PLCB to change law (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: buying, live, prices)

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by pman

it cuts both ways, distributors should also be able to sell singles and six packs

Yes I'd agree, we shouldn't have to go to a distributor or bar to begin with.

[motownewave]

A year or two ago, I stopped at a Sheetz in rural Lebanon County to get gas, and there was an ad at the pump asking me "Want BEER here?" and then went on to say something to the tune of "write your representative..."

Who gives a $h1t about CHANGING the LAW just to be able to enjoy sixpacks of BEER at a CONVENIENCE store, when laws from 1933 and 1951 make it impossible to buy beer at most supermarkets (or anywhere other than a bar or an awful, warehouse-like establishment) and more to the point, force us to have one miserable establishment (multiple locations, but one entity) from which to buy all our other alcohol???!!!

Seriously, I really don't understand why proposals are being debated to allow beer distributors to sell wine/spirits, just to get rid of the state stores... How about scrapping the whole 1951 Liquor Code (trust me, burying that awful creation is something we all should get behind) so both the beer distributors (hell) and state stores (purgatory) can be reduced to an unpleasant memory?

[I_Like_Spam]

The PLCB is one government program that works exactly as designed, reaching the goals of its founding father, Gov. Gifford Pinchot.

Pinchot's aim in crafting Pennsylvania's alcohol distribution system was to "discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible".

The governor clearly met his goals, can't say that about a lot of government plans.

[Ohiogirl81]

Can't wait to see how the beer distributors jack up the prices on a 12-pack.

Originally Posted by thecoalman

That's a dumb ass law for the benefit of the distributors.

All of the state's liquor laws are dumb ass laws.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Can't wait to see how the beer distributors jack up the prices on a 12-pack.


All of the state's liquor laws are dumb ass laws.

In my experience case prices are competitive with neighboring states at beer distributors. It will remain to be seen if 12 pack prices are competitive. As nice as it would be to pick a sixer up at wawa I'd settle for sixes at distributors and wine. As it is now I can buy a six, a case and a bottle of wine but only at three different places

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Can't wait to see how the beer distributors jack up the prices on a 12-pack.

I would expect they are going to be less than take out beer elsewhere which may cause a drop in prices at the bars. The bars and other outlets are everywhere, the distibutors are going to need a reason to get them in the door other than they happen to be driving by.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

The bars and other outlets are everywhere, the distibutors are going to need a reason to get them in the door other than they happen to be driving by.

I'm not sure of that.

There are 12 licenses in my township. Five are restaurants, 2 hotels, 3 are corporations for what appear to be private parties, and a Tanczo beer distributor and a Wegman's supermarket.

I suspect that it will be mostly a head to head with Tanczos and Wegmans. Tanczos led the lawsuit against Wegman's trying to shut down their pseudo restaurant/bar.

As many people are already in the Wegmans shopping already, they will need some motivation to drive the 2.3 miles to Tanczos.

1. TANCZOS BEVERAGES, INC.
2. WEGMANS FOOD MARKETS INC
3. PJ WHELIHAN'S
4. ANNA BELLA, INC.
5. HANOVERVILLE ROADHOUSE
6. PRIME STEAK HOUSE
7. GREGORY's STEAK HOUSE, LLC
8. BEST WSTRN LHGH VLLY HTL & CONF CTR
9. HAMPTON INN & SUITES
10. PARTICLE SCIENCES INC
11. PIRAMAL CRITICAL CARE
12. SPECIALTY MINERALS INC

Yuengling Black & Tan, 24/12NR = 288 fl. oz $19.49 Tanczos
Yuengling Black & Tan, Original 72 fl. oz. $5.99 Wegmans
Yuengling Black & Tan, Original 144 fl. oz. $9.99 Wegmans

So it seems that Wegman's has matched Tanczos price per bottle if you buy the 12 pack. The six pack is at a higher price per bottle.

I doubt that they can afford to go into a price war. Perhaps they will simply match prices and see what happens.

[motownewave]

Wolf keeps saying there is room for improvement of PLCB laws (and the operations of the state stores themselves) but I really, really don't trust him to enact any change. The least we all can do is put pressure on him to live up to his words. Hopefully a Republican will be our next governor (and hopefully with the very next election) so that if anything, assuming Wolf made any changes at all, we can have a Republican administration kill off the PLCB, and emphasize that Wolf's changes weren't enough to satisfy the people's wants and needs.

Even in 1933, or perhaps 1951 when we got stuck with the seed of most of our awful liquor laws today, was there ANYTHING that could be considered "democratic" about the PLCB? It's not like anyone ever elected PLCB leadership, and the citizens really have no say in what the PLCB does (except people are given the voice to stop a state store from opening if they suspect it will attract a bad crowd, perhaps a crowd that will loiter and illegally drink in public).

Ironically, if the PLCB never unionized (which they did in 1970, right after the old PLCB "counter" system had just started to be phased out), Democrats would surely be the advocates of privatization, and Republicans, representing the small town, small-minded religious nuts who brought the whole country that rotten idea called prohibition in the first place, would be the thorn in the side and pain in the ass for pretty much everyone else in the state.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Seriously, I really don't understand why proposals are being debated to allow beer distributors to sell wine/spirits, just to get rid of the state stores... How about scrapping the whole 1951 Liquor Code (trust me, burying that awful creation is something we all should get behind) so both the beer distributors (hell) and state stores (purgatory) can be reduced to an unpleasant memory?

About one-quarter of the United States population lives in liquor control or government monopoly states.The eighteen control or monopoly jurisdictions as of February 2015 are:

1. Alabama
2. Idaho
3. Iowa
4. Maine
5. Maryland
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. New Hampshire
9. North Carolina
10. Ohio
11. Oregon
12. Pennsylvania
13. Vermont
14. Virginia
15. Utah
    
    The State does not operate retail outlets, but maintains a monopoly over wholesaling of distilled spirits.
16. Michigan
17. West Virginia
18. Wyoming

While it is fine to discuss the possibility of PA leaving this list of 18 states, it will never happen in your lifetime.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

About one-quarter of the United States population lives in liquor control or government monopoly states.The eighteen control or monopoly jurisdictions as of February 2015 are:

Even in some of those states, the government controls hard liquor only. For instance, you can buy beer, wine and spirits up to a certain proof just about anywhere in Ohio. For the hard stuff, you have to go to a state-licensed store, operated kind of like a consignment store where the state owns the liquor, the agent owns the business, and the state pays the agent a commission. Liquor stores also may sell wine and beer.

Ohio also has the local option, so there's that. At the grocery store in my neighborhood, the local option disallowed sales from 2:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.

Oregon's system is similar to Ohio's. Virginia and North Carolina and a bunch of other states on that list allow beer and wine to be sold just about anywhere.

Heck, even Utah allows some beer to be sold in grocery and convenience stores.