Costco Gives Out Free Alcohol Samples In Some International Locations

Costco is a pretty beloved chain, thanks to how much money it can save families, its delightful food court (never change, $1.50 hot dog and soda combo), and its many popular Kirkland Signature items; like the actually-name-brand tuna and Grey Goose-dupe vodka. Yet take a look on social media and you will find that we in the U.S. are actually missing out on a lot of stuff its international locations currently enjoy, like octopus or ice cream in waffle cone bowls at its food courts. And there is something else we Americans don't get in our Costco stores: alcohol samples.

Yes, in other countries around the world, Costco is handing out samples of alcohol to its customers, like shiraz in a Korean location, cocktails in Paris (was there anything ever so French?), red wine and rum in Australia, and even 15-year Glenfiddich whisky in Taiwan. While there have been reports of specific U.S. Costco locations sampling up alcohol, it appears to be much less common than in international stores, where the liquor laws in different countries tend to be more moderate than in the States.

The United States is made up of 50 different, and to some extent self-governing, territories, all of which have different liquor laws on the books. Whereas California is fun and fancy-free (meaning alcohol is sold right next to the groceries), other states like Pennsylvania have only just begun to sell booze in gas stations and supermarkets in the last 20 years. Plus, in Pennsylvania supermarkets, you have to use a completely different, dedicated cash register to check out with alcohol. And in both, you can only purchase beer and wine, no hard liquor. All the extra red tape means Pennsylvania Costcos don't sell any alcohol at all. 

In some other states, like Ohio and Texas, they are permitted to sell only beer and wine. And in some states, they would require a permit to give out samples (the paperwork alone!). So you can see why, with the patchwork of alcohol laws in each state that makes up our great nation, Costco just tends to not bother with a lot of alcohol sampling except on very specific occasions.