CVS will phase out tobacco sales by 1 Oct 2014

[SP Cook]

I remember a teenage trip to Myrtle Beach and seeing "Red Dot" stores in South Carolina. I always thought they were state stores. Has SC changed its model since 1979?

SC has the same legal model as WV.  The state controls the wholesale, but the retail is via private businesses.  The "red dot" is part of the regulatory scheme.  All liquor stores have a state issued sign.  The difference is that liquor stores only sell liquor, at least in Myrtle Beach (AFAIK, it is the same elsewhere).  Many places have two doors, one leads into the c-store with beer and everything else, the other into the liquor.

Until about 8 years ago, SC had this deal where bars has to make drinks from "airline bottles".  Actually there is more liquor in one airline bottle than in one shot.

[bugo]

I wonder if they'll sell marijuana when it becomes legal?  It has been proven to be far, far less harmful than tobacco and alcohol.  It is also medicine.  Maybe that's why they're clearing the shelves of tobacco, to make room...

[bugo]

Is a joint healthier than tobacco?

By far.

[realjd]

If you don't want to be around it, you don't have to be.  It works better than selling it in general stores.

How is "being around it" something that's offensive? Don't drink, don't buy it. Seeing it on the shelf is not something obscene.

[signalman]

If you don't want to be around it, you don't have to be.  It works better than selling it in general stores.

How is "being around it" something that's offensive? Don't drink, don't buy it. Seeing it on the shelf is not something obscene.

It could be to a recovering alcoholic whose sole purpose is to buy groceries.  Then every aisle he/she goes down they're bombarded with booze.  At least when the liquor is in a seperate section or store they don't have to face it.  While I agree that it isn't obscene, the temptation may be too much for some.  Especially if they've had a particularly stressful day.

[Scott5114]

Would grocery stores really "bombard" people with booze down every aisle? They don't do that with soda...

[signalman]

I have no idea.  In my home state of New Jersey one has to go to a liquor store for all alcoholic beverages, even beer

SCH-I535

[Pete from Boston]

I have no idea.  In my home state of New Jersey one has to go to a liquor store for all alcoholic beverages, even beer

SCH-I535

But as I said, sometimes Rite Aid pulls off qualifying as a "liquor store" in NJ.

[signalman]

Yeah, same with Shop Rite (local grocery store chain).  Many locations have liquor stores attached to them

SCH-I535

[Pete from Boston]

A sampling of the states I'm familiar with around here:

Massachusetts:  Liquor at liquor stores only, though sometimes the "liquor store" is an indistinguishable part of another store (see: Star Market, Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge).  Others can sell beer and wine at three locations (hence the availability of Three-Buck-Chuck in only Framingham, Brookline, and Cambridge).

New Hampshire:  liquor only at state stores (and amazingly cheap, often 20% less than Mass.), wine at state stores and I believe anywhere else, beer anywhere but state stores.

Vermont:  liquor, I believe, from only state stores (though I've seen at least one such "store" consist of a section of a Grand Union).  Beer and wine seemingly anywhere else.

Connecticut: beer seemingly wherever, not sure about wine and liquor.

New York: liquor from liquor stores, beer from anywhere.  I'm not sure if wine is restricted, but liquor stores do sell it.  Liquor stores may not sell beer. 

New Jersey:  Beer, wine, and liquor from liquor stores, but "liquor store" sometimes means a Rite-Aid.

[bing101]

Look at Hawaii CVS there is Called "Longs Drugs"
Longs Drugs prior to 2008 was in the San Francisco Bay Area prior to the CVS takeover.
I went to Hawaii one time in 2011 and noticed a Longs Drugs sign but wondered how come they no longer exist in California. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longs_Drugs

http://longsrx.com/

But Some how Longs Drugs exist in North Carolina no relation to CVS?

Well good luck to CVS for dropping the Tobacco section from their stores.

[SP Cook]

Around here:

WV - liquor in a limited number of private stores of any type, often drug stores, particular number of stores per county sold to highest bidder on a 10 year basis.  State controls wholesale.  Beer and wine in virtually every store that wishes to sell it. 

VA - liquor in state run ABC stores only.  Beer and wine in private stores.  Stores that sell beer have "ABC OFF (or ABC ON and OFF, if they allow drinking there) " in their signage.  Significant number of "dry" jurisdictions in SW Virginia and also Southside Virginia.

NC -  liquor sold in county (or larger city) run stores, with state controling wholesale.  Beer and wine in private stores.  Very significant number of dry counties in both the mountains and the sandhill sections of the state. 

