Another socialist experiment fails

[Uncle Ted]

Same way here, and I don't like it, as the nearest ABC store is over 15 minutes away. Makes it hard for those impulse Bananas Foster desserts.

Are there many states that allow hard liquor in the grocery stores?

Some places in Utah do that have been grandfathered. There is a little grocery/convenience in Dutch John, Utah that has Jack Daniels sitting next to the checkout counter.

[NorthwestUteFan]

There is a lot of complaining locally because retailers expect an increase in prices. As I understand it, however, this will be a short-term deal and fully expect the free market to force prices down below their previous levels in the state packy stores. Of course, the law instituted a few new taxes as well so WA now has one of the highest tax rates on alcohol. The irony of the situation is that the state will likely net more money than they did running the state stores.

One area that may suffer is product diversity, especially in the area of boutique alcohol. Washington and Oregon have a number of nice small-batch producers of vodka, whiskey, rum, etc, and those producers were well represented at the state stores. Whether the local Safeway is going to carry Dry Fly, Soft Tail, Bainbridge Distillery, and products from other local producers is unknown. We will soon have a few BevMo stores, however, and those stores are supposed to be amazing.

Note to my fellow Washingtonians: the Costco store brand (Kirkland?) vodka is French in origin and is (allegedly) made by Grey Goose, and repackaged for Costco.

[SeattleUte]

There is a lot of complaining locally because retailers expect an increase in prices. As I understand it, however, this will be a short-term deal and fully expect the free market to force prices down below their previous levels in the state packy stores. Of course, the law instituted a few new taxes as well so WA now has one of the highest tax rates on alcohol. The irony of the situation is that the state will likely net more money than they did running the state stores.

One area that may suffer is product diversity, especially in the area of boutique alcohol. Washington and Oregon have a number of nice small-batch producers of vodka, whiskey, rum, etc, and those producers were well represented at the state stores. Whether the local Safeway is going to carry Dry Fly, Soft Tail, Bainbridge Distillery, and products from other local producers is unknown. We will soon have a few BevMo stores, however, and those stores are supposed to be amazing.

Note to my fellow Washingtonians: the Costco store brand (Kirkland?) vodka is French in origin and is (allegedly) made by Grey Goose, and repackaged for Costco.

I did not find so much access to small batch producers. Of course the free market will do a better job of making those available. Also, the state wasn't netting anything; it was losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

[lambdacoug]

Note to my fellow Washingtonians: the Costco store brand (Kirkland?) vodka is French in origin and is (allegedly) made by Grey Goose, and repackaged for Costco.

I did not know this. This may be reason to get that Costco membership. I've been drinking Svedka, which is decent, IMO, but I like the top shelf stuff and ~$30 for a handle, with the positive reviews this vodka has?! Fantastic.

[SeattleUte]

Here is the summary of the massive fiscal benefit to the state of Washington from ending this nonsensical relic of the Prohibition:

http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publ...store-monopoly

[NorthwestUteFan]

I did not find so much access to small batch producers. Of course the free market will do a better job of making those available. Also, the state wasn't netting anything; it was losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The big places like Costco will likely carry a large quantity but with little diversity. I hope other places will celebrate the diversity a bit more. Local grocery stores, for example, already carry dozens of local wines and a solid assortment of microbrewery beers.

Maybe our stores were just better stocked than yours were? Dry Fly and Soft Tail were well represented, but I think you still have to go to the Bainbridge Distillery to purchase their libations. Luckily with the other change in the law last year they can actually have tasting events at their shop more than a few days a year.

Our clerks were nice and knowledgeable, too. I don't expect this kind of service at a grocery store, but perhaps the selection will be diverse. BevMo, on the other hand, should be fantastic. Are there any boutique shops opening up near you?

The fact that the state will now actually gain money through increased taxes, without losing all the money operating the stores, makes the law a win-win. Most of the analyses I have seen show the nominal prices to increase a bit in the short term until licensing and stocking costs are covered, with a market-driven price drop coming in 3-9 months and continuing thereafter.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I did not know this. This may be reason to get that Costco membership. I've been drinking Svedka, which is decent, IMO, but I like the top shelf stuff and ~$30 for a handle, with the positive reviews this vodka has?! Fantastic.

Have you tried Tito's Handmade? It is very good stuff, and not particularly expensive ($22/750ml here under the old system), but spendy enough to drink straight rather than mixed. The cheaper stuff gets mixed.

I hope to see a solid price drop on the 1.75l bottles with our new laws. We now have a 20.5% sales tax PLUS a $3.77/liter tax.

Dry Fly is pretty good too. It is made from certified organic Washington wheat, but it carries a premium price.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I did not know this. This may be reason to get that Costco membership. I've been drinking Svedka, which is decent, IMO, but I like the top shelf stuff and ~$30 for a handle, with the positive reviews this vodka has?! Fantastic.

Just for kicks, I priced this out for you. At Costco, the 1.75l Svedka is a real loss leader at $17.99. The Costco brand is $28.99. Note these prices do not include the liter charge ($3.77 per liter) and sales tax (20.5%). For reference, Safeway has 1.75l Svedka for $23.99, or $21.99 (IIRC) with a Club Card.

