Legislators are now justifying guns-in-bars legislation with the argument that “it works in other states.”
Really.
We’ve seen that argument before as well.
P.S. 33 other states allow wine sales in food stores. It has never — repeat never — killed the private liquor industry in states that allow private liquor stores.
April 13th, 2010
I’ve never understood the argument that private liquor stores would be killed by having wine in grocery stores. Even in the cases where outright liquor is sold in convenience or grocery stores, doesn’t that still leave the liquor stores to sell the “good” wine and spirits. I.e., sure, I could go and spend $10-20 on a bottle of wine at Kroger, but if I REALLY wanted a nice wine, I would still have to go to a liquor store to get something. Or, even from an expertise standpoint, I don’t think that the guy stocking shelves for minimum wage is going to be an expert sommelier and be able to tell you what the difference between a Merlot and a Pinot Noir is, or a Riesling from a Chardonnay.
April 14th, 2010
We couldn’t agree more.
April 28th, 2010
In order to earn steady profits and remain viable businesses, the local liscensees need the wine trade, and not just the expensive products. It is the big brands that provide steady income, profits, and jobs.
This income and profit is recirculated into the local economies of Tennessee, and contributes to the tax base.
The state receives an added bonus in public safety and law enforcement, because the local businesses are self-policing and tightly controlled.
Iowa, the last state to liberalize wine sales, saw the statewide distributor base shrink from seven local to two national. A virtual oligopily that reduces competition and increases consumer prices, while depriving the state of the local money multiplier effect.
There’s more at stake than just jobs and businesses in the wine and liquor trade. There’s public safety and GDP shrink to consider.
April 28th, 2010
Quote:
There’s more at stake than just jobs and businesses in the wine and liquor trade. There’s public safety and GDP shrink to consider.
I somehow doubt this. Grocery stores aren’t going to sell the same “good” wines that a liquor store will still carry. And, people will still go to the liquor stores that they prefer when they need to pick things up. Grocery stores will just add another type of convenience for the wine purchaser. Most liquor stores, even in Nashville, close around 9:00PM, and are closed on Sundays. Grocery stores, however, are open later, and could still sell wine on Sundays. This is a big boon, in my opinion.
And for public safety? We still have to get carded for the wine, just like we do for beer. I really believe that the argument of “public safety” or “think about the children” is fallacious, as it’s just as easy to find someone of age to go to a liquor store and provide the alcohol to children. Also, grocery stores would be under just as much of an obligation as other establishments to deny alcohol sales to someone who is obviously intoxicated.
I don’t think that the GDP would actually shrink. Redistributed, perhaps, as liquor stores work out augmenting their sales, but I think it would contribute to overall GDP growth, as a product that was once limited to a number of stores has wider availability in both number of venues, as well as the number of hours in the day it is available.
I think that a bill allowing wine sales in grocery stores should also allow liquor stores to sell supplies, or to sell beer, or possibly cigars. It’s ridiculous that I can’t buy a corkscrew at a liquor store to open my wine, or that I cannot buy a soft drink at a liquor store to go along with the bottle of Jack Daniels I’m inevitably going to mix the whiskey with. If we included such a measure in the bill, it would be equitable, as any perceived loss of revenue would be made up by allowing the liquor stores to sell a more diverse selection of products than before.
April 28th, 2010
Thanks, Alex. We appreciate your comments. Our campaign has recommended that liquor stores be able to sell other product and even own a second stores. It’s odd that a successful businessperson would be limited by an arcanehttp://redwhiteandfood.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form law.
June 21st, 2010
Putting hardware and food items into the current wine and liquor stores is the same as putting liquor and wine into the local hardware and food stores.
Pay attention to what these lobbiests are REALLY saying. They will not stop at wine! This is just the beginning product. Liquor would be five or ten years after.
Find out WHO is working for Red, White and Food, WHERE the wine would be sold, the trade groups representing those stores (all of them, don’t forget the gas stations!), and Google away.
Prepare to be very surprised by what you learn.
June 21st, 2010
Why all of the scaremongering? Attacking the presenter of the content doesn’t diminish the validity of what’s being presented. Laws restricting the sale of wine and other alcohol, even if they mean well, are arbitrary, plain and simple. Believe it or not, there are actually people here in the state of Tennessee that would be perfectly OK with wine and liquor sales in places other than liquor stores.
Are you meaning to say that a corkscrew or a drinking glass is HARDWARE? And why would you not sell a complimentary product (i.e., sodas with whiskey, or orange juice with vodka) with another product? That’s a pretty weak argument, if you ask me.
June 25th, 2010
Yes, a corkscrew is hardware. And a wine glass is a coffee cup is a bucket is vase is the same darn thing. Put those in wine/liquor stores and then you have a way for Kroger to sell Jim Beam. Like they do in California. The “complimentery product” argument fails to reveal this, but I can gaurantee you the people who run the large grocery chains are well aware.
Chips are potatoes, beef jerky is meat, limes are fruits…now a wine/liquor store is a grocery strore. Now you can put Jack Daniel’s in Food City. And Mapco. All you need is little PAC money.
This proposed legislation opens the flood gates, and once opened they will not be closed unless we have a general prohibition on alcohol in our state again. And there are many more people in Tennessee who want total prohibition than there are people who want wine and liquor in gas stations and grocery stores. You won’t see these people at a red white and food rally but you will see them on election days.
June 25th, 2010
The “slippery slope” argument is getting kind of tired. I hate to sound rude. A corkscrew is a tool specifically designed for opening wine bottles. Wine glasses are specifically designed for drinking wine. Limes, soda, etc, all can be combined for drinks. It just plain makes sense to have them in the same place as other ingredients.
What is the big deal about having ANY alcohol available at a grocery store, anyways? I don’t see what “flood gates” will be opened. I sense this paranoia over rampant alcoholism, and I just don’t see that happening in other states. Last time I was in Missouri, gas stations sold Johnny Walker and other alcohol, but liquor stores were still in business, and I didn’t see a bunch of winos sitting outside of every grocery store that sold wine.
Also, if you’re going to claim that more people want alcohol abolished in TN, please include a citation. Also, let me know what regions of the state these people reside in, so I know not to live there.