No we don't sell beer; or odd liquor laws and SCs

[PhotoChick]

There's also a chain in North Carolina called Brew-Thru... I first saw it when I was about 10, it was a cool concept even then.

[Caveat Emptor]

I live in NY, and went to college in PA. I found it interesting that you had to go to a state store in PA to buy beer, but I never (and still haven't) bought alcohol at a store, so it didn't phase me. What I found interesting was the first time I went to Florida and saw wine in the supermarket, asked my mom why they sold it there and in NY they didn't, and was told about the law. I thought it was the "NY" way everywhere until that moment. I beleive they're loosening it a bit now, but for the longest time you couldn't buy alcohol (blue laws) in NY, IIRC, between 2am and 8am on a weekday or before 12noon on Sunday.

Last year, there was a change in the law regarding direct shipment of wine from wineries to consumers here in NYS. I believe, from how I understand it, in early 2005 the NYS Supreme Court ruled that the existing ban on out of state wineries shipping directly to NYS consumers was in violation of law forbidding restriction of trade. Then the NY wineries got in on it, because they were forbidden from direct shipment to consumers within NYS, and the ruling meant that Out of state wineries could ship to NY residents but IN state wineries STILL could not, so in August THAT law was changed to make it fair.

[Pagan]

NM, I think (at least they were mentioned in the drunk-driving video training I had to do to get my permit the first time).

Nope, haven't had 'em for years. This is one of the band-aids they've come up with for our drunk driving problems. The state legislature misses the logic train on occasion. Sure, you have to park your car and go in the store, but there's still nothing stopping you from opening it up once you get back to your car! Not surprisingly, we still have horrific, deadly crashes involving drunks. Yeah, getting rid of drive-up windows has helped a lot! Gee, how 'bout actually punishing the drunk drivers! Ok, I'll stop here and not go on a days-long rant about drunk drivers.

I know we still have the restriction that alcohol can't be sold until after noon on Sunday and I think we still have one for no alcohol sales on Election Day. Friends don't let friends vote drunk, I guess!

[COMINATCHA]

The idea of a supermarket selling alcohol seems weird to me. We have to go to a liquor store to get alcohol, alot of which are drive-through.

[DistantStar]

I had a customer complain to me that we don't sell liquor, because another local one does. Turned out the one that does is across the river in another parish. (Yes, I live in Louisiana. The northern part.) They must have different licensing laws or something, I guess. He didn't seem to understand the concept.

In this parish, you can buy beer and wine on Sunday but no hard liquor. It makes no sense to me because I can get just as drunk on beer as I can on Southern Comfort if I so desire. Not that I do desire more than once in a blue moon, mind you, but it just takes more beer to do the job!

I will never forget when my SO and I went over to a nearby liquor store on a Sunday not long after we moved here and found the stuff he really wanted physically gated off. That's when we found out about the rules. It hadn't even occurred to us that Sunday might make a difference, I guess that's what time in New Orleans will do to you!

[ginlyn32]

I work in a supermarket. I'm well aware that most states grocery stores can sell beer (including NYS, only 30 mins away). But this is PA and we have some bizarre idiotic liquor laws. During fireworks season we get alot of customers from the Empire State buying fireworks. I've lost tract of how many times I've had a conversation like this;

C: Excuse me, where's your beer?
Me: This is PA we don't sell beer.
C: Huh, what do you mean you don't sell beer?
Me: It's state law, if you wan't to buy beer you have to go to a case distributer or a bar/deli.
C: That's dum.

Sometimes it's not beer, but wine or liquor. I once tried to explain our system of state stores to a couple visiting from Nevada (where you can get it anywhere). Or "non-alcoholic" beer and wine; since it sill has .5 ABV you need to be 21 to buy it. For a while corporate decided to extend the age restriction to things such as grape juice and apple cider ! That was fun. Or the manager who decided we wouldn't sell drink mixers to anyone under 21.

