They are not part of the same “business” but I feel confident that there are some arrangement perhaps buying arrangements which Costco may facilitate without either party breaking the law. Clearly, it was to Costco’s advantage to include a space for the discount liquor stores within the buildings with adjacent stores I mentioned. Legal ownership affiliation is only one kind of relationship, after all.
Probably. However, the main advantage to having access to a Costco that sells liquor in-warehouse is that you can buy Kirkland brand liquor, many of which offer incredible value for the price. You can’t get Kirkland brand products in warehouse-adjacent stores. In-warehouse prices on name brands are also much better than at warehouse-adjacent stores in my experience, although that may just be because the one in Yonkers isn’t that great. Their prices aren’t really any better than Stew Leonard’s just up the hill, and their selection sucks.
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But if you want Kirkland branded liquor that doesn’t help. Other liquor is available everywhere else.
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We buy the Kirkland wines in Ohio - they are a really good deal and there is a sharp discount if you buy quantity. No I dont believe that store sells any hard liquor, however. but like I said, our Manhattan friend does travel the subway to buy large bottles of jack daniels at our Costco adjacent store, so it must be worth it. I do wonder whether some of the winemakers featured in that same store might not be private-labelling for Kirkland as well. And yeah @biondanonima that Yonkers store was not exciting.
Where I am (WA), Costco’s booze prices in general aren’t that great, and the Kirkland-branded bottles aren’t incredible values. That said, the value I see in the Kirkland booze is that it’s made by makers whose own labels cost more.
Kirkland’s Tequilas are pretty nice. I’m still working on humongous bottles of each, anejo and blanco, from 10 years ago, purchased in California (they were a gift). I don’t drink them, but use them in cooking, infusions and cocktails for the fam.
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Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste. 10 oz container for $19.99. Yes please!
Have you used this? How long is it potent and does it need to be refrigerated? My concern is sinking that much money into a large container only to have it no longer flavorful well before I get around to that much baking. My homemade vanilla bean/vodka liquid seems to keep well for a couple of years, capped with the bean in the small jar.
Ah, the eternal Costco dilemma…
I haven’t used it yet but with a 4 ounce jar going for the same price online I decided to go for it. Might do some snow day baking today to try it out or will over spring break. Here’s to 8 inches of fresh not fluffy snow!
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TJs has a small jar for around 5 bucks I think – works out to 25 for 10z vs 20, but if you don’t need that much, it’s a better deal.
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After reading a lot of pros and cons about them, I picked up a package of the new-style muffins at Costco today in the blueberries and cream flavor. They are decidedly meh. I appreciate the packaging, because there’s no way two of us could have eaten a dozen of the huge ones but we can manage eight over the course of a week. These muffins, though, were much drier and cakier than the old recipe. We didn’t buy them before because there were too many, and we probably won’t buy them now because we don’t like them as much.
