What part of 'it's state law' Do you NOT Understand?

[Trixie]

I had a lady argue with my on Christmas Day that she couldn't buy her bottle of wine. Sorry lady, Sundays and Christmas Day can't sell. I think the earliest I've sold alcohol was just after starting at 8 in the morning. Off hand I think the only cut-off is on Saturday night/early Sunday morning until Monday morning. It's not within any of the hours I work so I dunno.

[Jester]

I love the maroons that try the "but my watch says it's not X time yet". I had one the other day that said his watch said it was one minute 'til 1 (TX says c-stores can't sell beer after 1 am on Saturday). Argued with me about it for better than 2 minutes LOL

I get that shit with happy hour. "My watch says it's four o'clock!" That's great. Our computers don't. And while our computers don't lock us out of ordering happy hour stuff, that is exactly what we tell people. Because I'm sorry, when your watch is saying four, my cell phone and computer are both saying it's a quarter of. I may cut it close, like say 3:58, but not for assholes who insist that WE go by THEIR time. Sorry, you're in THIS BAR, and in THIS BAR, we go by the time we have in THIS BAR. Not on random customers' watches or cell phones.

And while we don't get as much crap about it at the end of happy hour, the same rules apply. When our computers say it's 7, guess what? Happy hour's over. Now, if you weren't a complete prick about it, chances are that the bartenders would gladly redeem your token for your second drink. We do it all the time, stretching the end of happy hour a few minutes. But if you're an asshole or a prick, happy hour ends promptly at 7:00, and you can use that token another day. Too bad, so sad.

[Anakah]

Out here you can't buy any alcohol after 2am. Why oh why would anybody want alcohol that early!? Did he just never stop??

[Jay 2K Winger]

Ah, the old "my watch says!" people. Fortunately, we didn't have to deal too much with whatever blue laws Virginia has at the wholesale club.

Closest I had was on a New Years Eve shift at the front door. It happened to be a Sunday as well, which meant the ABC stores (the only place in VA where you can buy hard liquor and other spirits that aren't beer and wine) were closed.

I'd been stationed out in the vestibule to turn away last-minute shoppers, as we were closing early for the holiday. I had some guy wanting to come in to buy some liquor for his NYE party, and I had to tell him "We don't sell liquor, just beer and wine, and even then, we're closed."

Him: "Well where am I supposed to buy liquor?"
J2K: "Try the ABC store at the far end of the shopping center."
Him: "I was just there. They're closed."
J2K: "Sorry, man, but you're out of luck, unless you want to try to get to DC or something, and hope their liquor stores will still be open."

[Dasota]

Bars close at 4am here, the stores stop selling at 3am (like the gas stations and the like) and can't start selling until until 8am I think? I can't remember if it's 7am or 8.

And I have bought beer for myself at that time in the morning. I was working 3rd shift, and figured it was the equivalent of folks getting a 6 pack after their regular 9-5 jobs.

[Grendus]

In Texas, I believe it's no liquor from midnight to seven, except on Sundays when it's two to noon (dunno why, probably a holdover from the blue laws). Used to have to stop people all the time. What usually worked for me was to tell them that the system wouldn't even accept the barcode. People are quick to write off a fight if it's against a machine, since they're usually programmed to be inflexible.

[Jester]

Out here you can't buy any alcohol after 2am. Why oh why would anybody want alcohol that early!? Did he just never stop??

While I won't defend the drunken slug in the OP, I can think of several reasons why people would be buying alcohol at 8 am.

As Dasota said, there are the third shifters and graveyard workers who are just getting off work.

There are people who do their drinking in the morning or day time, but not at night.

Fishing trips, which tend to be early (or so I here) are another great example.

If you need to buy alcohol for a trip, either for when you get there or for the non-drivers on the trip to enjoy.

Avoiding crowds early in the day if you're buying stuff for a party, especially if it's a barbecue or other daytime party.

For tailgating functions at sporting events.

Yes, I know, most of these examples are ones that could be avoided if the people would plan ahead and buy the night or day before. But many of us have been there, where we just spaced it, and now it's Holy Hell O'Clock in the morning, and for whatever reason, we need to get some hooch.

