Wine in grocery stores to be decided this week (Knoxville: sales, 2013)

[Beretta]

This is the week where TN lawmakers will decide if grocery stores will be allowed to sell wine. Tenn. lawmakers to decide fate of supermarket wine | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

[nashvols]

I'm not holding my breath. Even if it makes it out of committee, Republican lawmakers have said that it is unlikely for the bill to pass because pretty much every single rural and small town district will vote against it.

[MetropolitanTN]

Put it to a popular vote and let the metros override the rural areas. People in rural areas dont want to buy wine in grocers? Then they dont have to buy it.

[NJ_Jim]

Seems to me this bill is a no-brainer. First this bill would: "..allow cities and counties to hold referendums on whether to do away with liquor stores’ exclusive license to sell wine.."
If the bill was to pass each cities/county then would hold a vote and let the local populous decide.

Secondly, if they let the 'package stores ' begin to sell Chips etc, it would off-set any potential monetary loss of wine sales to the grocers, especially if the chips sales would be at a 100% mark-up.

[BirdieBelle]

I predict referendum.

Referenda?



Politicians know that wine in grocery stores is not an issue that voters will die for like other social issues such as abortion or even gambling.

The voters who want it are much more "live and let live" about it than voters who DON'T want it.

This is one reason many in office don't really care if it comes to a vote or not.

[369963]

Who really cares? Oh yeah the package store owners could'nt sell any more rot gut boones farm malt for a 200% mark up... boo hoo.

[Memphis1979]

Originally Posted by ETSUAccountingGuy

Put it to a popular vote and let the metros override the rural areas. People in rural areas dont want to buy wine in grocers? Then they dont have to buy it.

I really don't know to many folks that would have a problem with it in rural areas either. I mean, my hometown doesn't do liquor sales, but you can buy beer in the grocery stores. Seriously, whats the difference between beer and wine? Not that much, IMO.

[hiknapster]

Well, it passed the Senate but not with the amendment to allow liquor stores to sell snacks, beer and other things. It's closer to allowing referendum questions in local cities and counties.

Supermarket wine bill advances in Senate » Knoxville News Sentinel

[REPBOY]

The main positive aspect of wine sales in supermarkets for the areas looking for new brands and more variety of product is that some upscale stores might be more inclined to expand into those metros with higher profit margin wine sales to offset smaller revenue opportunities where there is a little less disgressionary income.

[An Einnseanair]

As is, the bill will probably fail in the full senate. Any legislator who votes to take money away from local Tennessee-owned businesses and puts it in the hands of the Walton heirs is a legislator who is risking his job.

As is the law gives other stores an unfair advantage because they can be open 24/7, but liquor stores must be closed on Sundays and holidays, plus the fact that other stores can sell anything while liquor stores can only sell liquor/wine.

But the proposed Barnett amendments make sense. In exchange for losing lots of business in the form of cheaper wines and liquors, liquor stores would be able to make it up in the form of beer and chips.

In essence you'll be doing away with separate "liquor" stores and creating a new class of stores that are really just specialized convenience stores (at least 51% of business must be liquor/wine).