So at Costco, the real price for Svedka is $17.99 + 6.60 (1.75l charge) + $3.69 (sales tax) for a total of $28.28.

Costco brand is $28.99 + $6.60 + $5.80 = $41.39.

Cost is just about the same or even a buck higher. I expect prices to get forced down somewhat, especially for people who price shop for specials and loss leaders. I noticed Costco actually had a decent selection, with about 75 - 100 different selections (whisky/bourbon/Canadian mixed, Vodka, Rum, gin, brandy, liqueur, etc) to go along with their decent wine selection.

Upscale grocers such as Metropolitan Market (most notably), Whole Foods, Central Market, etc I expect will establish tremendous liquor sections.

[lambdacoug]

Just for kicks, I priced this out for you. At Costco, the 1.75l Svedka is a real loss leader at $17.99. The Costco brand is $28.99. Note these prices do not include the liter charge ($3.77 per liter) and sales tax (20.5%). For reference, Safeway has 1.75l Svedka for $23.99, or $21.99 (IIRC) with a Club Card.

So at Costco, the real price for Svedka is $17.99 + 6.60 (1.75l charge) + $3.69 (sales tax) for a total of $28.28.

Costco brand is $28.99 + $6.60 + $5.80 = $41.39.

Cost is just about the same or even a buck higher. I expect prices to get forced down somewhat, especially for people who price shop for specials and loss leaders. I noticed Costco actually had a decent selection, with about 75 - 100 different selections (whisky/bourbon/Canadian mixed, Vodka, Rum, gin, brandy, liqueur, etc) to go along with their decent wine selection.

Upscale grocers such as Metropolitan Market (most notably), Whole Foods, Central Market, etc I expect will establish tremendous liquor sections.

I get the 1.75L Svedka here for anywhere between $20.99 and $23.99, depending on the alignment of the planets. I'm unaware of a MO state or Jackson county liter charge. If I can get a 1.75L of the Costco stuff for $28.99 and it proves to be a better vodka than the Svedka, its worth the extra $5-8 and a yearly membership (which would be good for other things I need and which Costco has deals on).

[NorthwestUteFan]

Have you tried Tito's Handmade? It is very good stuff, and not particularly expensive ($22/750ml here under the old system), but spendy enough to drink straight rather than mixed. The cheaper stuff gets mixed.

This one made me sad. On the shelf at the state store it was $22. On the shelf at Safeway it was $23.99 PLUS the liter and tax charges, so $31.74 total.

Just like any other store, the secret will be to shop the sales. So far the freedom is enticing, but the old 'Socialist' way was quite a bit cheaper. (Of course this doesn't factor in the hundreds of millions/yr losses SU quoted, which were covered elsewhere in the budget and probably came out of school funding).

I get the 1.75L Svedka here for anywhere between $20.99 and $23.99, depending on the alignment of the planets. I'm unaware of a MO state or Jackson county liter charge. If I can get a 1.75L of the Costco stuff for $28.99 and it proves to be a better vodka than the Svedka, its worth the extra $5-8 and a yearly membership (which would be good for other things I need and which Costco has deals on).

The new tax increase is a real kicker for us.

[Parrot Head]

Now you've aroused my curiosity. Normally I stay away from the two aisles that sell alcohol because they don't sell anything I would consider buying. I always thought it was mostly wine there.

I think I'm going to have to go visit Safeway and Save Mart just to see if they sell Jack Daniel's, Barcardi, and Grey Goose.

Hmmm... Scott hasn't posted much since this post. He may have found what he was looking for and enjoyed the visit.

[Scott R Nelson]

Hmmm... Scott hasn't posted much since this post. He may have found what he was looking for and enjoyed the visit.

I did check out the alcohol aisle at Rite Aid when my wife and I stopped in there to get ice cream cones on a hot Saturday afternoon. It looked to me like they had a full selection of whiskey, vodka, rum, and a bunch of other hard stuff. We left there having only purchased two ice cream cones.

[SeattleUte]

Let's make this a general thread about failed socialist experiments. Add the democrats' crushing defeat in Wisconsin last night. What a disaster for backers of high paying cushy public sector jobs. And it wasn't too smart of democrats to make this a bellweather event. The mayor of Milwaukee loses by more than he lost two years ago, and in a traditionally blue state like Wisconsin.

[RobinFinderson]

Let's make this a general thread about failed socialist experiments. Add the democrats' crushing defeat in Wisconsin last night. What a disaster for backers of high paying cushy public sector jobs. And it wasn't too smart of democrats to make this a bellweather event. The mayor of Milwaukee loses by more than he lost two years ago, and in a traditionally blue state like Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was a socialist state?

[SeattleUte]

Wisconsin was a socialist state?

That funky recall was the socialist experiment. There's nothing like a bunch of public employees furious about abridgement of their benies and scheduled raises to elicit a lot of sympathy from private sector folks, is there. I don't know much about how a politician like Mitt Romney came to be governor of a state like Mass. But I venture it was a like reaction that made it possible.