The law says places that sell six-packs must let customers drink it at the place of purchase. Most stores understandably aren't cool with customers swilling Pabst Blue Ribbon in front of the Slim Jim rack, so a Sheetz store took it to court, only to be slapped down by the wrong arm of the law.
Consider the purpose of buying a six-pack. It is to take the beer away from the store for consumption somewhere else. Yet state law allows stores to sell six-packs only if consumers also may consume beer on the premises.
The Sheetz store in question didn't want to accommodate beer-drinking in the store, prompting the court to rule that state law then prohibited it from selling beer for takeout.
That, of course, is ridiculous. The state Liquor Control Board has managed to expand consumer convenience somewhat. Wegmans supermarkets, for example, sell six-packs for takeout because they have restaurant licenses and allow consumption of beer in that part of the store. The Sheetz case demonstrates that the law itself is obsolete.
Obsolete, but the law nonetheless. And the affected parties even aren't allowed to drown their sorrows as conveniently as the rest of us.
Outdated beer laws cause for consumer hangover [The Daily Review]
(Photo: pbm.)
@Hoss: The Heineken Holiday 5-Pack®?
"I bought it at Sheetz in PA — it came that way, I swear!"
]]>@catastrophegirl - brand new homeowner:
both the grocery store and the liquor store sells Bailey's because the law hasn't decided WHAT irish cream really is
I can answer that in one word: DELICIOUS!
<sets off to find highball glass>
]]>@SrsRevo17:
Yeah, we have a few of them even named: " six pack to go " but I believe they have to sell so much in food sales in order to offer this service ... much like the bars where you can only buy two six packs @ a time ...
Isn't our PA booze laws fun ???
]]>I didn't realize some people didn't use the phrase "Sweeper" to refer to the vacuum, it's always been an interchangeable phrase around here.
And "wash" is "Warsh" down here, as in "I've gotta go warsh out the tub" or "We're going to Warshington DC at the end of the month".
"You'ins", "We'ins", and "Ain't got none" are also popular phrases in rural towns. I've also heard the dropping of "to be" from phrases, and I didn't realize that was weird till just now.
Colloquialisms! Yeah!
]]>@RobertW.TX:
Yep, only 3.2 can be bought "cold"..it's stupid.
I grew up in PA and the laws there were always F'd up. We always went to NY state to buy sixpacks. Whenever I go back to visit, I just pick up two cases of YeungLing(the greatest beer ever made) from the drive thru beerbarn and I'm good to go.
]]>And let me be the lone voice in the wilderness: booze sucks. Good on Pennsylvania. :P
]]>Thanks for the Corridor Wine & Spirits shout, I didn't know about that place, & it turns out I live 10 miles away from it. Word!
]]>@YouDidWhatNow?: Texas has the same "blue" law where liquor stores can't be open sundays and no beer or wine before noon. I think it's utterly rediculous. It isn't going to do a single thing to stop people from drinking on Sunday. It just means they're going to buy twice as much on Saturday, or get twice as hammered on Monday. I also think wet-dry districtis are stupid too, it just encourages DUI.
However, I can kinda agree about the law where places selling hard liquor have to bar entrance to anyone under the age of 21. It does cut down on underage drinking. In Missouri where my mother lives, all alcohol laws are done at the state (no local option) and you can buy Whiskey, Vodka, you name it, at Wal-Mart 24 hours a day. Underage drinking is a real problem in my mom's town. There's so few places for kids to work other than the grocer and Wal-Mart and the kids wanting to score booze often get their friend who is a cashier to let them buy it. Heck, my sister who my parents deemed the "good child" partied all the time she was in High School.
]]>poiint 1 for atheism.
]]>Head to Corridor Wines and Spirits (PDF of beer list [www.wineaccess.com] ) just off the Baltimore Washington Parkway and walk up to the WALL of single bottles of microbrews then tell me where in PA there is a distributor that carries even a quarter of those beers.
]]>Hey this law makes sense, a sober PA resident acts like a huge jerk. They sure as hell don't need alcohol added to the mix.
case in point, eagles fans.
]]>the state legislature was looking at eliminating the sunday blue law to increase tax revenue, of course! (you pesky bay staters are stealing all our taxes, don't you know?) what's funny is that the industry association that represents liquor store owners is blocking the legislation! they tried the same thing a couple years ago when the state allowed stores to stay open until 9pm instead of 8pm.
