SmartMoney proclaims it has discovered the cheapest way to buy booze.
Stocking up on enough alcohol for a party can cost a small fortune. Your best bet — visit your local warehouse clubs, which regularly offer discounts of 10% to 30%. But what about those hefty membership fees, you ask?
Thanks to some little-known state laws, nonmembers can purchase alcohol without paying a membership fee. These laws date back to the 1930s, when Prohibition was repealed. Massachusetts’ law, for example, provides that applicants for a license to sell alcohol must “serve the public need and protect the common good.” In simpler terms, alcohol sold must be available for purchase by the greater public — no membership restrictions.
SmartMoney lists example savings on vodka and beer. The article also notes that this is a very obscure policy, so you should follow three steps to make this work:
- Find a manager. Employees probably won’t be aware of this policy.
- Take the article with you to bolster your point.
- Only purchase alcohol. Don’t push your luck.
I sometimes buy wine at Costco, though I’ve found that Safeway can be just as cheap if I take advantage of the “save 10% when you buy six bottles” policy.
(Also note: as with soda, you save the most money by not drinking alcohol at all.)
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Ha ha! I like your little note at the bottom: “as with soda, you save the most money by not drinking alcohol at all.”
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Too bad this won’t work in Pennsylvania. Here sales of alcohol are ‘nationalized’ in state-run wine and liquor stores or privately owned stores selling only beer.
The state tells us that their massive buying power helps them negotiate the best deals from wine and liquor companies. Why then are the prices cheaper in New Jersey, Delaware and all other neighboring states?
Also, private transport of alcohol into Pennsylvania is illegal. So much for shopper’s choice.
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Food Lion has the same discount. And no, I didn’t find that out because one friend and I bought eighteen bottles of champagne between the two of us last night. I’m appalled you’d suggest it.
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Don’t forget you have a global audience! This stuff doesn’t mean much to us in Australia…
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Military bases, assuming you or someone you can go with has a military ID, are by far the cheapest places to get alcohol. It is tax free and usually has large discounts for purchasing in bulk. When I was in a fraternity we used to get our alcohol on an airforce base and routinely saved hundreds of dollars over civilian warehouses.
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