A Little Corporate Communism with your Beverage?

Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 10/21/09 @ 10:39 pm - Filed Under Featured, State Politics

Just so you know - this is the opposite of capitalism:

The Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Issues voted 7-4 against Sunday carryout sales, and voted unanimously against recommending that carryout cold beer sales be allowed in places such as drug stores, grocery stores and convenience stores.
[...]
But allowing Sunday sales is opposed by many package liquor store owners, in part because they believe any business gained would be canceled out by additional costs for being open another day.

They say big-box grocery stores and drug stores could easily absorb any extra costs, and Sunday sales would change alcohol buying habits in those retailers’ favor. They also argued Tuesday against cold beer sales in venues other than liquor stores.

Once again, a group of businesses that can’t compete in the open market lobby government to grant them special privileges so they maintain market share. The big loser, as usual, is the consumer. Here’s a gem of a quote:

“The dramatic expansion of cold beer sales being proposed would destroy the package-store industry in every corner of this state,” said John Livengood, president of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers

To that I respond - GOOD! Why the hell do we have special stores just for selling liquor anyway? It makes absolutely no sense. If they can find efficiencies that allow them to sell their product cheaper than everyone else then they should go for it. But unfortunately they only exist because they are wards of the state - a government-created monopoly. Clearly this distorts the market and causes everyone to pay more for their alcohol.

Comments

11 Responses to “A Little Corporate Communism with your Beverage?”

  1. Mike Sylvester on October 21st, 2009 11:10 pm

    Jeff,

    It is disappointing…

    I was hoping they would allow alcohol to be sold on Sunday.

    Mike

  2. John Brown on October 21st, 2009 11:53 pm

    Look on the bright side, they are in favor of allowing alcohol sales on election day.

  3. Jeff Pruitt on October 22nd, 2009 12:16 am

    I guess I’ll at least be able to drink my sorrows away after I decide between bad and worse…

  4. Evert Mol on October 22nd, 2009 10:50 am

    Jeff-

    Cheer up! True, you and I both made the ultimate mistake of going to engineering school to actually become engineers. But you’re still young enough to get an MBA and get into the financial industry.

  5. gadfly on October 23rd, 2009 4:58 am

    Social mores have long been established by Sunday Blue Laws. No additional retail business will result from repealing these alcoholic beverage laws and no consumer will be inconvenienced by keeping the present laws in place.

    However, all retail establishments will incur additional costs to permit Sunday sales … even the big boxes and supermarkets. Only the small retailer who needs a day off will be hurt … and why would the legislature want that?

  6. Justin on October 23rd, 2009 8:21 am

    Gadfly, as a bartender who has been regularly approached to sell carry-our beer on Sundays for $20-$30 extra per case, I would have to disagree with you.

  7. Jeff Pruitt on October 23rd, 2009 8:39 am

    Gadfly,

    Social mores have long been established by Sunday Blue Laws

    So what. Times change.

    no consumer will be inconvenienced by keeping the present laws in place.

    Of course there’s an inconvenience. If I want to purchase alcohol on Sunday I can’t. If I want cold beer I have to drive to special store. That’s certainly not convenient.

    Only the small retailer who needs a day off will be hurt … and why would the legislature want that?

    The legislature shouldn’t be in the business of deciding who gets to sell what products and what days they should and shouldn’t be open. I don’t think I would be out of line to suggest that you consider yourself a conservative. Yet you don’t see anything wrong with government officials deciding the hours of operation for businesses and allowing certain businesses to carry products nobody else can. Seriously?

    I realize that as a society we’ve come to accept all sorts of mundane laws that don’t serve the public interest but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t step back and really think about them before blindly accepting them as “good” or “reasonable”…

  8. Milton H. Swinehart on October 23rd, 2009 9:51 am

    Indiana shouldnt even be selling alcohol Period ! Aint nothing good come from drinking anyways.

    My boy lives in Hickman County Kentucky and they got it right down there. Nobody can drink period because the county is dry. If you get caught nipping on moonshine your butt is hauled to jail in a minute by a county mounty ! Indiana should follow Kentuckys lead and ban alcohol all togther. This country was founded as a Christian nation anyhow. Those who dont agree should get out now !! The Bible says drinking liquor leads to debachery just like having orgies does. The Bible has it right and so should Indiana !

    God Bless,

    Milton H. Swinehart

  9. Phil Marx on October 23rd, 2009 11:44 am

    Yes, I suggest we try a national prohbition on alcohol. Keep in mind though that the last time we tried that it caused the stock market to crash.

    Cheers!

  10. Craig on October 23rd, 2009 11:51 am

    It could be worse. We could all be living under the thumb of the LCBO.

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

    In the spirit of transparency, my uncle used to run one of these stores.

  11. The Old Country on October 23rd, 2009 1:18 pm

    Jesus Christ’s first miracle was the creation of wine from water for a wedding party and no there is no indication that this was grape juice for all the folks that want to think so. And, by the way, it was very good wine. Just because there is good wine doesn’t mean there has to be idiots but, alas, the world will always have idiots.

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