As a follow-up to my post about variation in state liquor laws, I found these helpful infographics that some people may find interesting. To me these really highlight the amount of variation in wine / liquor laws by state:
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/26/here-are-all-the-states-t_n_5710135.html
I spent a decent amount of time in Pennsylvania and I can attest to the state's arcane alcohol laws. Wine and spirits have to be purchased from a state-run wine and spirits store. In my experience, these stores haven't had the greatest selection and have awful prices. It drives lots of people to neighboring states where companies like Total Wine have a strong foothold.
ReplyDeletePennsylvania is a quirky state on these maps. The beer sales infographic appears to say PA allows grocery store sales of beer, but the fine print adds the requirement that the grocery store have a restaurant operation and a separate entrance. And it doesn't mention that there is a two 6-pack limit for purchases - anything larger has to be from a licensed beer distributor. The only grocery stores I saw in PA selling beer were Wegman's and Whole Foods, which would set up beer sales in their market/restaurants, and you would have to go through a separate checkout line with your beer before entering the grocery part of the store.
ReplyDeleteWine and liquor sales in PA are even worse, sold solely out of state controlled wine and spirits stores. These stores are notoriously poorly stocked with inconvenient hours. PA also has a convenient 18% tax on all alcohol sales, originally enacted to raise money for Johnstown to rebuild after its 1930s flood, but which is still on the books today. This means that the Total Wine stores just across the border into New Jersey and Delaware do very well with Philadelphia customers... PA also is an interesting example of how tied to prohibition current laws are: the governor at the time of the 21st Amendment was a dry governor, and he created the PA Liquor Control Board with the express purpose of making alcohol purchases inconvenient and expensive.
Some links for further reading:
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/06/06/pennsylvanians-still-paying-johnstown-flood-tax-70-years-later/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-nickels/pennsylvania-bondage_b_8125504.html
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/The-History-of-Drinking-in-Pennsylvania-265539461.html