Ours was this:

SC walks in and looks for "cold Beer"

comes over and asks ME why we don't have Cold Beer. Heck, I don't know! Don't ask me!

I ask Manager and he says it's cause in IN, they can't sell cold beer in grocery stores. Only in Liquire Stores.

Here in GA it's a whole different story. Grocery stores can sell cold beer. BUT you have to go to a Liquire store to buy the hard stuff.

Or when I worked at a convienence store, ppl would walk in and look around and say "where's your cold beer?" Um....we don't have it! WHY?? Not licensed i guess....

[TruthHurts]

I spent a majority of my life in Washignton State where the only place you could get hard alcohol was in a liquor store. Imagine my surprise when I moved to California and found grocery stores selling hard A.

Even though I've been here a year it still startles me to see it beign sold in Rite-Aid and appearing in grocery store adverts.

[Pagan]

See, I just can't wrap my mind around the concept that you have to go to a liquor store to buy the hard stuff! I can walk across the street to Sunflower Market and get it. We've got in just about all the grocery stores, I think even the Super Wal-Mart (not sure about that). Cold beer, wine coolers (and all the other varieties), wines. The only ones who don't carry it are the ones that are "morally" against it. Just what, exactly is the reasoning to have it in a separate store?

[Misanthropical]

When we moved to PA, I asked the cashier at the store where the wine was and she looked at me like I sprouted a second head and told me I had to go to a Wine & Spirit shop for that.

If you want beer, that's a separate store than the wine store. It's a real pain in the behind. I'm glad we don't drink very often, because having to go all over heck just to buy liquor seems like a waste to me.

[ginlyn32]

See, I just can't wrap my mind around the concept that you have to go to a liquor store to buy the hard stuff! I can walk across the street to Sunflower Market and get it. We've got in just about all the grocery stores, I think even the Super Wal-Mart (not sure about that). Cold beer, wine coolers (and all the other varieties), wines. The only ones who don't carry it are the ones that are "morally" against it. Just what, exactly is the reasoning to have it in a separate store?

Maybe because there are no age restrictions for grocery stores. But if you used that logic, they would only sell beer there too....I have no idea!

[MadMike]

Maybe because there are no age restrictions for grocery stores.

But they still sell cigarettes, which are age restricted.

But if you used that logic, they would only sell beer there too....I have no idea!

You've hit the nail on the head. Anyone who lives in PA can tell you that this state and logica are mutually exclusive. This is a state where the roads are in disrepair, so they spend a shitload of money to build a bunch of stadiums.

[braindead]

I have a family member that lives in Nevada. They have drive through for liquor. They sell everything at the grocery store. And the sell on sunday. It freaked me out the first time. I live in Kansas we are kinda a dryer state. We sell it(never on sundays of course) but a lot of people wont admit to drinking it.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Heh.

In North Carolina, the laws on selling alcohol are pretty much this (I'll sum it up as best I can

Beer and wine are sold in grocery stores, as well as specialty stores (Such as World Market/Total Wine, etc) and convenience stores/drug stores.

Liquor is only sold in state-controlled stores. Individuals cannot operate a liquor store - the state prefers to keep the monopoly on that. Liquor stores are open from 9 am to 9 p.m here - in counties that have them (currently there are a few counties that don't have ABC stores.)

We also have a Sunday blue law, that states that NO alcoholic beverages are sold before 12 noon. As you can imagine, much fun is had by all when the lines at the grocery store are long and the time on the registers is maybe a couple of minutes before noon and you have some jerk who insists his case of Bud be run up b/c his watch says it's two minutes after. NOT

(Especially when our local ALE agents like to have stings when you least expect it. They'll send someone in just to see if the cashiers are doing their job correctly. They'll go by the time on the receipt, NOT the customer's watch on a Sunday beer/wine purchase.)

Liquor by the drink laws vary from place to place as well. In my county (Guilford) we have liquor by the drink, meaning that restaurants and bars can sell alcohol to patrons.

Also, just FYI, the legal limit is .08 for DWI (Driving While Impaired.)