[blas]

I may need other WI CSers to chime in here, but for the most part, we don't sell beer/liquor at stores after 9:00 pm or midnight.

Which is really hard to remember, because bigger cities have the 9:00 rule, and smaller ones have the 12:00 rule, but because of the way the cities and nearby small towns are put together, you could technically be within bigger city limits, but actually in one of the smaller townships.

If it were up to me, it'd just be consistent. It's a real pain when you work in a store that sells alcohol and you have to explain over and over to people why they can't buy from this store after 9:00 pm but they have until midnight to drive 15 minutes away for beer.

[Jester]

This is one thing I love about my home state of Arizona.

You can buy beer and liquor until 2:00 am, whether you are in a bar, a liquor store, a grocery store, whatever.

You can start buying beer and liquor at 7:00 am, whether you are in a bar, a liquor store, a grocery store, whatever; except Sundays, when it is 10:00 am, again, across the board.

The only exception I know of to these rules is if the establishment is not open, i.e., opens at some hour past 7:00 am or closes at some hour before 2:00 am. And this is not an exception to the law so much as common sense: a business will not sell you something if they are not open.

[PepperElf]

While I won't defend the drunken slug in the OP, I can think of several reasons why people would be buying alcohol at 8 am.

I definitely agree with the "night shift" part. The whole "drinking before noon!" stigma kinda sucks when noon is your evening.

although for fishing... I've never associated fishing with beer myself although I know it's a classic in some parts. It's probably because I grew up fishing streams where we moved around a bit depending on where the fish were biting. Oh yeah and ... we actually fished.

[Jester]

Ah, but here and in many other places, fishing is done from boats, often way out on the water. And often a day of fishing from a boat is accompanied by a day of drinking in a boat.

Which may or may not have led to the amusing fact that one of the local bait and marine supply shops down here actually has a small bar in it.

[BrenDAnn]

I wanted to give an update here. Guy I wrote about in the OP was back twice last night. He was sweet as could be to me. My guess is he doesn't remember even being in the store that morning, or me, or that he was an abusive ass toward me. Dude needs help, though, either way. He's one of those that used to drink, cleaned up for a good while, and now is right back at it, hardcore. Sad, really. Jester, thank you for your list there. I hadn't thought of some of those things. Guy in the OP though was just...one of those that never stops. I work in a drunk little town. What can I say?

[Merriweather]

And I have bought beer for myself at that time in the morning. I was working 3rd shift, and figured it was the equivalent of folks getting a 6 pack after their regular 9-5 jobs.

That's a good point, it's so easy to think "why on earth is that person buying whatever-it-is at this time of day", and forget that plenty of people don't have schedules that match the majority. If you get through with a hard day's work at 8am, you may very well prefer a burger & a beer to eggs & O.J.

[Racket_Man]

I may need other WI CSers to chime in here, but for the most part, we don't sell beer/liquor at stores after 9:00 pm or midnight.

Which is really hard to remember, because bigger cities have the 9:00 rule, and smaller ones have the 12:00 rule, but because of the way the cities and nearby small towns are put together, you could technically be within bigger city limits, but actually in one of the smaller townships.

If it were up to me, it'd just be consistent. It's a real pain when you work in a store that sells alcohol and you have to explain over and over to people why they can't buy from this store after 9:00 pm but they have until midnight to drive 15 minutes away for beer.

If memory serves me, in Cheeseheadland, the state rule is no package sales after mindnight or before 8am. Bars can serve individual beverages until 1 or 2 am and after 7 or 8 am (lots of graveyard work here)

BUT by state laws each town, village and city can set more restricitve times within that limit. For example the gas station I worked at was in X village just south of Green and Gold land. Now X village and Y village (near Green and Gold land) stop package sales after 9pm. BUT Green and Gold land along with several other towns nearby do midnight and 8am. Made for lots of complaining and whinning and bitchin and moaning.

There is not really any set time state wide.

[PepperElf]

I get that shit with happy hour. "My watch says it's four o'clock!" That's great. Our computers don't.

some of the grocery stores i've been to simply won't process an alcohol sale after curfew period cos the computer kicks it back.