Wine? By the bread aisle Liquor merchants upset about plan to permit wine sales in grocery, convenience stores
By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Business writer First published in print: Thursday, December 18, 2008
ALBANY — To state government bean counters, it sounds like a terrific way to raise revenue in the face of daunting deficits.
To many wine lovers, it sounds as good as the uncorking of a vintage cabernet.
But to liquor store owners, the proposal by Gov. David Paterson to allow the sale of wine in grocery and convenience stores sounds as ominous as a death knell.
“It’ll put most of us out of business,” said Michael Scanlan, co-owner of Niskayuna Wines and Liquors. “They can sell it for cheaper than we can buy it.”
Scanlan co-owns the cozy Nott Street shop with his brother, Peter Scanlan. Their father opened the store nearly four decades ago.
And over those years, proposals for expanded wine sales came and went like tides but never came to fruition.
Still, liquor store owners seem genuinely concerned that the proposal now has legs. Some even call it inevitable.
Partly, that’s because the state deficit is so large and the Paterson administration believes it can raise a quick $105 million in franchise fees from stores and pharmacies that now sell beer and are eager to sell wine.
And partly, that’s because a growing number of states, 35 overall, already allow the sale of wine in food stores. Capital Region stores like Price Chopper and Stewart’s sell wine in Vermont locations, for example.
Mona Golub, a vice president at Price Chopper, said the sale of wine in New York groceries “is long overdue.” A Stewart’s spokesman said the move would “give us something else we can offer our customers.”
Proponents say the proposal is a matter of convenience: There are just 1,700 licensed liquor stores in New York, while there are 18,171 outlets that sell beer — so why not let those stores sell wine to make the product more widely available?
There also is widespread belief that grocery chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have avoided the Capital Region and other upstate areas because of the wine sale limitation.
Mike Rosen, senior vice president of the Food Industry Alliance of New York, which supports the Paterson proposal, said the belief is grounded in fact. Supermarkets, he said, closely evaluate competing locations when choosing new stores, “and wine is a big part of that equation.”
Yet liquor store owners say there’s no way they can compete if large grocery store chains sip from their profit margins. They compare themselves to the hardware stores that tried, and mostly failed, to conquer big-box competition.
And they say the governor’s plan is inherently unfair: Under state liquor rules, for example, they are allowed just one location while grocery and convenience stores face no such restriction.
That would allow big grocery and other chains to buy wine in bulk and sell it for far less.
Moreover, liquor stores must close at 9 p.m. To Craig Allen, owner of All-Star Wine & Spirits in Latham, it raises the potential that he could lock his store doors to leave for the night while watching wine buyers stream out of the supermarket a few doors down...................http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=751789&category=BUSINESS
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December 18, 2008, 6:05am
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Oh GREAT idea ... ya, now the kids can get drunk easier, faster and cheaper - and their overall goal of putting even MORE small businesses OUT of business, succeeds.
I don't know. This is standard practice in many places. Now, to be sure, in those places, the wine/beer/liquor is in a separate section of the store, one that can be closed off, and you have to pay for your alcohol purchases before leaving that section. Would mean remodeling nearly every store in the state.
Even so, how much of an impact will this really have on the liquor stores? No grocery store is going to carry that wide a variety of "wines," so selection will be minimal at best. About the only people who will truly take advantage of this change will be those either cheap or lazy. Are liquor store owners really going to miss the guy who wants his Ripple or Nighttrain all that much?
In Maine, the wine aisle is integrated with the food aisles. No separate area.
Not sure that the teenagers who work at the grocery stores will be a reliable source of recommendations re: a good wine. But, then again ...
I was thinking more like Massachusetts or when I was in Ireland, where grocery stores effectively have a separate "liquor store" with in the store itself. It certainly doesn't effect liquor sales in Mass. where the "package stores" still do the lion's share of the business.
I prefer the good stuff over the box wine......I'm sure they couldn't compare to Carman liquer and wine........enjoy the vast variety....... always looking for that special flavor.....however, I think it depends on the company and meal at the time too.......volume or quality.....or both????
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
If it saves ONE life then I sure the Savage Democrats will be against it...
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Not any of the tyro-connoisseurs I know of do wine, beer and serious booze more their style. Just about every grocery store I know of has beer, so I doubt that aspect would have much, if any, impact at all.
Nope! Don’t see this as a bad idea at all.
