I'm sorry but these MADD people (who don't seem to realize that their acronym means crazy and not angry) have come up with what is probably the lamest argument yet to prevent grocery stores from selling full strength beer in Colorado grocery stores. Because, they say, grocery store check-out workers are often underage, if the store offers full-strength beer--these clerks won't be able to resist the temptation to take them or let their friends buy them without being carded.
The thing is, they can already basically do this. 3.2% ABV isn't that low. For example, both Yuenglin light and Heineken light have an ABV of 3.5%. Technically, these are "full- strength" beers so youngins can't find them in grocery stores...but they aren't that much stronger than the brew avaiable at Colorado convenience stores. So, are teens working in grocery stores pressured into selling 3.2% ABV brew to their friends?
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While I agree that the argument is lame, this law passing and grocery stores being allowed to sell full strength beer would be a bad thing for the awesome craft beer industry in Colorado.
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As an ardent admirer of craft beer, I have to respectfully disagree. Allowing *more places to carry craft brew will not decrease the availability and variety. Sure, some craft beers [the ones with low consumer demand] will, as they should, be dropped by carriers.
ReplyDeleteLiquor stores don't care about small brewers-- they care about forcing consumers to only have them as an option.
The argument is as old as the Starbucks myth (ie Starbucks puts Ma-and-Pa cafes out of biz)
Any business entering a new market increases competition in the field. When convenience stores start selling full strength beer, some liquor stores probably will go out of business. But don’t blame the grocery stores for that. Blame the liquor stores for not finding a way to attract consumers; they should go out of business if they don't serve consumer demands.
The S.C.C.B. campaign claims that some liquor stores going out of business will take craft beer down too. Will it? Not if they are good craft brewers.
People want craft beer. If they can't get it in grocery stores they will go where they can-- maybe liquor stores will focus more on craft beer in a Colorado where convenience stores only carry the popular stuff.
Grocery stores and convenience stores are trying to win back the sales they lost when last July Colorado passed a law allowing liquor stores to sell booze on Sundays. The only problem with grocery stores in Colorado are that they are all the big nation-wide chain stores. Chain stores make all of their stocking decisions mostly at the corporate level and would tend to stock only the biggest and most widely distributed brands of beer and would essentially not stock the more locally popular craft beers from local breweries. By letting people buy full strength beer at grocery stores, it would take a huge dent out of local liquor store sales. 55% of all sales at liquor stores come from beer. Liquor stores would lose a big chunk of sales and essentially many of them would close down. These are the stores that typically sell the beers from the smaller craft breweries. Colorado has the most craft breweries per capita than any other state. If you force liquor stores out of business you also may force many smaller Colorado breweries out of business.
ReplyDeleteAll Colorado craft breweries in the state of Colorado are against this law as well as many of their fans. We don't want to lose some of our favorite breweries just so chain grocery stores can sell full strength beer.
Lots of jobs are at risk here. 1000's of liquor store employees and brewery employees. Plus the teenage checkers at the grocery stores could lose their jobs as stores would be forced to replace them with 21+ year olds who can legally sell alcohol.
It was not a well thought out plan. If it wasn't for the fact that Colorado has so many small breweries it probably wouldn't have been such a big issue.
It's essentially the state trying to convince the people that it won't make a difference either way, but in reality - it does. I'm against it. I'm a Colorado resident and a big Colorado small brewery loyalist.
This seems to be a proxy war between the distributors that control groceries vs those that control liquor stores.
ReplyDeleteOpening up the markets and ending laws rooted in prohibition can only serve to shed light on the antiquated 3-tier system.
Will there be job loss and inability to get certain brands? Perhaps in the short term, but the thriving CO craft industry does not exist because of protectionism, It thrives because there is consumer demand. That demand will be met and the markets will respond.
Heel goed, dankje! Cheers, Gazbom, Twitter.....
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