]]>In PA, you can purchase alcohol 3 different ways.
First if you want wine or spirits you have to go to a State Store run by PA. Even Internet sales are blocked to PA (hopefully that will change soon).
If you want beer you can either purchase case or keg quantities at a beer distributor. If you want less, you can go to a 6 pack shop or a restaurant or bar with the proper license. There you can buy up to 128oz of beer (2 six packs).
(Well, you can also go to a microbrewery to buy their own product but that's a different issue).
That's it - no other places. Why is this the case? First, PA State Store system is the largest purchaser of spirits in the country - this is $$$ for the government. Also the State Store is a huge patronage system for relatives and such. With these 2 forces, no much in the way of reform has been able to be passed.
In the case of beer, the beer distributors make obscene profits giving them substantial dollar to spend on lobbying resulting in a very powerful special interest.
The tavern and restaurant owners lobby is much weaker and so rules and regulation are tilted way in the favor of distributors.
As for that 1 Sheetz (and some Wegmans by the way) they were able to finagle a beer license by "separating" their restaurant operation from their grocery operation. A sit down eating establishment that provides at least 90% of it's income from food can also sell beer by the bottle (or six pack). It's this "artificial" separation of food and groceries that has the tavern lobby eating at them and so they are putting their lobby money towards fighting that.
I don't think the beer distributors could care a crap about either. Sheets and Wegmans has to buy their beer from a PA distributor anyway to sell it. This is why it cost an obscene amount for beer at food and bar establishments.
That's the story in PA. If anyone outside of PA wants to express sympathy it would be most appreciated.
]]>In Philadelphia, you get your liquor when you go down the shore, as soon as you cross the state line.
]]>Woah. Small world. I'm also from Mentor!
]]>Wow, beer in convenience stores? What will they think of next!
]]>To this day, whenever my aunt goes to visit my grandmother and grandfather in NH, she stocks up at the NH state liquor store. Prices can't be beat. And the hours are fairly reasonable (depending on the location).
]]>I for one just go to the state owned NH liquor store down the block for my hard liquor and the shaw's for my booze
]]>(As opposed to beer distributors, where you have to buy cases or kegs.)
]]>I remember Sheetz had the BFD, reverse-acronymed into the "Big Fountain Deal". And the B-52 - a giant mug you could get refilled for cheap.
]]>as stupid as the laws seem, there's times i miss the stupidity. in CT, there are no "6-pack shops". they sell beer in supermarket (but not on sunday or holidays) & most liquor stores (privately owned & also sell beer) close at 8pm.
makes it awfully difficult to make last-minute late nite plans. for this reason, i always stock a "just in case" 12-pack in my fridge.
]]>Don't forget the minimum price laws (and that some cheap beers actually have to charge more than they want to because of it) and that offering any sort of discount or "deal" on booze (eg: "Tuesday is TWO FOR ONE beer night!") is illegal. Those laws might be more common outside of here than I think, though.
Though, also as someone from Ontario, I don't find it odd. But I can see it being odd for anyone who buys beer with their groceries or down at the local corner store. And a bit of a privacy violation for them, too, since unlike buying at a grocery store or corner store, when you are visiting a liquor store there's quite honestly only one thing you're buying, unless you want a new corkscrew...
]]>@doctor_cos: Me? I'm up near Cleveland. My family is from a town called (i shit you not) Hicksville, PA originally. And they most definately say y'unz. If I recall yinz vs yunz is either an east/west PA difference or a north/south.
@dwasifar: It's pop here in Ohio, and a small region of PA.
I'm from a suburb of cleveland, and due to the name "Mentor" no one here pronounces "nt" as "nt", Men-TOR becomes "MEN-er", as with every word with an NT in it.
]]>With the proper license, bottle shops/restaurants/bars/etc. can sell you anything that totals under 192 oz., or maybe it's 196oz., i can't recall at the moment.
]]>In my state of CT, for example, you cannot buy beer or wine in a store on Sundays or after 9pm at night. You can, of course, go to a bar or restaurant and get totally smashed, if you like ... but you cannot bring a six-pack or bottle of wine home on a Sunday.
This is one of the last surviving vestiges of CT's famous "blue laws," a Puritan-ordained piety code which once had been forced on the entire colony (later, state), even those who were not themselves Puritans.
