Does Trader Joe’s Sell Liquor? (Complete state by state guide)

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Where and when you can get liquor to buy from a grocery store can be a tad confusing as it varies so much from state to state. But since Trader Joe’s is known to sell a lot of good stuff at low prices, you might be wondering, “Does Trader Joe’s sell liquor?”

Trader Joe’s does sell liquor in every state they operate in which allows grocery stores to sell liquor. Those states include California, Colorado, Illinois, and Massachusetts, and many others, with some states having additional restrictions.

But don’t worry.

Below, I’ll cover every state and all the limits and restrictions per state. And I’ll even review some of the details specifically about what brands Trader Joe’s carries in the states that allow it.

Let’s get started.

What states allow liquor to be sold in Trader Joe’s?

In the below table, you’ll find states and the opening times where you can get liquor in grocery stores. States that allow liquor are in bold.

 STATE ALLOW LIQUOR SALES AT GROCERY  STORES?  RESTRICTIONS
Alabama NO  
Alaska NO  
Arizona NO  
Arkansas NO  
California YES No restrictions. Mon-Sun(8AM-9PM)
Colorado YES No restrictions. Mon-Sun(8AM-9PM)
Connecticut NO  
Delaware NO  
Florida NO  
Georgia  NO  
Hawaii NO  
Idaho YES Mon-Sun(8AM-9PM)
Illinois YES 9AM-9PM
Indiana NO  
Iowa NO  
Kansas NO  
Kentucky YES 8AM – 9PM (Mon-Sat)
1PM – 9PM (Sun)
Louisiana YES  
Maine NO  
Maryland NO  
Massachusetts YES 9AM – 10PM (Mon-Sat) 10AM – 10PM (Sun) beer, wine, spirits
Michigan NO  
Minnesota YES 8AM – 9PM (Mon-Sat)
Mississippi NO  
Missouri YES 8am-10pm
Montana NO  
Nebraska YES 8AM-9PM
Nevada YES 8AM-9PM
New Hampshire NO  
New Jersey YES 9AM – 10PM (Mon-Sat) 12PM-10PM (Sun)
New Mexico YES 8am -9pm
New York NO  
North Carolina NO  
North Dakota NO  
Ohio NO  
Oklahoma NO  
Oregon NO  
Pennsylvania NO  
Rhode Island NO  
South Carolina NO  
South Dakota NO  
Tennessee NO  
Texas NO  
Utah NO  
Vermont NO  
Virginia NO  
Washington YES 8am-9pm
West Virginia NO  
Wisconsin YES 8am-9pm
Wyoming YES 8am-9pm

Is alcohol cheaper at Trader Joe’s?

Trader Joe’s does have lower prices on beer and wine, and liquor where available compared to most alcoholic beverage stores in the same areas. And their private label alcohol is significantly cheaper.

A bottle of that might be $20 elsewhere can typically be found at Trader Joe’s for $15. So, you might be wondering why they are cheap. 

So how cheap? It’s very cheap when you consider that a bottle of one of its most popular wines, Charles Shaw, goes for less than $3! It practically goes for a song. It’s available as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay, in red and white varieties.

It’s so popular, more than a billion bottles have been sold.

It’s being made for TJ, under a contract, by Bronco Wine. Bronco Wine employs a variety of strategies to keep its overhead very low. This is why TJ gets to sell the wine at such rates. What of Vodka? Vodka at Costco goes for $12.99, while Gin at TJ sells for $11.99.

But I used to regularly buy my tequila, bourbon, and vodka at TJs when I lived in California.

And, for example, I used to buy Puerto Vallarta Tequila Blanco in a 750ml bottle for under 15 bucks. These days (and admittedly I left California in 2004) that same bottle sells elsewhere for $28.

These days, they mostly sell their private label tequila, but the prices will almost always be better on all alcohol at TJ’s.

Can you buy these goodies at any Trader Joe’s store, no matter where you live?

Actually, it depends. You’ll only be able to buy them in states that allow grocery stores to sell liquor. Not to worry, in a recent article of mine, I gave a complete guide, state by state.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

What kinds of liquor does Trader Joe’s sell?

Trader Joe’s sells vodka, tequila, bourbon, whiskey, rum, and most other common types of liquor. In many, but not all cases, the products sold will be labeled under the Trader Joe’s private label, but as with their other house-brand items, will be from reputable manufacturers.

For example, going back to my personal favorite, 100% agave tequila, Trader Joe’s sells their Trader Joe’s Blanco Tequila at rock bottom prices.

This tequila is made at the Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez, NOM 1143 who also make the brands El Mayor and Exotico. The TJs tequila actually scored a 92 in a recent competition and received a gold medal.

So they really do have great liquor at great prices.

They, of course, also have a full complement of other types of liquor, and the rumor is that aside from their Texas vodka, Absolut makes their other vodkas. But again, that’s just a rumor.

Does Trader Joe’s give a case discount on liquor?

Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer case discounts on liquor. Trader Joe’s mission is to sell the best products at the lowest prices every day without the need for sales or discounts. In fact, Trader Joe’s does not offer case discounts on any of its products.

Its products are mainly private label brands.

These are of high quality because they’re actually being manufactured by some of the best manufacturers of brand-name products. The store is not really the best place for bulk purchases (that’ll be Costco). But, as it is, its liquor prices are a steal.

Before I wrap up, I thought it’s nice I share some interesting facts about TJ and ShopRite.

Now, TJ is one of America’s favorite grocery stores, but there are those who love ShopRite with a passion. So, I took the time to research and explore both in a recent article of mine.

In the article, I looked at their prices, who has more organic products, whether you can order online from both stores, the best things to buy at TJ, and if it has better meat than ShopRite.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Conclusion

In the preceding paragraphs, I looked at the states where you could get liquor at TJ.

But we also looked at whether the liquor is cheap, the types of liquor on offer, and whether you could get case discounts. The liquor goes for a song.

Understandably, there are no case discounts.

But with liquor, some people also want to buy smokes. Does Trader Joes sell tobacco products in its stores?

The answer I give in a recent article might surprise you. That’s especially considering that the brothers who started Trader Joe’s and Aldi had a huge falling out over selling cigarettes.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Photo which requires attribution:

Hard Liquor in Trader Joe’s? by Bjorn is licensed under CC2.0

Jeff Campbell
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