KY - liquor sold in private stores, but particular types of stores cannot have a liscense, including motor fuel retailers.  Many, many, many dry counties, with some towns within dry counties being "wet".  Dry counties are the majority anywhere 20 miles east of 75 or west of 65. 

PA - World's most convoluded system.  Liquor and wine only in state run stores, which are not nearly numerous enough for the demand.  Beer is available only in lots of a case of 24 or half a keg from a "warehouse" (the wholesaler where the beer trucks would load up to make their deliveries) or as a 6 pack (no more, no less) take out from a bar, which has led to "bottle shops" which are nominal bars with no real interest in on-site consumption, that exist just to be a beer store.  Sheetz in long-running litigation to likewise put a nominal "bar" in the corner of its stores so it can sell beer.

[jeffandnicole]

I have no idea.  In my home state of New Jersey one has to go to a liquor store for all alcoholic beverages, even beer

As noted, that is not true in NJ.  Some Sams Clubs, Wegmens, even Acme sells liquor within the store.

While NJ doesn't issue new licenses for this, there are some licenses where restaurants and bars can also sell takeout as well.  While they have to adhere to NJ's law stating liquor can't be sold after 10pm for takeout, I can walk into one of these bars at 1:30am and purchase beer to keep the party going at home!

I was reading a forum or message group once where someone thought a backdeal 'transaction' was made because a supermarket in their town was selling alcohol. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[signalman]

[quote author=jeffandnicole link=topic=11538.msg276889#msg276889 date=1391870957
As noted, that is not true in NJ.  Some Sams Clubs, Wegmens, even Acme sells liquor within the store.

While NJ doesn't issue new licenses for this, there are some licenses where restaurants and bars can also sell takeout as well.  While they have to adhere to NJ's law stating liquor can't be sold after 10pm for takeout, I can walk into one of these bars at 1:30am and purchase beer to keep the party going at home!
[/quote]
I'm well aware of the deal at many bars.  As noted, there are a few drug and grocery stores that also sell alcohol.  These are exceptions though, not the norm.  My previous posts were phone while at work, so I just spelled out what is the norm in NJ and tried to keep it as conceise as possible.  Novels are quite cumbersome to type on a phone.  Especially when I had to keep an eye out on customers and even put the phone down several times mid post in order to interact with them.

[US71]

NW Arkansas just started selling beer in convenience & grocery stores within the last 4-5 years. The liquor store owners had an exclusive on alcoholic beverages thanks to their friends on the city council. It was finally forced to a vote after EZ Mart started a petition drive.

Benton County (home of Wal-Mart) just went Wet abhout 2 years ago... long after Alice moved away

Marion County (Flippin) just went wet in the last couiple years, as well.

Baxter County (Mountain Home) changed over to wet 25-30 years ago, despite the churches (and Missouri liquor store owners) attampts to stop it.

[Pete from Boston]

I forgot about bar sales in NJ.  I recall places turning customers away close to 3am, but happy to gouge them on a 6-pack.  I can't recall if the same is true in NY.  I can only assume bar package sales are illegal in Mass. because a) I've never seen it happen in almost 20 years in the state, and b) everything else customary with regards to alcohol is prohibited or strongly discouraged here (happy hour, buybacks, fun, etc.).

[realjd]

If you don't want to be around it, you don't have to be.  It works better than selling it in general stores.

How is "being around it" something that's offensive? Don't drink, don't buy it. Seeing it on the shelf is not something obscene.

It could be to a recovering alcoholic whose sole purpose is to buy groceries.  Then every aisle he/she goes down they're bombarded with booze.  At least when the liquor is in a seperate section or store they don't have to face it.  While I agree that it isn't obscene, the temptation may be too much for some.  Especially if they've had a particularly stressful day.

Every aisle? Why would the scatter the liquor randomly throughout the store. Like any other product in the store, it will all be in one section.

By your logic, we should ban soda from grocery stores. What if a diabetic has a stressful day and is tempted?

[signalman]

Logic? I was merely pointing out something you might have overlooked.  No need to be a dick about it.

Galaxy S3

[SP Cook]

Quite frankly, it is not the liquor I object to having in a general store.  It is the liquor addict.  Much prefer states that, whether under government control or private, keep liquor in its own store.

[US71]

As noted, that is not true in NJ.  Some Sams Clubs, Wegmens, even Acme sells liquor within the store.

In many parts of Missouri, the liquor store has a separate entrance.

[Duke87]

Connecticut: beer seemingly wherever, not sure about wine and liquor.

Wine and liquor are liquor store only in Connecticut. And until recently it was illegal to sell any alcohol on Sunday. There are still fairly restrictive: all carry-out alcohol sales are illegal after 9 PM (5 PM on Sunday), bars close at 2 AM Saturday and Sunday mornings, 1 AM other days.

