Hard Liquor in Supermarkets (sale, purchase, pharmacy)

[Innotech]

Ever seen a drive through daiquiri store?

[RDM66]

Originally Posted by svendrell

I found a thread on C-D mentioning liquor in supermarkets (Wisconsin). Which other states permit this?

I'm no heavy drinker, so it's more curiosity. In New York, if you want wine or liquor, you go to a liquor store.

Missouri allows hard liquor to be sold in supermarkets.


But I'm from a weird, small town in Missouri that was completely dry until the mid-1980's. It was the hometown of Carry Nation, the most famous member of the Women's Temperance Union. Out of respect for Carry, the town banned alcohol for about 125 years. There was not a liquor store or bar for miles.

[Maintainschaos]

It's also similar in Wisconsin as Illinois that you can buy alcohol at gas stations, but Wisconsin stops selling much earlier.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by mhays25

Yes, definitely an example of the state doing a better job than the private stores! (Imagine that...let the profit incentive take over and people try to profit.)

Supermarkets are also trying to figure out security. First it was turning aisles into cul de sacs, or putting a proximity detector at each end so a bell would go off. Now some are putting locks on liquor shelves so you have to get a person to come by and unlock it.

Safeway in Seattle locks up their liquor.

[Vegabern]

You can buy liquor at any licensed distributor in MI but it's still a control buy state so the retailer has to buy the booze straight from the state.

I work for Michigan Liquor Control .

[Chicago60614]

I mean hell, in Chicago you can buy beer and wine at the deli in Target and walk around drinking it. There are also upscale supermarkets opening all over where you can buy wine and wander the store drinking, movie theatres sell booze....

Otherwise packaged it's available everywhere, Walgreens, CVS, Target, supermarkets, 7-11, gas stations, etc. etc.

Bar hours are 7am to 4am on weeknights, 7am to 5am on weekends except Sundays where you can't buy until 8am.

[Kar54]

In Colorado, only 3.2 beer can be sold in grocery and convenience stores. They (we) have tried unsuccessfully for years to change it, but no go. We just got liquor stores to open on Sunday a few years ago. We still have many "blue laws" here, such as you can't buy a car on Sunday. And the country thinks we're so progressive due to legalized pot.

[dude1984]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I mean hell, in Chicago you can buy beer and wine at the deli in Target and walk around drinking it. There are also upscale supermarkets opening all over where you can buy wine and wander the store drinking, movie theatres sell booze....

Otherwise packaged it's available everywhere, Walgreens, CVS, Target, supermarkets, 7-11, gas stations, etc. etc.

Bar hours are 7am to 4am on weeknights, 7am to 5am on weekends except Sundays where you can't buy until 8am.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. You can't walk around and openly drink booze...which is why it is good to have a thermos or a cup from 7-11 or a fast food restaurant. The Speedway off of Touhy near ORD has a walk in beer cave, a few fridges of beer, and a wine display. It's pretty funny that a gas station has that much booze.

Originally Posted by Kar54

In Colorado, only 3.2 beer can be sold in grocery and convenience stores. They (we) have tried unsuccessfully for years to change it, but no go. We just got liquor stores to open on Sunday a few years ago. We still have many "blue laws" here, such as you can't buy a car on Sunday. And the country thinks we're so progressive due to legalized pot.

When I was living out in Denver the liquor laws were really surprising. I thought because they have legalized recreational weed that the liquor laws would be progressive...nope. They were a bit prudish compared to Illinois. It was a pain in the butt to have to go to two store to get supplies to make mixed drinks or get non-watered down beer. It also sucked that there was nothing like Binny's, but that's another topic.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by tysmith95

In Massachusetts most grocery stores don't sell any type of alcohol. It's only a small number of flagship grocery stores that have a liquor licence where they can sell alcohol. All of the grocery stores close to me don't sell any alcohol. I don't exactly know the law but I believe that Mass only lets grocery chains have a small number of liquor licences each.

Wow. And people think the south is backward?

Florida is the only state down here that has liquor stores attached to grocery stores, as well as drug stores -- which I always thought REALLY strange! Buy your booze on one side, your pills on the other. It's a one-stop shop for addicts!

I've always found state-controlled (ABC) liquor stores strange. Alabama is one that seems really backward in this regard.

ANOTHER STRANGE THING: States where all bars and clubs are PRIVATE members-only establishments and require you to buy a membership or pay a cover charge just to go in a drink. Mississippi, Utah and a few others are this way I think. South Carolina used to be. Not sure now. South Carolina also used to be the only state in the country where bars and restaurants only served mini bottles (like on airplanes). They've done away with that.

Alchohol laws in Georgia are surprisingly liberal and are administered by local, not statewide, ordinance. That means there are some "dry" counties, but others like here in Savannah are VERY "wet." We can even carry drinks to-go on public sidewalks! All grocery stores sell beer and wine, and liquor stores are everywhere. The only "blue law" remaining is one prohibiting Sunday sales until noon ... after church.

[Finger Laker]

I think Utah ended the membership requirement for bars a while back, but I definitely was there when it was in place. Kind of quirky, but essentially a group cover charge.