The States Where You Can Buy Liquor At Trader Joe's

Whether filling your pantry, checking off your meal-prep list, or creating the menu for your next dinner party, Trader Joe's is a one-stop shop. But what about your beverage shopping needs? We know there are plenty of Trader Joe's non-alcoholic delights to stock your fridge with, but things get a little trickier and less guaranteed with alcohol. And that's before you even split hairs between beer, wine, and liquor. The latter is the most restricted category, so in which states can you actually shop for it at a Trader Joe's?

Trader Joe's locations in Arizona sell liquor alongside beer and wine, but not at every single location. In California, you're likely to find liquor at your local T.J.'s. In Colorado, it's a bit more complicated — the grocery stores themselves won't have liquor but might have separate shops next door that do. Ditto for Kentucky, where you can find liquor at Trader Joe's wine shops that neighbor the grocery stores. You can get liquor at Louisiana Trader Joe's locations, but in Massachusetts, it's a mixed bag — some spots sell liquor, some don't. Michigan allows grocery stores to sell liquor, but only the Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor embraces the privilege. Liquor is available at TJ's in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, and New Mexico. In New Jersey, just two locations offer it. Nearly all Washington state locations sell liquor, and Trader Joe's in Wisconsin have liquor too.

The reason for the inconsistency in liquor availability at Trader Joe's locations is because the chain, like any other store, is beholden to the laws of individual states. Some states allow grocery stores to sell liquor, some only allow them to sell beer, wine, or both, and some don't allow them to sell any booze at all. So in the states where hard liquor may not be available, T.J.'s iconic two-buck-chuck wine or beer might be. Further complicating this is that even when the grocery chain is allowed to sell liquor, T.J.'s doesn't take advantage of the opportunity at every location, as we see in Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey. 

Yet another thing to consider is that a Trader Joe's selling liquor has to comply with certain day and hour restrictions set by the state. For example, in Minnesota, the state puts a limit on the amount of hours liquor can be sold on Sundays. So while you can shop for food and non-alcoholic beverages during regular supermarket hours, you can only buy that liquor in a certain timeframe. New Jersey also enforces specific hours for alcohol sales that Trader Joe's has to abide by. The most important takeaway is to check your local T.J.'s online before heading over. The website tells you if there's liquor there or not, and skipping this step is one of the main mistakes you can make shopping at Trader Joe's.