A recent proposal to allow convenience and grocery stores to sell beer in Pennsylvania - without on-premises consumption - will put distributors out of business, shrink the workforce, generate violations, aggravate problem drinking, reduce availability of craft brands, hurt taverns and be generally unfair, local distributors said.

awww...is someone a wittle upset about losing our monopoly?

TIME OUT!

I tried to read the entire article, but couldn't get to the end.

Are you saying that you can't buy beer in a grocery store or a convenience store in PA? Seriously? You have to go into a liquor store to buy it? And they call us in Alabama backwards?

I freaked out when they wouldn't allow Sunday sales of beer when I first came here 20 years ago (2 years later they passed a law that said buying beer on Sundays is cool), but not being able to buy it at the same time you buy a gallon of milk is absurd.

Someone tell me I missed something in the article and that you can walk into a 7-11 and get a six pack anytime you want if you live in PA.

superdolfan1: Are you saying that you can't buy beer in a grocery store or a convenience store in PA? Seriously? You have to go into a liquor store to buy it? And they call us in Alabama backwards?

You can only get cases at beer distributors. You can only get wines and spirits from state run stores (an execption is made for local vinyards). You can get 6 packs at a bar except on Sunday, and every day of the week small pizza shops and similar places are allowed to sell 6 or 12 packs. Can't buy a car on a Sunday either.

superdolfan1: Are you saying that you can't buy beer in a grocery store or a convenience store in PA?

that is correct. there are some supermarkets that are permitted to sell six packs, but they have a LOT of taxes on those sales. and it's not allowed state wide, just in a few supermarkets.

the way things currently work, it's an advantage to the local distributors. they've got a lock on the market, customers are forced to buy an entire case at a time (even if they don't WANT a whole case) and there isn't any real competition for their market niche. Oh, and the state government keeps the status quo for them.

That's how businesses work in this state - you get the state government to create a monopoly for you, then you pay the legislators to maintain that monopoly at the expense of your customers.

Do the liquor distributors realize that rational people can fact check their claims by looking at almost EVERY OTHER STATE in the union?

I am still annoyed that I can't buy beer after 8 here is Connecticut. I like to do my grocery shopping at night when the stores are less busy.

nekom: superdolfan1: Are you saying that you can't buy beer in a grocery store or a convenience store in PA? Seriously? You have to go into a liquor store to buy it? And they call us in Alabama backwards?

You can only get cases at beer distributors. You can only get wines and spirits from state run stores (an execption is made for local vinyards). You can get 6 packs at a bar except on Sunday, and every day of the week small pizza shops and similar places are allowed to sell 6 or 12 packs. Can't buy a car on a Sunday either.

A bar? I have to go into a bar to buy a six pack?

OK, so I don't buy six packs, I buy a case at a time. A case of domestic beer runs about $16.95 for bottles at a Sam's Warehouse. A 12 pack runs about 8.99 in a grocery store.

How much does a domestic case cost in PA?

And do the people who run the distribution channel have last names that end in a vowel?

If I hear "BdoubleEdoubleR-U-N Beer run" one more time I'm gonna start drinking.

Loved it the first 35,989,762 times.

MonkeyVegetables: albo: for a six pack you go to a bar

if its after 5 and the distributors are closed you have to go to a bar and buy 2-12 packs, but you have to make two trips because you cant legally carry out both of them at the same time.....

And that law is actually enforced too, which is really really weird.

MonkeyVegetables: albo: for a six pack you go to a bar

if its after 5 and the distributors are closed you have to go to a bar and buy 2-12 packs, but you have to make two trips because you cant legally carry out both of them at the same time.....

Mother farking savages. Nuke it before their strange ways spread to the rest of our great nation.

kools: Blue laws suck.

All liquor and beer products should be sold 24/7.

hey, state controlled monopolies bring in a lot of cash for the government. what's really funny is watching state Republicans complain against 'socialism' from the Democrats while ignoring the fact that they themselves are 'socialist' for supporting the liquor control board.

beerrun: Hello? Somebody say something?

Liquid lunch, here I come.

Weaver95: A recent proposal to allow convenience and grocery stores to sell beer in Pennsylvania - without on-premises consumption - will put distributors out of business, shrink the workforce, generate violations, aggravate problem drinking, reduce availability of craft brands, hurt taverns and be generally unfair, local distributors said.

awww...is someone a wittle upset about losing our monopoly?

Mock if you will, but the bolded portion is a serious and scary possibility.

It's nigh impossible to find good cases down here in VA.

Wendy's Chili: Mock if you will, but the bolded portion is a serious and scary possibility.

It's nigh impossible to find good cases down here in VA.

No it's not. If there is a market for it, it will be sold.

GaryPDX: What about home brewing? I imagine it's pretty popular there, yes?

depends on the area. outside of the major cities, yes - there are a number of people who brew their own.

Nothing like drunks sitting outside of a Sheetz at 1am, pissing their pants to raise property values.

MonkeyVegetables: all of this needs to be put on a "Welcome to PA" billboard at the border

you should see the number of liquor stores on the state border. people cross over to maryland all the damn time if they need to stock up before a party or the holidays. it's actually worth it to make the trip, even considering gas prices.

WTF Indeed: Nothing like drunks sitting outside of a Sheetz at 1am, pissing their pants to raise property values.

What's a Sheetz?

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Weaver95: GaryPDX: What about home brewing? I imagine it's pretty popular there, yes?

depends on the area. outside of the major cities, yes - there are a number of people who brew their own.

Can only speak anecdotally, but there seems to be a good micro-brew culture in Pittsburgh. I know a handful of homebrewers too.

I know a bunch of homebrewers myself, but most of them are SCAdians.

R.A.Danny: WTF Indeed: Nothing like drunks sitting outside of a Sheetz at 1am, pissing their pants to raise property values.

What's a Sheetz?

it's like a 7-11, only run by americans.

Weaver95: R.A.Danny: WTF Indeed: Nothing like drunks sitting outside of a Sheetz at 1am, pissing their pants to raise property values.

What's a Sheetz?

it's like a 7-11, only run by americans.

Is this presently an issue or is there a prediction of rampant alcoholic pant pissing rampage if distributors don't get their way?

R.A.Danny: Is this presently an issue or is there a prediction of rampant alcoholic pant pissing rampage if distributors don't get their way?

I don't think it's a 'real' issue, this is just the distributors protecting their monopoly. which, to my mind, was an illegal monopoly to begin with, so they can STFU.

This is a slippery slope. Allow beer into the grocery store and the next thing you know they'll want to sell whine too. Because everyone knows that beer is a gateway beverage.

GaryPDX: Last time I checked, you had to buy a "membership" to a given establishment too. You needed to belong to a private "club" to drink. Utah is weird.

They sell the memberships at the door, so it's like a cover charge without a band.

They played this shiat in MA a few years ago.

We have some of the most farked up laws. There is no such thing as happy hour. We've only RECENTLY been able to buy booze on a Sunday, and then not till noon.

MonkeyVegetables: all of this needs to be put on a "Welcome to PA" billboard at the border

Think Braille and pot holes.