The States Where You Can Buy Alcohol At Costco Without A Membership

We get it; with the rising cost of food and everything else, it's not always possible to swing a Costco membership every year (even if their hot dog combo never changes price). However, if you still want to take advantage of the warehouse chain's incredibly competitive prices on their booze, you can — but only if you live in one of 14 states.

There are local laws in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Vermont that prevent even membership-based stores from refusing alcohol sales to anyone who is aged 21 and up. Some Costco stores, like in Connecticut and Delaware, actually have a separate entrance — or a separate building entirely — for their alcohol department, too. Be aware, as well, that in the states of Texas and Vermont, you can only purchase beer and wine (no liquor).

If you do opt to shop Costco's alcohol without a membership, know that the cashier might not be acquainted with the local laws that allow non-members to make this type of purchase. They might call for a supervisor just to confirm that it is indeed true; just be patient with them and you will be able to make the sale.

Costco lives up to its "big box" sobriquet when it comes to the size and/or quantity of everything it sells, including its alcohol selection, which is why so many people, including non-members, take advantage of that department. In states which allow the sales of beer and wine, there are tons of Kirkland Signature-brand wines, as well as name-brand beer and hard seltzers (like Budweiser, Corona, Coors, and even White Claw and High Noon).

In stores which also permit the sales of liquor, Costco sells their own Kirkland Signature Scotch, bourbon, rum, Grey-Goose dupe vodka, gin, and tequila, as well as many famous brands like Captain Morgan, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, and more. The benefit to buying your booze from Costco is that, whereas normal supermarkets may mark-up their alcohol as much as 45%, Costco only does so up to 14%.

Thanks to Instacart, you can now have all your groceries delivered within the same day, and usually within a matter of hours. Costco signed up in 2017 to join the many other retailers on the app, and in so doing, made its groceries accessible to people who don't have a membership, and that includes their alcohol. So not only do you not have to be a member to shop at Costco, in some states you can purchase their alcohol without even having to go into a store.

And this is the case whether or not the Costcos in your state allow non-members to shop their alcohol section. However, it does vary by store, so you will want to check Instacart to see if your location offers this nifty online shopping feature. Also, when you shop Costco on Instacart as a non-member, be prepared to pay more than you would in-store; the item surcharges, as ever, cover the convenience of having someone else do your shopping and deliver your groceries to your front door. Be prepared, too, to show your ID to the delivery person so that they can verify that you're over the age of 21.