Contrast this to New York where bars are open until 4 AM and the sale of beer is allowed 24/7.



Ontario does not allow ANY carry-out alcohol sales except at provincially run stores, but there are plenty of the stores. You have The Beer Store for beer, The Wine Rack for wine, and stores just marked "LCBO" (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) where you can but beer, wine, or spirits. But the drinking age is 19.

Quebec allows beer and wine sales anywhere, not sure about hard liquor.

[empirestate]

New York: liquor from liquor stores, beer from anywhere.  I'm not sure if wine is restricted, but liquor stores do sell it.  Liquor stores may not sell beer. 

Wine is restricted to liquor stores as well, except that wineries can sell, of course, and I believe limited sales of local wines are allowed at ordinary retailers. Also of note, liquor stores must be owned by a nearby resident.

PA - World's most convoluded system.  Liquor and wine only in state run stores, which are not nearly numerous enough for the demand.  Beer is available only in lots of a case of 24 or half a keg from a "warehouse" (the wholesaler where the beer trucks would load up to make their deliveries) or as a 6 pack (no more, no less) take out from a bar, which has led to "bottle shops" which are nominal bars with no real interest in on-site consumption, that exist just to be a beer store.  Sheetz in long-running litigation to likewise put a nominal "bar" in the corner of its stores so it can sell beer.

To clarify, take-out beer from bars (and some restaurants) is dispensed only by the six pack, though you're allowed up to two of them. Therefore, 18-packs would seem impossible to sell in PA. I always chuckle when people say that PA's system is inconvenient...hell, if you need beer, you can walk into ANY BAR and get some. Pretty darn convenient to me!

PA also now allows boutique wine sales at regular retailers, and grocery chains have convinced the government that a separate point of sale in a wing of the building with its own door constitutes a separate premises that can be separately licensed for wine, beer and/or liquor sales. Usually this is done by putting the prepared foods department in that area and allowing take-out beer sales on the restaurant model.

Like Breezewood, PA liquor law is one of the state's features that many decry, but which I find to be no big deal.

I forgot about bar sales in NJ.  I recall places turning customers away close to 3am, but happy to gouge them on a 6-pack.  I can't recall if the same is true in NY.

No take-out from bars in New York, but growlers (refillable bottles of draft beer) have recently become available.

Contrast this to New York where bars are open until 4 AM and the sale of beer is allowed 24/7.

Not everywhere; many counties have different closing times, such as 2 a.m. in Monroe County. (Having grown up with that, I still find the 4 a.m. closing time in NYC to feel like an eternity.

Also, overnight and Sunday morning sales have been prohibited for a long time in some places.

See http://www.sla.ny.gov/provisions-for-county-closing-hours.

[realjd]

Logic? I was merely pointing out something you might have overlooked.  No need to be a dick about it.

Galaxy S3

Not trying to be a dick. Sorry if I came across that way.

[signalman]

No problem.  Perhaps I overreacted to your comment.  I'm sorry as well.

Galaxy S3

[Pete from Boston]

Connecticut: beer seemingly wherever, not sure about wine and liquor.

Wine and liquor are liquor store only in Connecticut. And until recently it was illegal to sell any alcohol on Sunday. There are still fairly restrictive: all carry-out alcohol sales are illegal after 9 PM (5 PM on Sunday), bars close at 2 AM Saturday and Sunday mornings, 1 AM other days.

Contrast this to New York where bars are open until 4 AM and the sale of beer is allowed 24/7.

It was hard in my 20s to go from that to Massachusetts (1 am most places, 2 in bigger cities and on weekends some smaller towns), but I'm mostly too old to miss it now.  Few NY bars are a great scene at 4 anyway. 

Quebec allows beer and wine sales anywhere, not sure about hard liquor.

When we went to Dieu de Ciel in Montreal, one of the many excellent little producers of complicated beers in Quebec, we couldn't buy beer to take at the brewpub.  They sent us around the corner to a beer store. 

This reminded me of being at McNeill's in Brattleboro, VT, one of my favorite brewers.  When they moved brewing off site from their downtown bar/brewery combined location, they stopped selling beer to go (growlers or bottles) because they were prohibited by law (since brewing was now off-site).

It seems there is a new wrinkle now with the many gradations of brewpub/tasting room/etc. blurring the lines and challenging the practicality of some of the laws.

New York, interestingly, now has beer retail stores filling growlers from taps specific to this purpose (as opposed to filling pints as well).  To me, this seems like a helpful way to nurture small businesses involved in making and selling beer.