Buy Booze in BC Grocery Stores

[GP_Matt]

Doesn't Co-Op have amongst the best selection in Calgary?

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

This sounds so weird to me.

Here you can only get alcohol at the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission (including beer).

If you have a licence to produce alcohol you can sell it in your place of business (but only your own product). So a micro-brewery can sell their own beer; a winery can sell their own wine.

There are a few private liquor stores where their products need to be approved by the NSLC (usually stuff that the NSLC doesn't stock)

There are also a few rural liquor stores that are licensed by the NSLC that are in corner stores/gas stations.

But to go to Superstore to get beer, or the gas station down the street? Nope.

I can tell you I'm waiting for the day booze get deregulated in Nova Scotia, I'll have 3 stores open in a month and 10 more in 6.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

I think it would reduce choice/selection.

This was one of the big things put forward. With the craft beer industry taking off in BC right now, you'd see a lot of is shoveled aside in favour of the big boys who can meet demand for quantity.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

I think it would reduce choice/selection.

Nah.

They still have small liquor stores, and they have lots of craft breweries in the states. In fact, I find the selection in the USA much better.

People would still go to liquor stores to buy craft beers, imports, and non-mass produced beers.

The people who would be in trouble would be the people gauging the public, because they've acquired a "license", which is just an artificial and pointless control on the free market.

A step in the right direction. Next, get rid of the dairy board, the chicken quotas, etc..These licenses don't help small business; they make it impossible to start a small business.

[calgarywinning]

It's clear the law has changed but how will this effect pricing? BC liquor pricing in comparison to Alberta is usually 20% to 30% higher on everything. Then you pay GST and Provincial on top of that.

I have many friends in BC who load up on Alberta booze whenever they pass through. Just a little side topic the media isn't addressing.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

Doesn't Co-Op have amongst the best selection in Calgary?

Their big stores/wine markets are great. Again though, it's not IN Co-op, these are unattached liquor stores that are under the same name. Usually at the other end of the parking lot. Funny how they don't even seem to be legal to have them beside the supermarket, haha.

[flamesfan6]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

It's clear the law has changed but how will this effect pricing? BC liquor pricing in comparison to Alberta is usually 20% to 30% higher on everything. Then you pay GST and Provincial on top of that.

I have many friends in BC who load up on Alberta booze whenever they pass through. Just a little side topic the media isn't addressing.

I don't think it will have any affect on price, places still cannot sell alcohol for less than what the bc liquor stores sell for.

And in the end this is all moot, because they aren't adding any licenses... for there to be a new liquor store inside a grocery store, they will need to acquire one or use an existing one

edit - adding this quote from the article

But he said that would mean grocery stores wanting to sell booze will have to convince existing liquor stores to move in.

Simpson said he doubts liquor stores will agree to do that.

"If you have a liquor store next door to a Safeway or a Save-on-Foods — a three- or 4,000-square foot liquor store in the same mall — are you going to give that up to put a kiosk that might be 500 square feet inside that food retailer? It doesn't make any sense," he said.

[flamesfan6]

from the pdf of reccomendations

as for pricing:

LDB should consider tying minimum prices to the amount of alcohol (e.g., a
beer with seven per cent alcohol would have a higher minimum price than a
beer with four per cent alcohol).

this one is interesting

LCLB should work with police agencies to explore implementing “last drink”
programs across B.C. on a more concerted basis. If an impaired person’s last
drink was in a licensed establishment, LCLB can investigate and possibly levy
penalties for overserving clients.

[Vulcan]

There's a country grocery store a few kilometres down the highway from my place that sells beer and cider, maybe liquor too. I'm not much of a drinker but I think the prices are a little higher at this store.

[DuffMan]

I wonder if the drinking beer at music festivals will eventually spread to othe public places like the beach. I hate having to keep a paper bag wrapped around my beer can when I go to the beach in BC. I'd rather just be open about it, like in Mexico, or places in Europe where you can have a beer anywhere,

[agulati]

I enjoyed being able to pick up beer at a gas station/grocery store when we drove down south of the border. They end up having a pretty good selection as well of local craft breweries there, so it's not always the regular commercial beer.

