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Why shouldn't you be able to pick up a bottle of chianti with your Ragu?
By adamg on Thu, 09/28/2006 - 12:06pm
At more stores than the Omni Foods in Chestnut Hill, that is (turns out chains can currently get a total of three liquor licenses).
Ron Newman provides links to both sides of Question 1, a referendum in November on whether supermarkets and convenience stores should be allowed to sell wine:
If you can't buy wine with your TV dinners, the terrorists have won!
Sure, vote for it if you're in favor of more drunk drivers.
Discussion: It's really supermarkets vs. liquor stores for world domination.
Ed Prisby explains why he'll be voting yes - it's not that he likes mega-food chains, necessarily, but that competition is a good thing.
Lewis Forman says the measure doesn't go far enough:
... Why not beer sales? Being male and loving everything beer, I still can't buy a six pack with my steak. Wine may be more "sophisticated" but it may not appeal to my nightly palet. It would provide more places for local microbrews to offer their gourmet beers and provide the national brewers more shelf space to show off their Super Bowl XLI inflatable chair and cooler sets. ...
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Comments
Oh Jesus God, convenience
Oh Jesus God, convenience store liquor will lead to more drunk driving? Please. I come from a state where 7-11 sold beer right up until 0200, and it certainly didn't encourage me to drive drunk.
Hmmm, they have beer in this convenience store! Seeing it makes me want to buy it and jump on 93 and DRINK IT ALL!!!
another long discussion of Question 1
Here's another long discussion of Question 1, started by someone who I think will ultimately vote "no".
You know ... I've lived in two
You know...I've lived in two states besides Massachusetts. Michigan, and South Carolina. And Massachusetts has by far the most Draconian liquor laws. Yes, that's right...we're out-moralizing South Carolina. How can that be permitted to continue?
On the other hand, in Michigan you can buy whatever you want, whenever you want. So if you need to head to Meijer's at 3:45 on a Thursday morning to buy socks, a tv, a hula hoop, and a gallon of tequila...well, you can! It's one of the only things that isn't wrong with Michigan.
Evidently not the popular
Evidently not the popular opinion, but I'm planning to vote against wine in the supermarket - not because I don't like wine, I do. But not having it right there means I'm less likely to buy it, when I know it's not all that great for me, and kids are less likely to slip out with it, which, we all know it's not great for them, and people struggling with alcoholism, of which there is a very large number in Massachusetts, won't have the alcohol right there in their faces every time they want to go pick up some Twinkies. That extra bit of inconvenience involved in having to go to a wine shop for wine makes everybody less likely to buy it, and thus drink it, which, really, we probably shouldn't do as much anyway.
but maybe wine is good for you?
These days, some studies seem to suggest that drinking moderate amount of wine may in fact be healthy for you.
I still haven't decided how I'll vote on this.
Question 1
I, for one, am planning to vote against question 1. My issue is not necessarily with the drunk driving but with the deception involved in the campaign of the proponents of question 1. The proponents of this question would like the general public to believe that this is a fight between small, family owned grocery stores and big, bad liquor store conglomerates. In fact, just the opposite is true. The majority of these "big liquor stores" that have a "monopoly" on wine sales are actually family owned businesses, while the grocery stores supporting this act are nationwide chains such as Stop & Shop and Price Chopper. While grocery stores are fighting for this bill solely in the name of more profit and more power, liquor stores are fighting this because this is their livelihood. I highly doubt that the big wigs at Stop & Shop will be unable to send their children to college if they aren't allowed to sell wine. What about the family owned liquor stores who are depending on their business to send their kids to school or pay for healthcare? I think it is simply absurd that the liquor stores are being referred to as a monopoly. What exactly will it be called when the big grocery store chains have driven all the small liquor stores out of business and the only place to buy alcohol is at the grocery store? Is that what you consider "fair competition and consumer choice"? And in terms of selling to minors, the more places there are to buy from, the larger the chance that minors will be able to get alcohol.
Question 1
However, I don't find the other side's campaign especially honest either. For instance, this page claims that dry towns will be forced to issue licenses. I see absolutely nothing in the proposal to support this assertion.
Question 1
I agree that there are some false claims being made about this question by the opponents of it. There is no language in the proposal suggesting that licenses will be forced on any towns and there is also no language suggesting that beer and liquor are included with the wine. I just wish that people would be able to see past the whole "customer centered" approach of the proponent's ads and see the greed of the big businesses behind it. Once these supermarkets get what they want, the consumer and the consumer's needs will be the last thing on their minds. I don't believe in the dishonest tactics being used by either side of this campaign; I am simply fighting against big businesses in support of small, individually owned liquor stores.
Town Control
Do you really think the super grocery stores, who have already spent more money on this question alone than any other question in Massachusetts history, will be idly sitting by letting local towns come to a determination that the new outlet is not necessary. The super store lawyers will be dictating where these licenses go; do not have any illusions about that!