No Place in Budget for Wine in Supermarkets
As of 5pm this evening, according to spokespeople for New York State Senator Antoine Thompson, the proposal to begin selling wine in supermarkets is not included in the new state budget—despite a hard last-minute push from Governor David Patterson today. Voting on the budget begins tomorrow.
The proposal had been championed earlier this month in a Buffalo News editorial, likening the 2,600 small businesses in New York State known as liquor stores to a “legal monopoly.” Now, thanks to a strenuous and well-reasoned campaign by opponents of the proposal—which would have snatched a quick, one-time windfall in permit fees (up to $159 million projected) from supermarkets and other big-box stores—the measure is being recognized as short-sighted for a number of reasons.
The move would likely mean the closure of over a thousand small liquor store businesses across the state, while dealing a blow to New York’s burgeoning wineries. (The Finger Lakes recently recently displaced Niagara Falls as the number two tourist destination in the state, thanks in large part to their flourishing wine trail.)
In the meantime, it would have created no new jobs. After all, the same supermarket staff that sells you beer, soda, pet food and toilet paper can just as easily ring up a box of Franzia, but it’s doubtful the same sixteen-year-old at the checkout would be able to recommend anything more sophisticated to go with your dinner that night.
In the end, the most convincing arguments may have centered on public safety. At last Tuesday’s Common Council hearing, city lawmakers unanimously voted against the idea and sent their concerns to Albany. Aside from the real damage to small retailers, wineries, and the loss of jobs, lawmakers also sided with the Erie County Association of Chiefs of Police who see the proposed move as a great way to increase underage drinking and DWI collisions statewide. Studies have shown higher alcohol-related fatalities in states where wine is available at markets and department stores.
For more on the subject, click here for an interview with Burt Notarius, president of Premier Liquor.
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Thank you to all the NYS legislators who did the right thing and stood up to the powerful grocery lobby and big box stores on this issue!
1,000 small, mom and pop owned wine and liquor stores will live to see another day, 4,000 of their employees will keep their jobs, and every New Yorker will remain safer without the increase of alcohol related accidents and deaths that would have come from putting wine in 16,000 groceries, convenience stores, drug stores, bodegas and gas stations.
And now that they’ve lost, how many grocery stores stand to go out of business?
NONE. I guess they’ll be able to make do with the other 50,000 products that they already sell.
Comment by Nicco — March 31, 2009 @ 7:35 am
I would say the legislators have got it wrong. Nicco suggests that the best thing is to have a law that protects only liquor stores. So then maybe we should have a law against hotels so that Bed and breakfasts can be protected. Oh wait…Bed and Breakfasts have managed to thrive despite giant hotels selling the same product for less. The only thing keeping liquor stores afloat is not the law that gives them special protection…it is wine drinkers. Giving wine drinkers access to wine in grocery stores (where wine and food go naturally together) does not mean that the liquor stores and wine shops will go out of business….that just hasn’t happened in other states.
Stop fear mongering that selling wine in gorcery stores will mean layoffs and closing of shops. Stop fear mongering that selling wine in grocery stores will lead to an increase in alcohol related accidents and deaths. These just have not proven to be true. Winning your protection by fear is not a way to grow your industry.
Comment by Steve — March 31, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
Why dont they just make the liscense geographic?
Make the box stores lease space!
keep wine out of box stores where there is a nearby mom and pop store.
Force the box store to buy them out before they can sell.
Tell the box store they can only sell wine in an area of the store that is leased out. So some mom and pops can open up the wine portion in the stores themselves.
There is no reason a sensible solution cant be made to allow the sale of wine while maintaining the integrity of small mom and pops.
Comment by pappa — March 31, 2009 @ 5:20 pm