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Washington state started allowing liquor sales in supermarkets and other private stores over a certain square footage a couple years ago due to an industry-funded voter initiative. They used to be only in State-run stores.
The prices have gone way up, some due to taxation, and some due to either a less-efficient system or de-regulated pricing.
Supermarkets have found it problematic. They started with liquor on regular aisles. Since then they've gone to various anti-theft systems, whether you have to flag an employee to open a case, or there's a beeper that presumably also triggers a photo (allowing them to ban thieves), or they make it a dead-end with an employee present, whatever.
Washington state started allowing liquor sales in supermarkets and other private stores over a certain square footage a couple years ago due to an industry-funded voter initiative. They used to be only in State-run stores.
The prices have gone way up, some due to taxation, and some due to either a less-efficient system or de-regulated pricing.
Supermarkets have found it problematic. They started with liquor on regular aisles. Since then they've gone to various anti-theft systems, whether you have to flag an employee to open a case, or there's a beeper that presumably also triggers a photo (allowing them to ban thieves), or they make it a dead-end with an employee present, whatever.
Washington privatized liquor sales not a couple of years ago, but in 2012. Washington retail prices of liquor have actually fallen below neighboring Oregon. The problem is the massive taxation that is added on. For example, a 750 liter of bargain priced Vodka was priced on sale at Safeway today at 5.69. This is far lower than you will find in most States, either state-run or privatized. So the receipt actually shows 5.69 + WA Liq Tax of 2.83, then an additional state tax of 1.17, making the 5.69 price a total of 9.69. And this on a bargain price. Imagine higher end liquors and suddenly you are paying 30 bucks for an 18 dollar bottle. Washington has promised to phase down these taxes, but so far I have not seen that.
I know there are certain groceries in some areas of WA that lock it all up and you have to flag down someone for assistance. However, in my mid-population metro in Eastern WA, those don't exist.
Another perceived problem is bordering cities with Oregon or Idaho, still state-run, will gain income from Washingtonians looking to avoid taxes. This is nothing new in the general retail climate, but unless you live in Vancouver, or Spokane Valley, (maybe even Pullman, or Clarkston), the cost of travel tends to negate the reduced cost.
Summary of states I've lived in:
Texas- Beer and wine in grocery stores. Hard liquor available only in liquor stores which aren't open on Sundays.
Michigan- Everything is available 7 days a week in grocery stores.
California - Everything is available 7 days a week in grocery stores.
Minnesota- Only watered down 3.2% beer is available in grocery stores. Regular beer, wine and liquor is only available in liquor stores, which are closed on Sunday. Despite the backwards liquor laws, Minnesota is always listed as one of the heaviest drinking states by per capita consumption.
Maryland's and New Jersey's liquor laws are pretty retarded compared with other states (ie Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, etc) in that you are forced to buy all alcoholic beverages from a liquor store. However on the plus side at least our laws are not as retarded as Pennsylvania's or Utah's which force people to go to state run liquor stores to buy wine/spirits (all of which are closed on Sundays).
Washington state started allowing liquor sales in supermarkets and other private stores over a certain square footage a couple years ago due to an industry-funded voter initiative. They used to be only in State-run stores.
The prices have gone way up, some due to taxation, and some due to either a less-efficient system or de-regulated pricing.
Supermarkets have found it problematic. They started with liquor on regular aisles. Since then they've gone to various anti-theft systems, whether you have to flag an employee to open a case, or there's a beeper that presumably also triggers a photo (allowing them to ban thieves), or they make it a dead-end with an employee present, whatever.
At the Fred Meyers in Tacoma all the shelves are wide open, but you still have to have the checker remove the little security doohickey on top of the bottle.
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 we got Sunday sales here in Colorado, each grocery chain was allowed to sell liquor in one of its stores, e.g. one Safeway, one King Sooper's, etc. These are usually in Denver.
Florida does.....sorta. You have to go in a separate door at the end of the building though but all the major supermarkets in my area sell it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
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!
There's a new law apparently ready to make it's way through the Florida state legislature that would open up liquor sales to grocery stores/drug stores without requiring a separate entrance. There are a couple of special interest groups (liquor stores and oddly Publix itself, probably because of their near monopoly anyway) against it, but supposedly it has a good chance of passing.
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.
Louisiana has hard liquor in grocery stores.
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