It's time these and all the other alcohol-related piety laws around the US were repealed. The Pilgrims no longer control the country, and haven't for a couple centuries, so their piety laws need to go. Now.
]]>PA will always have these crazy laws, not because they have different morals than other states, but because they have this long-ingrained system that would be a pain-in-the-ass for lawmakers, businesses, and the government to overhaul.
]]>It's kind of an example of a small version of how lobbyists work in Washington. You have these larger beer distributors that are able to "lobby" lawmakers to create favorable conditions for their businesses. Would you rather go to a bottle shop and make 3 or 4 trips to your car to buy beer that is, per unit, more expensive? OR would you rather go to a distributor and make one big trip to purchase beer that is, again, per unit less expensive?
]]>The problem is that all the state stores located near my house opt to close on sundays, so I have to drive over to the one I know is open, wait in line outside the store for it to open, and then wait in line to pay with all the other people who just wanted a bottle of wine to go with their dinner tonight.
]]>can't even drink away my sorrows! :)
]]>another thing that's really strange about PA liquor laws: in addition to a separation of booze & beer (state-owned liquor stores for liquor & wine; beer stores for beer), there are beer distributors & "6-pack shops". a beer distributor cannot be open past 8 or 9pm (i forget which) & when i lived there, they weren't open on sundays. but they are the only places you can buy cases & kegs.
a 6-pack shop can be open the same times as a bar (& bars often sell 6-packs to go), but this started to piss off the distributors, so they passed a law stating that you can't buy more than 192 ounces of beer/malt liquor at a time (which equals 12 pint-sized bottles of beer). so, in short, a 6-pack shop can't sell cases or 30-packs; only 2 6-packs or a 12-pack at once.
long post to get to the point, which is this: the loophole for getting around the 2 at a time 6-pack rule is to buy 2 6-packs, set them down outside, come back in, buy 2 more, etc., etc.
& this is why when i read your idea, i could totally see that happening in PA.
]]>When you're a tavern, you basically have ONE place to buy beer. You zone's ID(Independent Distributor). There's I believe 13 zones in PA. And ALL beer in PA goes through one of these 13 places. Even the small ma & pa distros. They buy their beer through on of the 13 IDs.
What's wrong with that? The ID decides what they are going to carry. Anheuser Busch has exclusive deals with IDs to only carry certain beers to sell to bars. Go though some parts of PA and wonder why it's the same crap on tap. It's not because that's what people really WANT to drink, it's because that's the only crap the bar CAN sell.
Now, there are some agreements between IDs to deliver beer to their zones. But they make it cost prohibitive to do so. It's why when you DO find a bar that has a bunch of beers on tap, it's like $5-$6 a beer. It's not because they want to fleece the customers, it's because it cost them a boatload of cash to get it. And with minimum delivery requirements, unless you specifically sell a lot of it, the beer will spoil before you sell it all anyways.
Oh and what do IDs charge for beer? Whatever the hell they want. They don't have standard pricing. One tavern can buy the same keg of beer for $X, and sell the same keg to the next bar a block away at $X+Y. It's a racket gangster's in from the 1920's would be proud of.
]]>Honestly though, it never occurred to me that some states had such strange laws about their alcohol. I'm fairly certain we don't have more drunks in Illinois than in other states. People will get their alcohol if they really want it, so all laws like that do is piss off consumers.
]]>@dwasifar: don't forget "crans" instead of crayons & que-pons (instead of coupons). here's a question: when you go to the supermarket, do you take a buggie or a cart?
anyway, i was always fascinated with colloquialisms. the joke about where i live now is that people forget where the hell to put their "r", as in, "i have a wonderful idea-r about that new mirrah i bought." makes me cringe.
i should talk - i was born a down'eastah. we have ruds, ruffs, cahs & ruddahs, ay-uh!
]]>I'm originally from PA, and it's still strange to me when I see liquor in supermarkets here in AZ.
However, we have a strange law in AZ as well. You can't buy liquor between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sundays. This is usually a non-issue, but if you're making a run on Sunday morning to get your beer before the first football game (which starts at 10 a.m. - another thing I can't get used to) you're not going to get it in time for kickoff.
]]>@TCama: Are you from Towanda? I lived there for a short while a few years ago.