I think it’s a terrible idea that eighteen year olds can be in the military and yet not get a drink in this state. If nothing else, the state should have a military exception, which used to be quite common across the country, and to a degree even here. I enlisted when I was seventeen, and when I came home on leave, still that age, no bar I could find here in town would refuse me service once they saw my military ID card. Colorado was an exception, but they allowed kids from eighteen to twenty-one drink ‘three point two’ beer – and we did!
During my stay in Massachusetts I quickly realized that the closer one gets to the New Hampshire boarder, the more available beer and wine is (in NH the liquor stores are state run, and booze costs about 60% of what it does here).
PS - someone should point out to Savage that 'birth' has a 100% morbidity rate, just to see what she'd do with it.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
When Wal-Mart became 'super centers' and sold food, it became a free for all. So it really doesn't matter much to me. UNFORTUNATELY.......the days of the mom&pop stores are declining. And why? Cause EVERYONE shops at the larger discount stores. They just can't compete. And the average person can't afford them anymore.
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PS - someone should point out to Savage that 'birth' has a 100% morbidity rate, just to see what she'd do with it.
Ock...this was the best!!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I am writing in response to your Dec. 18 editorial, "Cheers to a couple of Paterson's plans." There are some points that you made that I believe are incorrect. I would like to address the aspect of convenience. The average customer that comes to our store spends no more than two to three minutes. They usually have no more than one or two people in front of them and they can go about their business in a timely fashion. The most frequent comment that I hear is, “I wish all my shopping was this quick and convenient.” Another comment that most customers of mine say is that, “I dread going to the grocery store. It takes forever and I can never find anything.” Some of the conveniences that small retailers can offer are carrying purchases to the customer’s vehicle. If they want to try something new, I'll give them a big discount. If they are short a few bucks or forget their wallet, I say to catch me next time. If they want a donation, it's no problem. If they tried a new wine and I don't have it, I'll do what I can to get it. These are the people that feed my family and I will do anything to keep their business. Sunday business has been convenient for the customer and for the store owner However, there has been no increase in revenue for our store because of Sundays. Sunday sales are frequently the slowest day of the week. It is a day to clean up after the rush of the weekend and to prepare for the week ahead. There has been no increased demand or consumption. You do not create new consumers because of extended hours or product locations. I'm not going to speak of the proposals that the governor has suggested. This is an issue that for obvious reasons I am against. However, I personally believe your statements are not correct, especially the aspects of convenience and Sunday sales. I'm proud to be a small business owner and I will continue the battle every day to be successful. MIKE CARLEY Clifton Park The writer is proprietor of The Wine and Liquor
First published in print: Friday, December 26, 2008
Thank you Governor Paterson for proposing that wine become available in grocery stores, because I am going to need it after reviewing your state budget for next year.
I will stop drinking non-diet soda and switch to New York state wine.
I will soberly pay higher school taxes and visit my local grocery store to purchase a bottle of New York state wine.
I will reluctantly forego one week of my state paycheck and visit my local grocery store to purchase a bottle of New York state wine.
I will sadly relinquish my negotiated 3 percent state pay raise before visiting my local grocery store to procure a bottle of New York state wine.
I will quickly buy my children's clothing before the proposed tax increase takes effect. Then I will use my savings to purchase a bottle of New York state wine from my local grocery store.
I will not order satellite TV or radio because I want to use my savings to purchase a bottle of New York state wine from my local grocery store.
I refuse to smoke cigars because of the proposed tax increase. I'd rather spend my hard-earned money purchasing a bottle of New York state wine from my local grocery store.
I won't become a fisherman because of the proposed state tax. Instead, I will forsake fish and purchase a bottle of wine from my local grocery store.
As a taxpayer, I assume the executive and legislative branches of state government will make financial sacrifices before purchasing a bottle of New York state wine from their local grocery store.
Selling wine in grocery markets hazardous to liquor stores and teens
Our legislators must stop Gov. Paterson’s proposal to legalize the sale of wine in grocery stores. If this becomes law, many small businesses will be forced to close their doors costing the state thousands of valuable jobs. New York already leads the nation in job losses, and I can’t imagine why the state would sanction a proposal that makes things worse. Plus, this proposal would make it much easier for teenagers to get access to alcohol New York wine sellers are small businesses whose licenses are revoked if they fail to prevent youth from purchasing alcohol Grocery stores cannot manage this risk as effectively. New York would become like Florida, California and Texas, where wine is sold everywhere, and where three times as many kids under 21 die each year from alcohol-related incidents. Our state has felt enough pain. We must demand that the governor and Legislature kill this proposal before April 1.
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