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Problem with government-run alcohol shops is how they reduce available selection of drinks. I'm an avid whisky drinker (though in moderation of course), and bei

Problem with government-run alcohol shops is how they reduce available selection of drinks. I'm an avid whisky drinker (though in moderation of course), and being able to buy rarer bottles from specialist shops adds a lot to the experience. It also helps small producers since they don't have to negotiate with a behemoth of a stockist (imagine if the only way to sell whisky would be to negotiate a deal with the state to stock the entire UK's alcohol shops). The ABV limit has also caused trouble in the beer industry where types of beers that require higher ABV aren't produced. I think the minimum pricing law of Scotland is the way to go when regulating alcohol. When I was living there, the system seemed to work well and incentivised buying higher quality drinks as well. I guess the problem is populist politicians who could easily brand it as limiting poor people's drinking, instead of posh ones.

kelnos 5y ago
The thing that's odd to me about only allowing sales from government-run shops is that it's entirely unnecessary. There's no material difference between a government-run shop and the type of privately-run specialist shop you mention. The government can still require that specialist shop to have the same restricted hours that a government-run shop might have. I live in a state where restrictions on alcohol sales are pretty limited; grocery stores and corner/convenience stores, for example, can sell whatever they want alcohol-wise. Many stores will keep the more expensive stuff in locked cabinets as a shoplifting-prevention measure. I don't think it'd be too crazy to require that all hard liquors be kept that way, and then sales there can even be restricted by time of day if that was desirable. Beer and wine could be left as-is, with no restrictions. (On the downside, this would hurt smaller shops that aren't specifically liquor stores; locked cabinets are an added expense and take up more space.)
- IshKebab 5y ago
  Yeah there are already supermarkets that aren't allowed to sell alcohol outside certain hours. I don't know why you need an entire chain of government run shops for that.
- xyzzy123 5y ago
  I'm not really "for" monopobooze shops but there are solid reasons a government might want them. Government run shops let you track sales by area in a fine-grained way. They can be a more effective way to ensure rules around supply are enforced than random inspections / checks. They let you change the rules (eg opening hours, id requirements, record keeping, banned drinker registry, customer limits) easily without an outcry from retailers who would no doubt claim that any restrictions are onerous and impractical. They can be placed so as to avoid completely saturating low income areas with booze. No price wars or loss-leader marketing strategies. They mean one can buy essentials without going "near" alcohol. Supermarket sales can be an issue for problem drinkers. Retail profits can go back to the community. There are other ways you can achieve each of these points of course but monitoring, enforcement and change will all tend to be more difficult in a decentralised vs centralised system.

kelnos 5y ago

The thing that's odd to me about only allowing sales from government-run shops is that it's entirely unnecessary. There's no material difference between a government-run shop and the type of privately-run specialist shop you mention. The government can still require that specialist shop to have the same restricted hours that a government-run shop might have. I live in a state where restrictions on alcohol sales are pretty limited; grocery stores and corner/convenience stores, for example, can sell whatever they want alcohol-wise. Many stores will keep the more expensive stuff in locked cabinets as a shoplifting-prevention measure. I don't think it'd be too crazy to require that all hard liquors be kept that way, and then sales there can even be restricted by time of day if that was desirable. Beer and wine could be left as-is, with no restrictions. (On the downside, this would hurt smaller shops that aren't specifically liquor stores; locked cabinets are an added expense and take up more space.)

IshKebab 5y ago
Yeah there are already supermarkets that aren't allowed to sell alcohol outside certain hours. I don't know why you need an entire chain of government run shops for that.
xyzzy123 5y ago
I'm not really "for" monopobooze shops but there are solid reasons a government might want them. Government run shops let you track sales by area in a fine-grained way. They can be a more effective way to ensure rules around supply are enforced than random inspections / checks. They let you change the rules (eg opening hours, id requirements, record keeping, banned drinker registry, customer limits) easily without an outcry from retailers who would no doubt claim that any restrictions are onerous and impractical. They can be placed so as to avoid completely saturating low income areas with booze. No price wars or loss-leader marketing strategies. They mean one can buy essentials without going "near" alcohol. Supermarket sales can be an issue for problem drinkers. Retail profits can go back to the community. There are other ways you can achieve each of these points of course but monitoring, enforcement and change will all tend to be more difficult in a decentralised vs centralised system.