]]>My ex-wife is from PA. Here in the Chicago area, a carbonated soft drink is "pop." A "soda" is an ice cream drink. (I say soda too, not pop, but this is because my mom was from New Jersey.) The soda/pop thing caused her problems at first until she acclimated.
Pronunciation oddities I noticed from her: "Ar-ange" for orange, "melk" for milk, "wooder" for water, and "hang-ger" for hanger.
]]>PA's system sucks balls if you're into really good beer, like Belgians. PA beer distributors don't have cases of Gulden Draak or something, & if they did, they'd be like $100.
]]>@humphrmi: Getting the job BEFORE getting the khakis!
]]>@AMetamorphosis: Thats not entirely true. For 6 packs you go to a store called "bottle shops." They are different than distributors, and are open much longer.
]]>From State College, PA...
Here are some other fun facts for those of you that don't know the funny PA laws:
- You cannot buy more than 192 ounces of beer at a 6 pack shop at a time. That means 2 six packs and a 40. You can however take it to your car and come back in as many times as you want.
- You can buy as many cases of beer as you want at the distributor.
- You can only get liquor and wine at the "state store". (ie - you can't get liquor/wine at the same place you get beer).
- Having beer available at Sheetz and Wegmans is a huge victory in PA - even if you can't buy pickles and beer at the same time because the pickles are not part of the "restaurant".
@mizike: Well in NY you can get beer right from the grocery store, liquor and wine you get from a liquor store. Sounds a lot more convenient than going to three different stores.
]]>@CFinWV: "When you grow up in PA you're used to the law and just move on with life. There's plenty of places to buy it. "
You're right, I was born and raised in PA and got so used to the distributor/state store method that I got all kinds of screwed up when I moved to MD.
What's even weirder is that in State College, PA, the distributors close at 7pm during the week and 9 pm on Fridays (and some on Saturdays, all closed on Sunday). But a simple 5 minute drive to Boalsburg gets you a distributor open til 11. Kindof ironic that the borough with restrictions like that is also home to the first Wegmans in PA to sell beer...
]]>there are still some dry counties here as well. and one place i've been they sell mixers in the grocery store but no liquor in the county and you can only buy beer [three brands] at the golf club pro shop for about $25 a 12 pack.
]]>Money trumps religion any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
]]>@takes_so_little: dogs and cats living together
]]>2. Wine and liquor is only sold as state owned stores.
3. Cases and Kegs are only sold at beer distributors.
]]>my out of state guests always want to know why the "ABC Store" logo isn't brightly colored blocks like it is in some other states that allow privately owned liquor stores - it's all "A_lcoholic B_everage C_ontrol"
the weird part is that both the grocery store and the liquor store sells Bailey's because the law hasn't decided WHAT irish cream really is
]]>@RonDiaz:
Yeah...MN is the lose when it comes to liquor laws. But PA is more lose.
]]>@MauriceCallidice: It seems to me like one set of people making ridiculous and arbitrary decisions is better than two sets of people making ridiculous and arbitrary decisions. It's not like they're going to cancel each other out you know.
]]>@CFinWV: "When you grow up in PA you're used to the law and just move on with life. There's plenty of places to buy it."
I'm in Ontario and it sounds basically the same, we have the beer store (where you get beer, anything from a 6 pack to a keg), the liquor store (where you get liquor / wine / six packs of beer), and wine stores (where you get wine). It's not like it's rocket science yet anyone who's not from here can't wrap their heads around it and think that it's the most confusing system imaginable.
]]>The reason PA has maintained their bizzare liquor law structure has nothing to do with any perception of public safety. Rather, it's been kept that way because the retailers (beer distributers and tavern owners) are quite happy with the status quo. They don't want the competition from mega-marts and major convenience store chains.
Now why it was setup that way in the first place is beyond me.
]]>@chuckv: I don't think you guys realize the amount of work this would entail. Just to pick a random example: the Criminal Code of Canada has ~850 sections (not counting schedules, but lets keep this simple). They would have to get through something like 20 sections a week in order to get through the whole thing in a year. Assuming even a basic analysis along the lines of 1. How has the law been used? 2. Frequency of use? 3. Average penalty? 4. Why was the law created in the first place? 5. Is it being used in a manner consistent with it's purpose? etc., etc., etc. Collecting and analyzing the data alone would be a full time job for a team of people and given that noone would want to pay for this it would quickly devolve into rubber stamping leading to ridiculous and arbitrary decisions.
