What are the locations of the 711 that have beer and wine

One of the guys on the ballot in MD (Franchot I think) has made an issue of privatizing the liquor stores like everywhere else in the area, so we may see some change eventually.

If he can get beer and wine into the grocery store, he will have my vote forever.

I suspect I am not alone.

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend in the industry. The ONLY good thing about MoCo's model (where you can only buy liquor at county stores) is that the prices on average are lower than in DC and VA, especially for spirits. The reason is in the MoCo model, they function as both distributor and retailer so only need to make one margin not two.

One of the guys on the ballot in MD (Franchot I think) has made an issue of privatizing the liquor stores like everywhere else in the area, so we may see some change eventually.

Yes but if you own a business then you must buy all of your beer/wine and liquor from the county which sucks because the DLC doesn't have great (or any) quality control and you have to buy the brands they are selling. This is not good for hundreds of the micro brews and craft liquors which have to be special ordered and carry another markup for the county passed on to the business and ultimately you. It's fine if you want a coors light. The DLC cannot keep up and have run it poorly. It is a hold over from prohibition. The ONLY reason they are still doing it is because of $$$$. They need to replace that revenue (sizable) with something else or they will never get out of the booze business.

I have a friend in the industry. The ONLY good thing about MoCo's model (where you can only buy liquor at county stores) is that the prices on average are lower than in DC and VA, especially for spirits. The reason is in the MoCo model, they function as both distributor and retailer so only need to make one margin not two.

One of the guys on the ballot in MD (Franchot I think) has made an issue of privatizing the liquor stores like everywhere else in the area, so we may see some change eventually.

World Market is my beer and wine go to in MoCo!

Whole foods carries wine too? I remember seeing wine in the one on Old Georgetown Rd near the DSW.

That's Balducci's. Whole Foods in MoCo doesn't have wine. (The ones in DC and VA do.)

Liquor laws need to be reasonable. I find DC's are and voluntary agreements provide for even more balance. A new supermarket in NW proposed to sell alcohol in DC until midnight. Then it was pointed out to them that few other large markets did and the neighborhood didn't want them to become the late night destination of choice for folks rushing (and driving) to buy more beer before the clock strikes 12. The store voluntarily agreed to limit its sales to 10 pm in line with most everyone else. A win-win.

My brother just moved to Texas and he says there are drive thru liquor stores there! Now that's what I'm talking about!

I absolutely hate the state owned ABC's in Virginia. I'm made to feel like a criminal every time I walk into one of them. There are bars on the windows even.

Grew up in Florida where alcohol shopping was a pleasant experience with nice store owners. Everything was nice, brightly lit and they ran sales!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia wins. DC is bad, MD worse.

Maryland state law also bans grocery stores from selling beer and wine. Four grocery chains — Giant Food, Safeway, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Magruder's received an exception under a grandfather clause and these four are allowed to have one location that sells beer and wine in Montgomery County: Giant’s White Oak store in Silver Spring, Safeway in Olney, Shoppers in Germantown, and Magruder's in Gaithersburg. (Rodmans, Balducci's & CC Market also sells alcohol.)

Whole foods carries wine too? I remember seeing wine in the one on Old Georgetown Rd near the DSW.

That's gotta be some powerful backing behind the beer and liquor stores because consumers really lose out. It means that consumers don't get the selections that places like Trader Joe's carry in other states. Obviously the vendors lose out, but it limits consumer choice and convenience too, and for no good reason.

Anonymous wrote:Grew up in NY, no alcohol til after noon on Sunday (go to church, people!)

Then moved to CT, no alcohol to be purchased AT ALL on Sunday (go to church, then do lots of penance)

DC and VA are clearly superior to MD, but they all beat NY and CT.

CT's law changed recently. No more closing on Sundays and you can buy it past 8 pm now too! (My folks live there and I would always get annoyed when we got caught in bad traffic and arrived after 8.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia wins. DC is bad, MD worse.

Maryland state law also bans grocery stores from selling beer and wine. Four grocery chains — Giant Food, Safeway, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Magruder's received an exception under a grandfather clause and these four are allowed to have one location that sells beer and wine in Montgomery County: Giant’s White Oak store in Silver Spring, Safeway in Olney, Shoppers in Germantown, and Magruder's in Gaithersburg. (Rodmans, Balducci's & CC Market also sells alcohol.)

Never knew the one location rule, very interesting. Too bad none of those are close to me.

Grew up in NY, no alcohol til after noon on Sunday (go to church, people!)

Then moved to CT, no alcohol to be purchased AT ALL on Sunday (go to church, then do lots of penance)

DC and VA are clearly superior to MD, but they all beat NY and CT.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia wins. DC is bad, MD worse.

Maryland state law also bans grocery stores from selling beer and wine. Four grocery chains — Giant Food, Safeway, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Magruder's received an exception under a grandfather clause and these four are allowed to have one location that sells beer and wine in Montgomery County: Giant’s White Oak store in Silver Spring, Safeway in Olney, Shoppers in Germantown, and Magruder's in Gaithersburg. (Rodmans, Balducci's & CC Market also sells alcohol.)

Anonymous wrote:I remember living in Massachusetts, where you can't buy alcohol before noon on Sundays. So you go grocery shopping early on a Sunday morning to get some stuff for the week, and the alcohol section would be roped off (it was allowed to be sold in regular grocery stores). You had to wait until 12pm to buy a bottle of wine you weren't going to drink until later that night or in the week.

I'm not even a big drinker at all, but it was such an absurd law.

Blue laws!

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