Give the LCB this, they’re not going down without a fight.
You might remember that one of our new governor Tom Corbett’s campaign pledges involved at least looking into the notion of getting Pennsylvania out of the booze business.
A confession here, once again. This is my pet peeve. I want nothing more than to push the plunger to blow up the state Liquor Control Board. I want to go to one place to buy beer, wine or booze. I want to be able to buy a six-pack, or a case, without going to two different places. I want to be able to throw my selections in the grocery cart as I make my way through the supermarket. Beer? Check. Try a new crafted brew? Sure, I’ll try a six-pack. Bottle of wine for dinner? Done. If I’m on the way home and want to pick up a quick six, I’d like to be able to duck into Wawa and grab a six from a cold case.
I won’t go into the shopping gymnastics that involve the number of stops you have to make to buy booze in Pa. I’ve documented it any number of times.
So I have been a big backer of Corbett’s move to consider selling the system off and putting it in the capable hands of private enterprise.
Then last weekend as my better half and myself were getting the groceries at our neighborhood Wegman’s, I noticed they had one of those new-fangled wine kiosks there. And there was a rep from the LCB to demonstrate how it works. OK, I’ll admit it. It’s progress. It’s still a pain. You have to pay for your purchase there at the machine, you can’t simply grab something and toss it in your cart and check it out with the rest of the groceries. There’s also the fairly disgusting prospect of blowing into a tube so the state can be sure they’re not selling wine to someone who is already intoxicated.
Now comes word that the LCB is negotiating to place one of the kiosks at the Genuardi’s on Baltimore Pike in Springfield. The first wine kiosk in the region was unveiled a few weeks ago in Drexel Hill.
And the LCB is not done. They are looking to enlist a heavyweight in their new-fangled wine war.
A report in the Patriot-News out of Harrisburg indicates state officials are negotiating to put wine kiosks in Wal-Mart stores in the mid-state region.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I like the fact that the LCB is changing with the times.
But I still want them out of the booze business.
Sorry, folks, but I will be the first to toast the demise of the LCB.
Listening, Mr. Corbett?
You might remember that one of our new governor Tom Corbett’s campaign pledges involved at least looking into the notion of getting Pennsylvania out of the booze business.
A confession here, once again. This is my pet peeve. I want nothing more than to push the plunger to blow up the state Liquor Control Board. I want to go to one place to buy beer, wine or booze. I want to be able to buy a six-pack, or a case, without going to two different places. I want to be able to throw my selections in the grocery cart as I make my way through the supermarket. Beer? Check. Try a new crafted brew? Sure, I’ll try a six-pack. Bottle of wine for dinner? Done. If I’m on the way home and want to pick up a quick six, I’d like to be able to duck into Wawa and grab a six from a cold case.
I won’t go into the shopping gymnastics that involve the number of stops you have to make to buy booze in Pa. I’ve documented it any number of times.
So I have been a big backer of Corbett’s move to consider selling the system off and putting it in the capable hands of private enterprise.
Then last weekend as my better half and myself were getting the groceries at our neighborhood Wegman’s, I noticed they had one of those new-fangled wine kiosks there. And there was a rep from the LCB to demonstrate how it works. OK, I’ll admit it. It’s progress. It’s still a pain. You have to pay for your purchase there at the machine, you can’t simply grab something and toss it in your cart and check it out with the rest of the groceries. There’s also the fairly disgusting prospect of blowing into a tube so the state can be sure they’re not selling wine to someone who is already intoxicated.
Now comes word that the LCB is negotiating to place one of the kiosks at the Genuardi’s on Baltimore Pike in Springfield. The first wine kiosk in the region was unveiled a few weeks ago in Drexel Hill.
And the LCB is not done. They are looking to enlist a heavyweight in their new-fangled wine war.
A report in the Patriot-News out of Harrisburg indicates state officials are negotiating to put wine kiosks in Wal-Mart stores in the mid-state region.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I like the fact that the LCB is changing with the times.
But I still want them out of the booze business.
Sorry, folks, but I will be the first to toast the demise of the LCB.
Listening, Mr. Corbett?
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