I plan to spend the weekend crying in my beer.
Specifically, the six-pack I bought at Wegmans. Which I had to go through a separate part of the store to buy, and pay for at a separate register. That's right, you can't put it in your cart and do the rest of your grocery shopping. And you can't buy a case, just a six- or 12-pack. If you want more than that, you have to take the 12 out to your car, then go back in and buy more.
I'm not making this up.
This is what Pennsylvania calls convenience, when it comes to sale of beer and alcohol.
And it's beginning to look like we're going to have to live with it.
That's because the great privatization push to get Pennsylvania out of the booze business appears headed to the same place so many other similar efforts wound up - nowhere.
The state stores don't appear to be going away anytime soon. If you want alcohol, you'll still have to go there, somewhere else for a six-pack of beer and a third place for a case. Swell!
There actually is a new plan to liberalize sales of beer and wine that was unveiled in the state Senate yesterday. The problem is Majority Leader Delco Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, despite a week's worth of arm twisting, still doesn't appear to have the votes to get it passed.
Anything that does pass most certainly will not resemble the version that made history in the House, which would for the most part privatize alcohol sales in the state.
Gov. Corbett has made privatization one of his core issues - along with pension reform and a new transportation budget. Oh, and they have to do all this while putting in place a $28 billion budget by midnight on Sunday.
Pileggi remains optimistic that something can be done. The bill actually might be debated on the Senate floor Friday afternoon.
What would the Senate version do? Keep the LCB and state stores in business, at least for a while. Beer distributors, which are now limited to selling beer by the case, would be allowed to sell six-packs. Some supermarkets, taverns and delis with a restaurant license would also be allowed to sell wine. Alcohol sales would remain solely the province of state stores.
Attention Wawa! Convenience stores that sell gas would also be allowed to sell beer.
I'll believe it when I see it.
It should be a fascinating weekend in Harrisburg.
My guess is that the stormy weather we've been having could move inside the Capitol as well.
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