tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post5316434864294858698..comments2024-03-29T01:30:47.656-04:00Comments on Seen Through a Glass: More bad arguments for keeping PA's beer out of grocery storesLew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-69746279905211049432010-03-14T03:43:55.587-04:002010-03-14T03:43:55.587-04:00Oh I did see this the other night, and got a great...Oh I did see this the other night, and got a great laugh out of it! I immediately read it as a sales pitch for no change..sorry but we are more educated that you think Klunk! HaRebecca Stephensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-44019568502638582272010-03-12T07:17:20.672-05:002010-03-12T07:17:20.672-05:00Dunno, Harry, good point. Most likely answer: &quo...Dunno, Harry, good point. Most likely answer: "separate" businesses with the same name owned by three different family members.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-36953807528351480602010-03-12T05:37:30.596-05:002010-03-12T05:37:30.596-05:00I don't understand the "allowed to operat...I don't understand the "allowed to operate out of only one location" argument. Here in Lancaster County there are three Brewer's Outlets. I always assumed they were one business with three locations; is that assumption incorrect?Harry Spadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16771473518735979275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-32775606668096075182010-03-11T20:45:44.844-05:002010-03-11T20:45:44.844-05:00.Sam a few years the prediction from some people i....Sam a few years the prediction from some people in the Beer Biz and we will use the term loosely most of the brain surgeons who run these wholesalers you could here their brains rattle in a peanut eeshell.There might be one or two left standing in th next few years and they will be at the mercy of InBred Bud and Millercoors who will squeeze every nickle out of them and then they will just past the price increase onto to the ...Beer Distributors or the grocery stores that will be given new issues to sell beer in the state.<br />Pretty simple brewerys will screw the wholesalers and the wholesaler will pass it off to their customers until the brewery can bypass the wholesaler and sell it directly to the Box stores and the Wall Marts of the world and then see what these new laws in the state will be worth to all the new peole in the Biz...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-64304606429036249622010-03-11T19:58:24.458-05:002010-03-11T19:58:24.458-05:00State College Wegmans requires I.D. from every cus...State College Wegmans requires I.D. from every customer, every time.<br /><br />I bought beer at the one near Eynon once, and they carded me, too.Sam Komlenichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05707612609314399024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-27442369513653071752010-03-11T14:39:46.483-05:002010-03-11T14:39:46.483-05:00What I find especially frustrating is that every i...What I find especially frustrating is that every industry participant who has commented on proposed changes to retailing beer in the state has seems to do so in the name of what's best for the consumer when in reality, it's always about what is best for their industry segment.Dylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523605342435628773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-6737621878439440622010-03-11T09:28:26.417-05:002010-03-11T09:28:26.417-05:00So, we continue the corporatization of America by ...So, we continue the corporatization of America by allowing the giant grocery chains: wegmans, giant, etc to control beer sales, thus taking it out of the hands of the small businessmen who run the distributors.<br /><br />As much as I am frustrated by distributors sometimes, I hate to see the powerful get more power.<br /><br />I was hoping with Bush gone we'd be moving in another direction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-26764301516875223402010-03-10T22:58:24.108-05:002010-03-10T22:58:24.108-05:00Mr. Frane,
May I expound? In PA the distributors...Mr. Frane,<br /><br />May I expound? In PA the distributors are the direct and only conduit from any brewery to the retailer (bar or restaurant), and are also essentially a retail store where an individual can buy only a full case of beer. If you wants a lesser quantity (a six-pack, 40, whatever), you must head to a bar or six-pack shop, but the price difference usually justifies the case purchase. Lesser quantities are incrementally more costly due to additional markups.<br /><br />There are actually two levels of distributors, too. An "ID" can bring in beer from another state, and who has an agreement with, say, AB-InBev to bring in beer from Newark.<br /><br />The others are "D" distributors who can only represent in-state breweries or buy entirely from other "master distributors." Those who don't represent an in-state brewery are dependent on all the local "IDs." These are actually second-tier distributors, those who buy all their beer from others, and who function essentially as a "case beer" store. Their prices tend to be higher because none of the available brands in a given market are their own.