Hopefully Alberta follows through, so we don't continue being cooped in beer gardens to enjoy a beer or 10. Didn't do much to hamper drinking outside the beer gardens during BSD on campus though.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

This sounds so weird to me.

Here you can only get alcohol at the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission (including beer).

If you have a licence to produce alcohol you can sell it in your place of business (but only your own product). So a micro-brewery can sell their own beer; a winery can sell their own wine.

There are a few private liquor stores where their products need to be approved by the NSLC (usually stuff that the NSLC doesn't stock)

There are also a few rural liquor stores that are licensed by the NSLC that are in corner stores/gas stations.

But to go to Superstore to get beer, or the gas station down the street? Nope.

When I moved to Halifax, I couldn't believe government run liquor stores were the only option. Nothing worse than wanting a beer at 10 pm (or 6 on Sundays!) and not being able to buy it.
Also, the selection was terrible.
Molson, bud, Keith's, moosehead, sleemans, maybe big rock.
The states has it right. $15/24 at any gas station.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Wrong. There are a set number of licenses going around. Very few of them are for sale unless you're willing to pay a stupid amount of money. Private stores are a license to print money so the only people willing to sell are people in dire straits for money or who have been offered a lot more than they are worth. This review threatened that, but with the way things have fallen it is unlikely to matter.

Sorry, I was talking Alberta.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

The states has it right. $15/24 at any gas station.

Not all of them. In North Dakota you can't buy beer after 6pm Saturday through to Monday morning, IIRC.

/useless trivia

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Even at Canadian prices, they should be cheaper than any other liquor store

But that will be offset by the price of pop increasing by 400%

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

When I moved to Halifax, I couldn't believe government run liquor stores were the only option. Nothing worse than wanting a beer at 10 pm (or 6 on Sundays!) and not being able to buy it.
Also, the selection was terrible.
Molson, bud, Keith's, moosehead, sleemans, maybe big rock.
The states has it right. $15/24 at any gas station.

At least in Halifax you could always go to Propeller, Garrison or the Keith's Brewery to get your beer (or drink at one of the countless pubs).

You just need to plan ahead and always keep beer in the fridge.

[Jimmy Stang]

I'm pretty happy with the retail environment in Alberta. I wouldn't mind being able to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner while picking up dinner, but the stores have invested in having separate stores already. But maybe a limited amount of beer and wine could/should be available on store shelves? This would benefit smaller grocery and convenience stores a little.

What really needs changing in Alberta, and hopefully BC's changes will help this, is the general segregation of drinking at events. The beer garden at the folk festival (or other events)? Ridiculous. Segregating and isolating beer drinking is completely unnecessary and probably encourages excessive drinking more than it does to prevent it. And kids aren't going to go down a path of alcoholism because they saw an adult drinking responsibly from a beer can. If a drinker can't do it responsibly, turf his ass out of there. It really doesn't have to be this complicated.

And does a waiter really need to carry my drink for me from the lounge to the dining area? Absurd.

[undercoverbrother]

The most important question is:

Will the beer you buy in grocery stores be weak piss?

In many states what you buy in the grocery store in not the same as what you buy at the liquor store. Colorado is an example I believe.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The most important question is:

Will the beer you buy in grocery stores be weak piss?

In many states what you buy in the grocery store in not the same as what you buy at the liquor store. Colorado is an example I believe.

Good point. I like to browse the shelves and find different and unique beers, so a supermarket will never cut it. I'd like to think that it would be more convenient for me, but I'm not going to be happy with the selection and I'll end up at a proper liquor store anyway.

I would still welcome the relaxing of regulations. If someone wants to buy some Bud Water at the gas station, that's their prerogative, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

In many states what you buy in the grocery store in not the same as what you buy at the liquor store.

I would love to see proof of that.