Big Week in MS Legislature. Alcohol Modernization
- Thread starter PhiDawg
- Start date
They make too much through their little ABC warehouse in Madison Co. It's a racket and as MS as it gets.
This initiative didn't suddenly appear from the blue. Think citically for a moment-who is most likely to benefit from this state wide declaration of all counties "wet"? Were current liquor outlets approached by lawmakers as to what their needs were? If they needed to be open for spirits sales 7 days a week? (most stores are family owned and are all for a day of rest.) Hmmm, looks to me like the major grocer/ big box retailers might reap the benefit of this bill. When Kroger and Walmart get wine in grocery ....ooops, I didn't mean to spill those beans quite yet, they will need all counties to be wet in order to engage all stores. And Sunday sales? Just another day for retail overlords.
Anytime you see any kind of alcohol initiative put before the Ms Legislature, know in your mind the lobby for Walmart and Kroger concieved, manipulated and bought it into being...and to their sole benefit.
Mississippi is being led around by the nose. Corporate grocery will have their way in the next few years and wine will be next to the produce section at your favorite market. No problem with new players, but I do object to graft and corruption utilized to get those results.
Anytime you see any kind of alcohol initiative put before the Ms Legislature, know in your mind the lobby for Walmart and Kroger concieved, manipulated and bought it into being...and to their sole benefit.
Mississippi is being led around by the nose. Corporate grocery will have their way in the next few years and wine will be next to the produce section at your favorite market. No problem with new players, but I do object to graft and corruption utilized to get those results.
@Spotdawg really seems to think this is for the benefit of big business.
Yeah, they may benefit, but if consumers want it...then consumers benefit.
These things are allowed to be complex and benefit multiple groups.
As for his complaint that soon there will be wine next to produce...I don't even understand why that's a complaint. Why would anyone care where wine is located within a grocery store? Put it next to the pharmacy, or the aisle with baby formula and incontinence diapers, or the frozen foods.
Wherever the store thinks things will sell best. It's just wine.
Yeah, they may benefit, but if consumers want it...then consumers benefit.
These things are allowed to be complex and benefit multiple groups.
As for his complaint that soon there will be wine next to produce...I don't even understand why that's a complaint. Why would anyone care where wine is located within a grocery store? Put it next to the pharmacy, or the aisle with baby formula and incontinence diapers, or the frozen foods.
Wherever the store thinks things will sell best. It's just wine.
In principle I agree. It is about the benefit of all. However, the great state of MS has abided by a set of agreements with higly regulated alcohol outlets since inception. One permit allowed per person/family, no items allowed in liquor stores that grocery already carries (can't sell beer, fresh fruit, portable glassware or even margarita salt until recently) Now the inclination all of a sudden to allow ownership of multiple permits, Sunday sales and a "have at it" attitude. They have pulled the rug from a lot of families who have invested in the industry and believed the State.
In full transparency, I am not involved with ownership of any alcohol outlet, I am involved in distribution and would stand to benefit from wider rules for sales. I would certainly order from out of state wine sources. I've seen the insides of the beast and do not trust the animal for a moment. When I suggest that a certain lobbyist group has unfair sway...
In full transparency, I am not involved with ownership of any alcohol outlet, I am involved in distribution and would stand to benefit from wider rules for sales. I would certainly order from out of state wine sources. I've seen the insides of the beast and do not trust the animal for a moment. When I suggest that a certain lobbyist group has unfair sway...
Wait, you can’t buy wine in grocery stores in Mississippi? It’s been a while since I’ve been in one but hahahahaha
Pretty soon you're going to be telling us big corporations and lobbyists run this country! Surely not!********
It’s time consumers have options. Mississippians deserve to be treated like grown adults.
Who cares? I want to be able to order specialty stuff I can't get in MS because the state limits things so much. The grocery store won't have those. And on other stuff, the more places available, the cheaper it will be (liquor prices have gone as high or higher than groceries). I didn't realize we should pay more to protect little liquor stores who only carry Hennessy and Mad Dog.
And we're already at statewide wet status. That went through a couple weeks ago.
Serious question. Why should I not be able to buy liquor or wine on Sunday?