<br /><br />Confused yet??Sam Komlenichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05707612609314399024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-80500321826673996612010-03-10T22:41:37.385-05:002010-03-10T22:41:37.385-05:00Huh. Wegmans has stated the policy, and I have bee...Huh. Wegmans has stated the policy, and I have been carded, both in PA and NY, but...I have no reason to doubt you.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-74031660337868257032010-03-10T22:40:04.074-05:002010-03-10T22:40:04.074-05:00I have never been carded at the Wilkes-Barre Wegma...I have never been carded at the Wilkes-Barre Wegmans, but I also have never been carded at the liquor store in the WB Walmart plaza either. I'm 31 and look it, but that's not the point.xenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03192282593989501294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-31054606939523036362010-03-10T21:57:32.683-05:002010-03-10T21:57:32.683-05:00Too mean, Al, too mean. I've suffered from bon...Too mean, Al, too mean. I've suffered from bonehead distributors too, but there are some great ones. We can throw them a bone. I'm not talking about cash reparations, for God's sake.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-84194340139450222032010-03-10T21:55:21.673-05:002010-03-10T21:55:21.673-05:00It confuses everyone, Frane, including some Pennsy...It confuses everyone, Frane, including some Pennsylvanians. But yeah, a 'distributor' is off-premise retail, where you buy cases of beer, and cases only. The companies who sell them beer are called wholesalers. And yet...breweries that sell directly to bars and distributors are said to...self-distribute. <br />Don't ask me, I just live here.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-53302032889575022010-03-10T20:44:56.871-05:002010-03-10T20:44:56.871-05:00Come on Lew god knows I love your blog and hold yo...Come on Lew god knows I love your blog and hold your opinion in very high regard, but unfair? This has been coming down the pike for years and these guys have seen the writing on the wall and many if not all were content to milk the cash cow for what it is worth without preparing for the massive capital expenditures necessary for free competition. We the Commonwealth are under no obligation to remedy or cure that reality. The distributor cartel (that is what they are) profited handsomely to say the least over a long period of government coercion at the expense of tax payers, that ship has sailed and it is not our fault nor our responsibility that many of these "businesses" will now need to compete. We do not owe these people anything, they owe us at the very least a hearty "thank you" for the opportunity to extract huge amounts of profit from our pockets that otherwise could of been allocated more efficiently. I think now it is time they move on. I would think that someone who subscribes to libertarian principals would not find that so radical.Al Luccioninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-91778439575913610612010-03-10T19:55:17.577-05:002010-03-10T19:55:17.577-05:00It 's a good idea!It 's a good idea!Koozie questionshttp://www.drinkoutloud.com/questions.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-14649279687240318642010-03-10T19:52:22.950-05:002010-03-10T19:52:22.950-05:00I'm confused. In Oregon, a "distributor&q...I'm confused. In Oregon, a "distributor" is someone who, well, distributes. For the most part, it operates on a three-tier system: brewery sells to distributor who DISTRIBUTES to retailers (groceries, bars, beer stores). Within certain limits, breweries can sell directly (maybe just kegs) to retailers. Widmer Brothers got off to a good start because they handled all their own distribution in Portland (this before they bottled anything). <br /><br />In PA, it sounds like a "distributor" is a beer store. Liquor store? I have a vague memory that you as a customer must buy by the case. Is that true?jefffranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17699992839260757505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-88530298820585072312010-03-10T18:08:31.791-05:002010-03-10T18:08:31.791-05:00I know we're supposed to feel sort of "ba...I know we're supposed to feel sort of "bad" for the distributors because of the direction this is all heading, but I'm sorry...my sympathy has run its course. These guys don't give a damn about consumers so I've decided I no longer give a damn about them. Yes, there are some good distributors out there and I suspect <i>they</i> will survive. Smart businessmen and women will always work out how to make a living. And they'll do well in the new "beer economy", God willing there ever is one in Pennsylvania. But for the rest of them with their attitude about keeping beer limited because of underage drinking? I'll not shed a tear. They can go in the history books as a footnote in Governor Pinchot's biography for all I care.Bill in Harrisburgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-61601917562406803112010-03-10T17:07:33.913-05:002010-03-10T17:07:33.913-05:00even if his "best arguement" is weak, th...even if his "best arguement" is weak, this is clear assumption of risk which I am sure is laid out quite clearly in the prospectus for an application for a license to distribute malt beverages. They have no right to expect on -going monoply on the sale of licenses if they did they would be in court right now filing suit in PA superior court for breech of those licenses are not 30 year conessions contract.jpnoreply@blogger.com