]]>@YouDidWhatNow?: Tell me about it. We have resorted to beer clubs. X people buy X cases and devide so you get a few of each. There some beers I live once in awhile, but won't buy a whole case of.
]]>Yes. I grew up in IL...moved to MN maybe 10 years ago or so. IL is pretty much perfectly rational when it comes to liquor sales...which is to say, you can buy liquor anywhere and any time you want, without any stupid restrictions. Every gas station, convenience store, and grocery store has beer, wine, and liquor. 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
Strangely enough, with MN's bizarre laws about Sundays and "on-sale" and "off-sale" liquor, which is apparently a mildly retarded way of trying to differentiate between a bar (former) and liquor store (latter), they still allow for happy hours...which I think have been outlawed pretty much everywhere else.
]]>@katieoh:
..."PLCB?"
What state are you talking about? MN has a state-wide ban on liquor stores being open on Sunday. I have no idea if PA has any such laws, as I'm never there on the weekends...
]]>All I'm asking that I can buy all 3 of these items (beer, wine and liquor) in any quantity I want in one location. It doesn't even have to be in a conveinent store. I wish PA would adopt better alcohol laws like some of our neighboring states who are also consuming alcohol in the 21st century.
]]>And, yes, we do have to occasionally chase restaurants out of the store when they try to buy booze through us for the savings (and by them doing so, risking both their license and ours in the process).
]]>I wish we had IL's liquor laws...
Go to the grocery store that is open 24 hours and buy whatever you want (beer, wine, liquor) whenever you want.
i can answer any questions anyone has, haha.
]]>Every law should be reviewed every 10 years to make sure it still makes sense in today's context.
]]>Yes, that is it's only possible use. I didn't know that though...I had been sampling the various available 40s, and Hurricane is not likely one I'll be re-buying.
]]>@TheStateOnDVD!_GitEmSteveDave: Oh sweet god. I'm from Ohio, but all my aunts uncles, my mom, and grandparents are from PA. The biggest part of the dialect they have kept is "y'unz". It makes no sense to me.
At least "y'all" is a contraction for "you all", what in the world is "y'unz"? You... uns?
]]>The smaller beer amounts are sold in places like delis. As a result, places like Wegman's groceries were able to circumvent the law since they have a deli section in their grocery stores.
]]>@Deranged_Kitsune: Ok, Apparently you can't buy anything less than a case -- seems pro-consumer to me!
Pennsylvania Liquor Code, Article IV, SECTION 441. DISTRIBUTORS' AND IMPORTING DISTRIBUTORS' RESTRICTIONS ON SALES, STORAGE, ETC., paragraph b: No distributor or importing distributor {that's Pennsylvanian for "beer store," to you out of state types} shall sell any malt or brewed beverages in quantities of less than a case or original containers containing one hundred twenty-eight ounces or more which may be sold separately: Provided, That no malt or brewed beverages sold or delivered shall be consumed upon the premises of the distributor or importing distributor, or in any place provided for such purpose by such distributor or importing distributor. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or act, malt or brewed beverages which are part of a tasting conducted pursuant to the board's regulations may be consumed on licensed premises.
]]>"Beer enthusiasts and curious shoppers alike steered their carts today toward the newest section at Wegmans in Silver Spring Twp. -- the beer aisle. There they encountered something never before experienced in a midstate supermarket: 150 imported, domestic, Pennsylvania, craft and microwbrews beers for sale.
"This is so civilized," said Deb Steeley of Lower Paxton Township.
Wegmans officially launched beer sales today, although shoppers were able to purchase the beverages as early as Tuesday while the staff assembled displays.
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board approved a restaurant liquor license for the supermarket. Shoppers can purchase up to two six-packs of beer to go or single bottles for consumption in the store's Market Cafe.
"Don't you think it's about time Pennsylvania treats us like grown-ups? Aren't we old enough to buy beer?" said Richard Price of Hampden Township."
]]>Liquor and Wine: Purchased at state store, open from around 9-9 most days, a limited number are open until 5pm sunday but the rest are closed. if you need liquor on sunday you can only get it by the glass at a bar. you cannot buy a bottle of liquor from a bar, and if you buy a bottle of wine at a bar or restaurant you cant leave with it.
