Comments on: Beer sales: Is it all froth or do we need change?

By: david

david — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:54:44 +0000

Colorado liquor laws have been a joke ever since I first came here in the 60s. I never heard of 3.2 beer and back then they had 3.2 night clubs for 18 year olds.Guess that was Ok because drinking a pitcher only gave you a buzz and you were more likely to throw up before you got drunk on it.

If you are going to allow alcohol sales, I think we should be long past playing with 3.2 beer period. Separating them is just a game. Either let all alcohol sales go through liquor stores or let groceries sell beer and wine – full strength.

3.2 is pointless.

By: spatin

spatin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:36:43 +0000

Liquor/beer/wine sales should be part of the free market system, with as little government intervention as possible. I cannot think of any good reason why a Coloradan cannot go to the corner store, or the Safeway, and buy full strength beer, or wine or liquor for that matter. The current laws just create a captive business for the licensed liquor stores. Of course they would oppose a dilution of their sales. If the micro-breweries want their market share, they should compete for it in the grocery stores just like they do in the liquor stores now. Let the free market decide. Get the government out of beer/wine/liquor sales.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:55:38 +0000

So on the flipside a couple years ago the grocery stores were upset that liquor stores wanted to be open on Sundays. Now the liquor stores are complaining the grocery stores want a bit greater access. Doesn’t make a very fair argument.

So, who’s going to start policing those little entrepreneurs who keep selling warm glasses of reconstituted powdered lemonade at $.50 a glass on the street corner? Not only are they operating a business without a license, not paying the appropriate government sales taxes … but I’m sure they don’t have the appropriate food/beverage handler health permits and are cutting into the grocery/liquor store’s market.
Folks say liquor sales escalate during a recession due to a downtrodden economy and human propensity to self medicate — makes me wonder who in the adult beverage industry would like the economy to stay status quo in the name of increased market share and sales?