Via iStockphoto / @luisthebay TikTok
A Bay Area man opened a bottle of Tequila he bought at Costco in the food court, which begs the question: Can you pre-game at a Costco?
Pre-game: The practice of getting buzzed prior to an event where more alcohol consumption is expected. Now there are plenty of places one can pre-game at—a house, apartment, or live sporting event parking lot is usually par the course. But have you ever pre-gamed in a Costco food court?
That’s what these friends did while shopping at one of the bulk retailer’s locations. Luis (@luisthebay), a Bay Area man, purchased a bottle of Tequila Blanco at Costco. Following this, he headed to the food court with his friends for some dogs, pizza, and a smoothie. While standing at one of the tables in the area, he cracked open the tequila bottle and began pouring it into a fountain soda cup.
“Y’all ever just pregame at Costco?” he asked in a text overlay of the video.
Are You Allowed To ‘Pre-Game’ At Costco?
Oddly enough, this doesn’t seem to be an uncommon experience. One viewer said that pre-gaming had been prohibited in their local Costco. “So you’re the reason our Costco put up signs that prohibit the consumption of purchased alcohol in the food court area,” they quipped.
Viewers were also impressed by the lack of concern others in the food court showed. “Everybody minding they mf business, love it,” one lauded.
Another said, “I’m not using my membership to its full potential.”
According to the chain’s workplace policy, it is committed “to a drug and alcohol-free workplace.” However, one may argue that this policy only pertains to employees. I.e., this policy was created to ensure workers are partying while they’re on the clock. But there doesn’t need to be a specific policy that states, “Don’t drink alcohol inside of Costco.”
BroBible has reached out to Costco via email and Luis via TikTok direct message for further information.
That’s Because Liquor Licenses Are A Thing
Each state has its own legislation pertaining to liquor licenses. Generally speaking, businesses like Costco often don’t carry specific licenses indicating that alcohol can be sold and consumed on premises. That means that if you decide to enjoy a little sip when you’re chowing down on a chicken bake at the food court, you could be in violation of that state’s laws.
Individual states often separate these types of licenses. There are some for bars that allow for alcoholic drinks to be sold and consumed in a bar. Moreover, there are different licenses that allow businesses to sell closed containers of booze to be enjoyed off premises. These statutes persist even in places that have notoriously lenient open container laws. For instance, in New Orleans, folks are allowed to consume alcohol within the French Quarter while outside. Although they must do so in public areas such as sidewalks, parks, and streets.
But this legislation doesn’t include retail establishments. Las Vegas has similar rulings, according to 702 Defense. The firm writes that in Clark County and Fremont Street, city laws do not allow folks to open containers of alcohol within 1,000 feet of the store they were purchased in.
Mississippi, another state known for lax liquor laws, also explicitly states open alcohol containers are allowed in the stores they were purchased in. Again, this boils down to the type of permits a business holds.
Bay Area Liquor Laws
Judging by the edicts listed on the ABC.CA.GOV website, cracking open bottles of liquor in stores that sell off-site booze is forbidden. According to B&P Code 25612.5. retail operating standards, “No alcoholic beverages shall be consumed on the premises of an off-sale retail establishments … no alcoholic beverages shall be consumed outside the edifice of an on-sale retail establishment.”
Moreover, the California ABC website indicates that Costco stores mainly carry class 21 liquor licenses. These are off-site licenses that allow for the sale of beer, wine, liquor, and canned cocktails. This is opposed to a class 20, which is just wine and beer. Some of these establishments also carry 86 licenses, which allow for customer tasting/samples as well. But these come with their own set of guidelines. Namely, that the samples must be portion-controlled and served by authorized personnel at the establishment. In other words, you can’t go around self-sampling from a bottle you just purchased from the Costco liquor store as Luis did in his video.