Beer by the case or keg: purchased at a distributor, which usually has a wider selection and is usually open until 8 or 9, and maybe 5 on sundays. you usually cannot buy six or twelve packs here.
Beer by the 6 or 12: most bars have a cooler or some empty six packs to sell you unopened bottles to take home, however there is a limit to the amount you can purchase at one time. I've seen different stuff at different places, but the general rule is you can only carry out 12 beers (or 144 ounces) at a time. If you want to buy 4 cases worth you can, but you have to make trips to your car for every 12 beers, and then come back in and get 12 more. some places make you pay for them separately, and it always costs more to do it this way. Naturally, despite the fact that you must be able to consume beer on the premises to buy six packs, you usually can't buy a six pack and then plunk down at the bar to drink it. You CANNOT buy 30packs at a bar, since there would be no way to carry out 12 at a time without opening it.
The reason all these zany rules stay on the books is money. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board sells all the wine and liquor in the state, and they have agents and buyers who travel and purchase wine in large lots for resale. Prices on wine are very reasonable, and net a lot of income for the state. The people who own distributors (for beer by the case) pay for a specific license to do so (in the tens of thousands of dollars per year), and most dont have the equipment to display, store and sell six packs. they are more like a warehouse with a walk-in cooler, and space is a premium because it determines how much they can stock. bars pay for the privledge of selling sixpacks, and many have paid to install special cooler displays for six-pack sales. There was debate about letting distributors sell sixpacks as well, but both the distributors and the bar owners didn't want it. Distributors mostly didnt want the added cost and space of installing a cooler and display case for sixpacks, and bar owners didnt want to lose business to the distributors after they had already paid for the ablity to sell sixers.
Honestly though, its not hard to get drunk in PA if you really want to. you just might have to settle for paying a little more on sunday
]]>Otherwise, the self-made 5-pack, or simply selling 8-packs, would have been a viable option.
It's an interesting situation, but we need a lot more information as to the law itself.
]]>It gets worse - soon they're going to give all your guns to the gays, so they can force your daughter to have an abortion while watching them get married!
]]>Argh, sorry I ment to reply to the person who said laws should have expire dates, no exceptions.
]]>@GMFish: WTF? That's AWESOME. But how to the restaurants stay in business? Alcohol has something like an 800% markup, which is where restaurants make all their money.
]]>Beer can only be purchased in distributorships in PA ... and then ONLY by the case.
Not in the state owned liquor stores.
You might wasn't to make a few non-expiring laws. You know, murder, rape, theft...
]]>@YouDidWhatNow?: You thought MN was bad??? Try living in Connecticut. In addition to liquor stores being closed on Sundays, they close at 9 PM every other day, as opposed to MN's 10 PM. That hour makes a WORLD of difference...and it used to be 8 PM!
]]>When you grow up in PA you're used to the law and just move on with life. There's plenty of places to buy it.
]]>@takes_so_little: I think Sheetz took it up with the court because 6 packs are a staple of convenience stores. It's probably hurting sales not being able to sell them.
]]>@xerotope: I would love to see a picture of that in a supermarket!
]]>@YouDidWhatNow?: Dude...Hurricane? I guess if your only goal is to get drunk and you don't want to enjoy what you're drinking, by all means....
]]>Alabama just this year passed a law allowing sale of beer with alcohol content of up to 13.9%abv. Previous limit was 6%. Though, sales are still restricted to container sizes no greater than 16 oz. Although, there are a few exceptions by individual county. Of course, you could always get wine and liqour. So, logic has never been a hallmark of state legislators. Nearly every state has or had strange and illogical alcohol laws on the books after the repeal of Prohibition.
]]>@mdoublej: Good to know. Wegmans really is one of the best supermarkets out there.
]]>Various retailers (Sheetz and Weis come to mind) have been purchasing liquor licenses from the state's liquor control board, which has been trying to liberalize alcohol sales within the stodgy old legal framework. They have been establishing separate "eateries" with the express purpose of selling beer. Sneaky, sneaky.
I moved to Ohio a few years ago and was oh-so surprised NOT to see children stumbling drunk in the streets just because I could buy a six-pack next to the bread aisle in Kroger. Now, try convincing the Women's Christian Temperance Union (yup ... still exists) and Pennsylvania's backward, redneck legislature that the precious kids will be safe if Sheetz sells beer. Good luck with that.
