Posted on 05/04/2014 11:13:18 AM PDT by Kaslin
If you think that’s weird, try living in a Southern dry county or one with Sunday blue laws.
always bought beer here in NY, where I live, in grocery stores and the like. the biggest problem was the Sunday blue laws that prevented one from buying before noon Sunday. that was changed to any day, anytime around a decade ago.
I deer hunt in NY too, my camp is about 4 miles from the PA border. we would go to PA and get the groceries which were cheaper and water, soda and the like as there is no deposit law in PA. but the beer was picked up on the way back to camp, in a NY grocery.
Years ago in Kansas—70s & 80s—you had to belong to a bar as a club member, and you had a `liquor pool’: every time you ordered a drink your pool was debited. It was bizarre and complicated
And stupid. They did have 3.2 beer bars where you could buy pitchers, cans and bottles. But everyone wanted to go back to buying `red-eye’ whiskey by the drink, `Yee-hawing!’ and shooting our pistols into the ceiling,
but the dammed dry Democrats ... Not sure how they do it now, some counties were completely dry, may still be.
I remember a drive-in hamburger chain in Dallas called Kellers (one on Samuels Blvd., one on NW Highway and I think there was one on Harry Heinz Blvd. too) where you could sit in your car and carhops would bring your beer to you in a frosted mug. I'm sure that doesn't happen now, but it did as recently as 1983...the year I left Texas.
Driving while drunk is of course a very irresponsible (and criminally negligent) thing to do, but I mention this only as a gauge to what children we've become to our government(s). Presently I live in Washington State, and we recently wrested the liquor business away from the state (grocery and convenience stores could always sell beer). Our governor, Queen Christine Gregoire made sure we were punished (at AFSCME insistence I'm sure) for our insolence by adding to the already high taxes on alchohol.
There are bottle shops in PA where you can get individual bottles or six packs. They are called "licensed beer stores" in the law. I believe they require a full license [might be wrong], so they're often attached to bars, but don't need to be. They are much more common in college towns.
There are also "beer distributors" [not the same as "beverage distributors"] who sell beer both by the case and by six-pack. Beverage distributors may only sell cases or kegs. They may also sell water and non-alcoholic beverages.
Wine and liquor may only be sold by Commonwealth of PA State Stores.
And regular payments to certain politicians.
The PA LCB Union has been running those ads non-stop on Rush’s program and TV. They must be getting really desperate. It’s so over the top I actually laughed out loud the first time I heard it. Priceless.
Attempts to lobby for more licenses in resort areas like the Poconos, like attempts to privatize the LCB liquor stores have failed despite recurring promises to liberalize and privatize for over 30 years.
PA is socially very conservative, it's the union lock that makes it vote Democrat in Presidential years. The PA Supreme Court did not get rid of the Blue Laws [ruling they were an unconstitutional establishment of religion, which was true] until relatively recently.
The situation was inconvenient for anyone but those who bought in quantity, and the process was like something from an almost forgotten past. It was a hoot. You had to find what you wanted on a big chart up (literally) on the wall, write the product name, bottle size and quantity down on a typically government-looking form, present the form to an employee behind a counter, and he would retrieve it from somewhere in back and bring it to the counter. You paid and got your purchases put in a discreet brown paper bag.
There were always a couple of older gents working there, all wearing white shirt and tie, and generally reminding me of William Frawley playing "Fred Mertz." I assumed they all had Colt "Banker's Specials" or some such thing on them, but never made inquiries. This post got me to wondering if they were unionized as well. A moot point, I guess.
Anyway, I found going to Iowa's more obscure state-run stores to be a somewhat entertaining experience, but I was in the minority on that point. Within a few more years, my old stomping grounds became decadent enough to move the liquor store closer to the center of population; almost immediately afterward, the state soon got out of the liquor store business altogether, and getting booze became as interesting as buying oleomargarine.
Mr. niteowl77
I’ve lived in 9 different states, with a wild variety of liquor laws.
