A man recovering from an alcohol addiction is criticizing a Costco after he purchased a case of energy drinks which, he said, included cans of liquor.
About once a week, Steve S –who Daily Hive agreed to not publish his full name over privacy concerns– buys an 18-pack of Celsius Variety Pack. He told Daily Hive he bought another box from the Sumas, Abbotsford, location on Monday.
When his wife asked for an energy drink earlier this week, he did not realize that the can he pulled out from the cardboard box was a Coors Seltzer –a vodka beverage.
“I was like, ‘holy sh*t, where did I come from?’” he said.
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When he realized the drink was alcoholic, Steve said, he and his wife ran to his truck to look at the box. In the pack they found a pair of Steamworks beers, a White Claw hard seltzer, a Red Bull and several other flavoured Coors Seltzers.
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Steve noted that when he was on a drive earlier in the day, he reached back into his truck for a can of Celsius. He said thankfully he pulled out a regular can.
The Metro Vancouver resident told Daily Hive that he stopped drinking about a year ago.
“I went through a rehab program and all that. So, I’m not a drinker at all. So that was a little bit of a surprise,” he said.
Since his wife does not drink alcohol either, they will give away the liquor cans to their friends, he said.
They won’t be seeking a refund, but Steve expressed his criticism of the corporation.
“It’s a minimal cost, but the repercussions are the biggest problem,” he said. “I don’t care about the fuc*ing 20 bucks it was, but I mean, the repercussions of having alcohol in a box that wasn’t supposed to have alcohol could have gone to anyone, kids or teenagers, like people like myself… that’s the biggest problem.”
In BC, Costco does not sell liquor at its locations. In fact, Alberta is the only province with Costco Liquor locations in Canada.
Steve shared photos of the box, which seemed to be resealed with a strip of green painter’s tape, which he said he didn’t notice at the time of purchase. He suggests a Costco customer return the box with random drinks.
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“It’s a big well-greased organization. But realistically, they should check things that were returned before they put them back on the floor. That’s ultimately what happened,” he implied.
Daily Hive has reached out to Costco but has yet to receive a comment. If a statement is received, this article will be updated.
Steve’s wife shared photos of the case of Celsius in an Abbotsford Facebook group, which many people responded positively to.
“How does it feel to be god’s favourite?” one person wrote.
“Nice variety pack,” another user added.
However, Steve stresses that unexpectedly finding liquor is “not good all around.”
“It wasn’t a bad situation, but it could have been for somebody else,” he said.
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Steve is pleading with Costco to “take more care” in providing credit, refunds, and returning items to the shelves.
Daily Hive has also reached out to Celsius for comment.