Costco might come to rue the day it spent millions to privatize liquor sales. It looks like it will have spirited competition from a liquor superstore called Total Wine, which is planning several locations in Washington according to an Associated Press story.

Anyone who’s gone to Arizona to watch Mariners spring practice might be familiar with Total Wine, which has a location a short distance from the Peoria sports complex.

I was in the area in October for a wedding and popped into Total Wine. It’s a pretty amazing place, with lots of advertised specials and a huge variety of products. I think that’s where it will beat places like Costco, which probably will focus on bulk sales of a few brands, including its own Kirkland products.

When I was visiting, the store was conducting an Italian-wine tasting, and a vodka company representative was giving away free samples of three different products. If the planned Tacoma store is anything like the one I visited, I predict it will be a big hit.