]]>Wow, glad I live in Colorado. We killed the no Sunday law not to long ago. We can buy our liquor 7 days a week, in the same store/bar. We can also opt for 3.2 beer in the convenience stores if the liquor store is closed. But you can't drink it on site next to the Slim Jim rack, you must take it home.
Something that still cracks me up. We are REAL hard on DUI's here, but we have drive-thru liquor stores everywhere. I realize that your not necessarily driving while drinking if you use such service, I just find it funny.
]]>Texas is Wet or Dry by county and precinct. It's always easy to tell when you've driven into a Wet county (or precinct): liquor stores on both sides of the road.
Also, Sunday: beer & wine sales are OK after noon, but no more booze until Monday.
]]>@GMFish: because I live in a dry county, a lot of the clubs in the surrounding area are BYOB too...so weird.
]]>It's a big loophole, but it works. You just have to checkout twice.
]]>But they'd need a license
]]>That doesn't stop some of the aged locals from sitting there anyway, drinking and smoking.
]]>Sorry Pennsylvania, you get no sympathy from me. I went to school just outside of Philly, and sure you can't buy beer at the grocery store, or a convenience store, but you guys have beer distributors, who carry a much wider range of beers.
]]>...because they've been legislating as if they've been downing six-packs in convenience stores.
]]>@gqcarrick: North Carolina had those drive through liquor stores. Brew Thru's... Ridiculous...! They had tons of them near the beaches, so you could hop in your car, shoeless and shirtless, pick up a case or two of beer(after finishing what you originally brought with you) and head back to the beach or wherever. That was about 6 years ago I saw those stores, that was the deciding lynchpin for realizing the steady decline of our society.
]]>I don't think so. I'm not entirely familiar with PA laws, but I think your options for beer are buying a case at a beer distributor (basically a store that sells only beer, not hard liquor), or smaller quantities at a restaurant.
]]>It's not the court's duty to determine if the law is logical or silly. It is their job to determine ONLY if the law is constitutional.
It is the legislators' duty to pass good laws, and repeal silly ones.
So don't blame the court here. Blame the state legislature.
]]>I don't believe you can buy beer anywhere in PA unless its in a liquor store. Supermarkets can't even carry it. I saw the most bizarre thing in some of the other states I have visited, like drive through liquor stores.
]]>I moved to Texas a few years ago, and I'm in a dry county. Bet you didn't know they still had those eh?! Well, all the bars in the area have to have their own "private" memberships in order to let you in and allow you to consume alcohol on the premises. Thankfully at least of the few of the clubs use the same membership, so you only have to pay the first time you join in a few different places. Oh yeah, on Sundays, nada here either...
i hate religion, it's like a frigging prison for the mind for people of limited intelligence.
]]>@Hoss: And give the orphen bottle free... that will work!
]]>The law says places that sell six-packs must let customers drink it at the place of purchase.
...wat?
How did that law even get passed in the first place? They say the law is obsolete but that implies the law actually made sense at some point.
]]>Can they remove one bottle and sell them as five packs?
]]>Not quite a year ago I started working for a company that's headquarted in PA - i'm out there all the time. Their liquor laws are retarded...and I thought my home state of MN's laws were retarded...they simply don't allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays (apparently no one in MN has heard of seperation of church and state).
It's mind-boggling what the beer costs anyway...there's a beer store (not a liqour store mind you - beer, wine, and liquor all happen in different places) next to the hotel I stay at...a 6-pack of pretty much anything costs $10 or more. Basically, what a 12-pack of the same stuff would cost me in MN. Co-workers tell me that's just the way it is.
On the other hand, you can buy 40 oz. bottles of beer (like High Life) or malt liquor (like Colt 45) for as low as $1.80. Which is the price of "Hurricane," which has no flavor but is very cheap. Or splurge and get something with more flavor for $2 to $3.25.
So if the 6-pack you want is $12, a neat $2 per 12 oz., or you can buy a 40 oz. bottle for $2...well, let's just say I am all about the 40 when I'm in PA.
]]>I guess if you've gotten thrown out of every other bar in town, you can get blitzed at the local Stop N Shop.
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