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Old 07-08-2008, 01:39 PM
 
Location: TN
46 posts, read 179,176 times
Reputation: 35

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Well, I've lived in Tennessee for almost 2 months now and am loving it as much as I thought I would. It is such a beautiful state, especially eastern Tennessee. However, there have been a few "learning curve" items I thought I'd share here with other TN newbies (either real or potential) like myself. Thus, my other thread about how to get a driver's license in TN and then this thread....

This thread is about alcohol.

In my former state of Arizona, the only alcohol rule was "no purchasing alcohol until noon on Sundays". But you could get alcohol (beer, wine, liquor) at all grocery stores, liquor stores, Sam's, Costco, etc.

What I discovered, here, was that you can only buy beer and beer-like items (i.e., 'flavored beer') in grocery stores. (I was told this before moving by my husband, but I guess I wasn't paying attention....)

Anyhoo...In order to buy wine and liquor, you must go to a liquor store....however, they are not allowed to be labeled/signed as a "liquor" store, so what you need to find is a "Package store".

After being here for 2 months, I decided to buy a bottle of wine and finally discovered that a package store sold booze! I spent an interesting 20 minutes with the store's owner talking about the laws governing liquor in Tennessee. He said that the "inside scoop" was that in 2-3 years, a person may be able to purchase wine & liquor in grocery stores. He also bemoaned the name "package" store, saying, "You wouldn't believe how many people come in here looking to buy boxes and mailing stuff".

Anyway, I knew TN had tougher laws than AZ for liquor, but I was genuinely surprised that I couldn't buy wine in a grocery store....I can't see much difference between wine & beer, but that's me I guess. I personally enjoy a glass of wine occassionally and am happy I found a place where I can buy a bottle or two.

Cheers!
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Old 07-08-2008, 03:15 PM
 
Location: Seattle
7,541 posts, read 17,230,694 times
Reputation: 4853
I think it's ridiculous to not be able to buy wine in a grocery, but beer is fine. Hard liquor I could perhaps understand, but more people here get drunk on beer than wine anyway.

Plus, I sooo wanted the Earth Fare to carry wine. The one in west Asheville has a great selection! Boo.
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Old 07-08-2008, 05:46 PM
 
Location: Beautiful East TN!!
7,280 posts, read 21,318,181 times
Reputation: 2786
I hear ya. I would love to be able to buy a bottle of wine while at a grocery store too.
However I believe the ruling is due to alcohol content. Beer has 2.0% to 3.5%. Wine has 11% to 14%. I think they can't sell anything with more than 4% alcohol in a TN grocery store. But I could be wrong on this.
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Old 07-08-2008, 07:02 PM
 
Location: TriCities, TN
227 posts, read 720,127 times
Reputation: 80
I sure hope that changes soon. I heard that is one of the reasons why Fresh Market hasn't moved into the area. Anyone else heard that??

I found a great "package" store with a good beer store next door. Don't visit them often but it sure is nice to have them so convenient.
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Old 07-09-2008, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Seattle
7,541 posts, read 17,230,694 times
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Well, Fresh Market is in Knoxville and Chattanooga (and surely Nash and Memphis, too), so I doubt that rumor is true.
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Old 07-09-2008, 06:18 PM
 
Location: TriCities, TN
227 posts, read 720,127 times
Reputation: 80
Quote:
Originally Posted by jabogitlu View Post
Well, Fresh Market is in Knoxville and Chattanooga (and surely Nash and Memphis, too), so I doubt that rumor is true.

Ahhhh, good point!
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Old 08-04-2008, 12:39 AM
 
Location: Kingsport, TN
11 posts, read 54,366 times
Reputation: 10
I work for Ingles supermarkets, and yes it is tied to alcohol content, though the exact limit escapes me at the moment. I've heard that they're attempting to pass legislation to allow wine sales. Maybe time to contact our local represenatives??

Also, I don't get the "package store" bit. But so goes life in the bible belt...not that there's anything wrong with that....
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Old 09-19-2008, 10:03 AM
 
6 posts, read 32,046 times
Reputation: 15
Default Laws regarding purchase elsewhere

Ca n anyone tell me what the law might be for purchasing wine out of state and bringing it into TN? Is there a limit on what you can bring into the state for personal consumption? Thanks,
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Old 09-19-2008, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Beautiful East TN!!
7,280 posts, read 21,318,181 times
Reputation: 2786
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patriciadsmith View Post
Ca n anyone tell me what the law might be for purchasing wine out of state and bringing it into TN? Is there a limit on what you can bring into the state for personal consumption? Thanks,
I believe you can buy it and bring it, I think there is an issue about having it shipped/mailed though.
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Old 09-19-2008, 08:04 PM
 
Location: North America
39 posts, read 120,387 times
Reputation: 38
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbmouse View Post
I believe you can buy it and bring it, I think there is an issue about having it shipped/mailed though.
I live in Putnam County (Cookeville) and we can't have any liquor shipped here period. I have tried ordering from multiple vendors and no one will ship to us. Putman is a "semi-dry" county meaning you can only buy beer outside of a bar. No one sells wine or anything stronger that I can find. In a bar you can buy hard liquor, wine, mixed drinks, etc by the glass only. The stupid part is you can apparently (I wouldn't know personally, been told by local law enforcement) that you can walk down just about any street over by the University and buy all the meth you can afford! Sorry, no wine but we have plenty of meth!

It's silly if you ask me. Tennessee is pretty darn good about staying out of it's citizens way for the most part in my opinion (compared to other states) but some of the liquor laws are just silly. Most people here in Putman county simply drive next door to Jackson county. There is a liquor store right across the border going North on 290 (Gainsborough Grade).
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