Strangely enough, the most logical of all was CA, where just about anybody that wants to could sell beer, wine and liquor. All just stocked on the shelves in the grocery store like any other item.
I am unaware of any huge problems created by this free market approach in CA.
My personal favorite was being able to buy wine at the dollar store. Once ran across a truly excellent Pinot Noir from Chile which apparently didn’t sell well, in 1.5 liter bottles. That $1 for 1.5 liters.
Drove all over Sacramento to every dollar store and bought about 20 cases, every one I could find. Kept me in excellent drink for over a year.
This was about 10 years ago. Recently found out the same wine is now being imported again and sells well at around $30 for 750 ml.
beer in grocery stores also rapes women.
what an assinine statement to try to get people on your side.
I’m sure the State will find a way to perpetuate State store beer sales. Higher sales tax on beer at gas stations and grocery stores would in effect give the State stores the advantage and bolster State tax revenue.
In New Hampshire, distilled beverages are only available at the State Liquor stores, where they are considerably cheaper than in neighboring Taxachusetts. Beer and wine are available at grocery and convenience stores.
Years ago, when NH Governor Meldrim Thomson learned Massachusetts tax agents were at New Hampshire liquor stores taking down the numbers on cars with Massachusetts license plates, he had them arrested.
I think the law here is just plain weird.
...this weird law dates back to the thirties, and the end of Prohibition...the governor was Gifford Pinchot, as staunch a prohibitionist as there was...and, his petulance boiling over, he decided that if Pennsylvanians were to buy liquor, well, then, he would make it as difficult as possible to do so...
...I’ve always gotten a kick out of people who decide that using government suasion, in the form of criminalizing personal behaviors, is a peachy keen idea...like Bill O’Reilly and his bloviating against marijuana...and people who claim to be in ardent favor of the smallest government possible, happily hopping on the bandwagon of state sponsored aggression...
“Two of four Your Black Muslim Bakery members accused of vandalizing West Oakland liquor stores in 2005 reached plea deals Monday that most likely will result in probation instead of jail time...Raheem’s deal is dependent on his testimony against bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV, 22, and three other bakery members in an unrelated kidnapping and torture case...” http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_10026324
They vandalized the liquor stores because it was ‘bad for the neighborhood’. They are in jail now for many crimes including murder.
FALSE
Liquor = State Store
Wine = State Store or Winery (may have 2 soff-vineyard retail shop)
Beer & malts = Distributor by the case ONLY or up to two (2) 6 packs at bars and certain restaurants
Yes, it is on the ropes but so is this reporter who didn't check his facts.
Years ago in Kansas—70s & 80s—you had to belong to a bar as a club member, ...
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Yep. In 1978, I had to go to Wichita KA on a two day business trip. After the first day of work, I wanted to have a few beers then dinner and the hotel room. Found out real quick that I’d have to buy a membership before I could buy beer.
I’ve lived in DC & PA; both places have state stores. There were always drunks around the doorways. It was quite unpleasant, as a female, just to walk past these stores because of the kind of people hanging out in front.
What a surprise to live in WA and IA and find beer and liquor sold all over the place - drug store, gas station, grocery store - and not a drunk in sight.
I don’t know where the drunks go to get their fix, but I don’t see them here in Iowa.
I remember a drive-in hamburger chain in Dallas called Kellers...
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Kellers is still there, I believe. Their burgers were great and so were the cold beers. ....Until Oak Cliff (a very large portion of Dallas at the time) went “dry” in the 1950s, Sivil’s Drive In served beer as well as all kinds of food. All of the carhops were on skates. There was a 2nd Sivil’s in Houston, and a photo of their carhops made the cover of LIFE magazine.
Our County in Ar just went wet with the last 2012 election after being dry for at least 100 years. Every one had to drive to the next county or the State lines on 2 borders.
My Granddad bought two lots in the 60’s for his Liquor stores thinking some day it would go wet.
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