Beer distributors fight sales by supermarkets

[jtmulc]

To quote the first paragraph in today's Post Gazette:
The Pennsylvania Malt Beverage Distributors want the state Supreme Court to review a recent lower-court ruling that allows beer to be sold in supermarkets, claiming that if the ruling stands it could lead to "beer sales almost anywhere."

And the problem here is what exactly....?  Aside from a

Comments

[lttlredcorvette]

we spent a year and a half in LA, and while both my husband and i hated most things, it sure was convenient to get beer/wine/liquor at the grocery store. i had almost forgotten the pre-9pm rush of pittsburgh. nothing like that moment when you realize all you want is a nice glass of wine with your movie... but you have only 7 minutes to get out the door and fetch one.

[themachinestops]

yussssssssss

Even aside from lack of availability, the state store system also means we have far less selection than people in other states. You're limited to what your local distributor will carry, which means that if you don't live in Pittsburgh or Philly, you can't get specialty beers. And it can be hard to find some beers even in the cities. And I'm not a wine drinker, but I know our wine selection here is dismal.

I still get a weird feeling when I walk into a supermarket in another state. "Well, how did THAT get in here.... oh."

[earthly_gnome]

Tell me about it. I am still jacked that a brand of vodka that I fell in love with was puled from the shelves and is being stockpiled at the LCB warehouse. If I want to buy it I have to get a liquor license.

Yet when I was in OH and NY, I could just go in and pick it right up. Usually for less then it cost here.

[raybrandle]

My friends, when they pick me up for my annual trip back to California, always stop at a convenience store for our gin and tonic supplies, and welcome me back to a "civilized state".

I counter with PA's more friendly gun laws, but that one doesn't make nearly as many people happy.

[guitarstrings]

I still get a weird feeling when I walk into a supermarket in another state. "Well, how did THAT get in here.... oh."

This. I was on a trip with friends from out of state and when we went into a gas station and I was all "ALKFJD WHAT SCHNAPPS IN GAS STATION!" They laughed at me for hours after that >:[

[talldean]

It'll put a ton of family owned businesses on the street, but if they didn't see that one coming, I'll eat my words. There's a reason that pretty much every other state except for Utah allows it.

[gentlehum]

So why don't the distributors argue for the right to sell beer by the six-pack? I'd settle for that as a compromise.

Of course, I just buy my beer and booze when I go visit my father in NJ.

[je_dors]

I actually love Pennsylvania's strict alcohol sales laws so...I certainly hope the distributors get their way.

[t3knomanser]

...

Why?

[je_dors]

Because I find it truly disturbing that you can get alcohol at a gas station in other states and I would hate to see that happen in Pennsylvania. Alcohol is a luxury and a vice and its taxation and availability should reflect that. Making it more available will do just that, which for me is a very bad thing.

[t3knomanser]

This I never understood. Forcing people to buy by the case encourages reckless drinking more than a six pack at the gas station.

A luxury, I agree with. No thing is a vice- people may have vices, but that's the fault of the people, not the thing.