There are plenty of consumers that want wine and liquor in their grocery store and want to be able to buy liquor for off premises consumption 7 days a week. And while I am sympathetic to retailers wanting the state to enforce an agreement where everybody closes on Sunday, there is no reason for alcohol to be singled out for that. You want to shut down all retail on Sundays across the state, I think that would kind of suck but it would give everybody a day of rest. You are just arguing for economic protectionism to protect some business owners at the expense of consumers.
I am sympathetic to the people that have invested in liquor stores. Regulatory certainty is generally a good thing, so I think a good compromise would be to immediately let liquor stores sell what they want to (may have to pair this with a provision stating they can't change locations or expand their premises) and set all other restrictions to sunset in 5 years. If you've invested in the last 5 years, you've done it with this type of change being discussed, so nobody is getting caught with their pants down.
Do you want Sunday rapes? Cause that's how you get Sunday rapes.**
Every place I've been with wine in grocery stores has had seemingly successful private liquor stores as well. I think they can coexist. Honestly, with Costco and Sam's already selling 6 days a week, I can't imagine much impact on liquor stores, but there may be some smaller town nuance that makes if bad for those.
Well that's your problem...trying to bring an informed opinion to SPS.***
Retailers, who ***** about being open for biz on Sun, will willfully open for biz at 10am Mon and never see customer #1 for 5-6 hours. Talk about losing $.
They also sell "wine" albeit crappy wine that meets whatever alcohol criteria puts it within the law...
I think shifting a bunch of wine sales revenue from liquor stores to grocery stores will presumably result in fewer liquor stores. Shelf space is precious in grocery stores, so I could see grocery stores only focusing on low and mid tier wines and winning on price and the liquor stores losing that revenue making it hard for them to keep better wines in stock. And some items that you can no get in grocery stores are going to stop being carried or carried with a much smaller selection.
But generally, it's a big deal to liquor store owners and not a big deal to anybody else. But the liquor store owners are very motivated and most people don't care that much, and the liquor store owners can form the traditional Bootleggers and Baptist coalition so they have been able to maintain the anti-consumer legislation that exists. The only reason they might lose now is that consumers interests happen to line up with what the big grocers and warehouse chains want.
I'd just like to be able to order wine occasionally when I see something unique out there...
Another stupid *** law is the "can't be within a certain distance of a church" law. Baptists are forced to drive great distance in disguise due this law. Imagine who they could drink if they could order off the internet so they don't have to worry about being seen at the liquor store too.
The biggest difference between the Catholics and the Baptists is that the Catholics say hello when they see you in the liquor store.
The liquor stores in Memphis area made a big stink about grocers selling wine before the laws were amended. I wish I could offer some statistics but anecdotally the stores I frequent have expanded after their predictions of demise.
It's like my uncle told me. There's a fine line between raising hell and amazing grace. Too much of either makes you an a hole.
Ask him
what the sales tax % and the liter tax is on that wine he can get at the grocery store.Congregation vs congregation right.....we might need to leave the priests out of this comparison ****
So you agree in principle, but...you want to ignore your agreement and support the opposite because you happen to dislike an involved lobby group. That sort of reasoning is the opposite of the word you used- principle.
Brilliant stuff.**
Continuing archaic laws out of tradition is dumb. Its indefensible.
Continuing archaic laws because it will economically harm a few even though it will economically benefit many and socially benefit many is dumb too.
Crap like 'you cant sell a lime in your liquor store!' is dumb.
Not selling on a weekend day is dumb.
All of this just reeks of a mix of pearl clutching and dying on a hill of tradition which very few even care about protecting.
Oh it’s high but I love the convenience of wine and liquor at the grocery. It’s a dollar per bottle that I’ll gladly payAsk him
You're a little misguided my friend. I am all for open markets, Sunday sales and as I stated I will order wine from California to be delivered to my doorstep. Sell all the wine you want in grocery, my beef is with the state and the lobby. I probably didn't make it evident enough that my point is: the State needs to be out of the liquor business. The ABC is archaic and the laws of Mississippi are structured to keep tight rein on the business errr uh tax monies that are provided. And my beef with lobbyists is because they are bullying their will on the business and its not what's best for the state.
Mississippi needs to be an open state. Take control away from the ABC. Give distributors the ability to bring in, sell and deliver our own product to end users. Its worked for beer distribution and no one has missed a tax payment to the state. The nasty truth is that Mississippi missed millions upon millions of dollars in revenue the past few years due to incompetence and leadership. I have to be careful beyond that...
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