Costco Just Brought Back A Controversial Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are usually things of joy and a prelude to the Christian world's favorite time of the year, so why is Costco stirring up controversy with theirs?
The initial function of the Advent calendar was to help converts prepare for baptism. After that, it transitioned into a domestic feature, with families using lines of chalk to cross out the passing days leading up to Christmas (per Parenta). By the 1950s, this new festive tradition made its way across the Atlantic to America, and by 1971 the British company Cadburys sweetened the lives of those waiting on Christmas by bringing out chocolate Advent calendars (per Advantage of Change).
In 2012 Canada saw its first boozy Advent calendar (per Craft). In 2014, American Costco adopted the emerging trend and started stocking beer Advent calendars. Costco continued to do so for seven years to date, per USA Today, but not without contention.
The Brewers' Advent calendar arrives early
A popular Instagram account announced that the German brewer's Advent calendar from Kalea for 2022, is back on its shelves. While some might think, "wow, that is a bit early," the arrival of the German beer product comes amid festivities like (speaking of German) the Oktoberfest. "This includes 24 17-ounce cans imported from Germany! It's $69.99!" reads the caption of @costcobuys Instagram post. The video has generated over 4,800 likes thus far with fans tagging each other in the comments to draw attention to the deal.
This year's response to the product is undoubtedly an improvement compared to Reddit's previous reactions. In both 2020 and 2021, a Redditor wrote "I've bought this in the past. All of the beer comes from one brewery (that I've never heard of) and is labeled to appear as it comes from a variety of different places," in a thesis-like response to both releases.
Unfortunately, the 2022 Costco wine Advent calendar is not as fortunate. "Not worth it," said one Redditor in response to a thread in r/Costco. "The quality of those wines suck and honestly Costco should be ashamed to sell them." Despite the misgivings on social media, @costcowineblog claims their wine Advent calendars sell quickly.