Local Costco Selections

[KrasiMD]

I have a question that has probably come up a hundred times before but I’ve only recently joined the blog. Is there any way to determine, prior to visiting one’s local Costco, which wines that store stocks and which not? I’ve seen a lot of great stuff reviewed on this blog, only to discover that my local Costco carries few if any of them. I can’t find anything on Costco’s website but maybe I’m missing something. Thanks all for your assistance.

[jessicab]

I find this frustrating as well. It’s a disincentive to reading the Costco Wine Blog – while I enjoy and appreciate the articles, it often ends up being a set up for a disappointing waste of time. (And no, Costco management, I am not inclined to just buy another wine selection or pick up other items on impulse because I’m so annoyed.)

I understand supply chain issues and that they cannot get all the wines into all locations – which makes it even more of a good marketing practice if Costco provided the capacity to check local inventory. It’s *certainly* doable; Target is one of a number of retailers that offers that. Target also offers the ability to order and pay online and be able to pick up your order curbside or in the store. PANDEMIC-friendly!

There are a number of marketing opportunities here but maybe they don’t see the profit. (I’d love to develop that!)

Anyway, any suggestions about this?

[Editor]

Hi, and thanks for the comments.
You are right, this one does come up quite a bit, and unfortunately I’m not sure a great solution exists.
A few years back there used to be a search function on Costco.com that was awesome and showed you what items, including wine, where in stock in which warehouses.
But then one day that tool disappeared and never came back, which is a real bummer.
Best solution:
We include the Costco item number at the end of every review. Often times, readers will call their warehouse and ask if they carry that item number. That’s one way to tell before going to the store.
Some readers will also use the chat function on Costco.com to ask about the item numbers in stores near them.
That’s really about all the advice I’ve gathered from years of doing this. Wine, like all things at Costco moves fast, so you have to always be ready to pull the trigger as you might not ever seen that wine again.
I thank you both for following the site, and I’m glad you enjoy it. I just hope moving forward more of these wines show up in warehouses near you. Cheers, Andrew

[KrasiMD]

Thanks Jessica and Andrew for responding to my post. I figured this issue would have come up frequently. That’s interesting that they had a search function and discontinued it. I wonder what the rationale was. Maybe they couldn’t update it as fast as items were selling out at different stores. I will go through the recent reviews and write down the item numbers and check them with my local store (in Washington DC). I’ll try to post again later about my experiences.
Cheers, John

[MJR]

Greetings, i’ ve even emailed Costco and suggested that also include wine/food items in their emails they send out. Not sure about the rest of you but we go through wine and food more rapidly than couches/jacuzzis!
To Costco’s credit, I did get a reply which was long on verbiage but rather short on intention to change the current set up. It’s a pity as Costco would make even more money out of us as one seldom goes to Costco and only walks out with 1 or 2 items!

[Author]

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