location or sign up online at http://www.costco.com.

Costco Wholesale offers you the highest quality merchandise at the best value. We will refund your membership in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.

Thank you,

Tracie S.
Member Service Center
Costco Wholesale Corporation

Binny’s Opening Bucktown Location At ‘Vienna Beef Plaza’

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/08/06 ... eef-plaza/

we pretty much buy all booze and wine from Costco, craft beer is not their strong suit

HonestMan wrote:we pretty much buy all booze and wine from Costco, craft beer is not their strong suit

I usually shop at either the Niles or Glenview Costco but on a recent trip to Oakbrook I was surprised to see a decent showing of craft beer in single bottles. Have not seen that up north.

spinynorman99 wrote:

HonestMan wrote:we pretty much buy all booze and wine from Costco, craft beer is not their strong suit

I usually shop at either the Niles or Glenview Costco but on a recent trip to Oakbrook I was surprised to see a decent showing of craft beer in single bottles. Have not seen that up north.

Interesting, I shop at Niles/Glenview and both have pretty sparse beer selections. Usually I get beer either directly from breweries or at bottle shops (Beer Temple mostly).
Wine I always get from Vin, and occasionally other small wine shops (recently went to Anfora in Oak Park, nice little place). Costco selection usually not terribly exciting although I did get a bottle of Canadian ice wine last year for a nicely reduced price.
Costco for booze I'll occasionally look for a decent price on whiskey they sometimes have.