“fingerprints and biometric readings” did we commit a felony before getting our bottle of wine?

The influence of the PLCB on restaurant pricing is the biggest negative, when prices are four (4X) retail, it’s a joke. New York prices at Babbo and Eleven Madison Park are a bargain in comparison. If you read the comments on Chowhound etc about markups on wine in other jurisdictions, you want to cry.

NJ with it’s absurd licensing system also leads to high restaurant prices.

If you could get down to DE, and shopped at Total Wine, you’d encounter some very helpful staff and good prices. Or be able to visit Moore Bros., which offer exceptional wines with high quality and great value that you will never, ever, ever see in PA state stores. And they are stored properly as well (unlike in PA, where I’ve had to return more wines than I can count due to them being ruined from improper storage by the state store…).

Great photos on your site, btw!

Cheers.

And how does a state continue to get away with this monopolistic BS?

You mean like getting my hopes up for direct shipping, reasonable prices, high quality, and fair competition for wine sales in the state of PA?

Don’t worry about it…

The state of alcohol sales in PA is a disgrace.

Since the time that the practices of the PLCB & state-run monopoly have been deemed unconstitutional at the federal and state levels, the PLCB has done nothing to change how they operate – and instead have made record profits (near $3 billion USD). That’s big money available to protect a useless three-tier system.

What we’re told in PA is that the PLCB protects us from our kids obtaining alcohol over the Internet. But given that the data cited by the PLCB on this matter is seriously, seriously flawed statistically, it’s an absurd claim. And hardly worth the trade-off of the huge, negative impact that the PLCB has on state commerce as a whole. There is in fact more convincing evidence that PA is *losing out* on tax revenue because of the PLCB and the inter-state shipping laws!

Instead of expensive, biometric-reader vending machines (if this story had come earlier in the month of April I’d have thought it was an April Fool’s joke), here’s an alternative:

Work on a business model that doesn’t rely on limited choice, laughable storage quality, and protective monopolistic practices to make money. Let direct shipping into the state and see if the PLCB can compete on price, quality and service.

In other words, go for Capitalism instead of Communism.

Steven, your suggestions are excellent, but I have a better one:

Dissolve the state-monopoly. I can’t believe the state controls the sale of alcoholic beverages like they do. It is damn near criminal to deprive private business development by prohibiting the selling of wine and liquor.

As for the price of wine in PA: it’s okay. It would probably be cheaper if there was some competition. The price of liquor and cases of beer? Well let’s just say I pick it up in mass quantities OUTSIDE the state.

Most of the state-run stores tend to already be within shopping centers closely located next to grocery stores or in a few stores themselves already (Store 4002)

Really, if they are hurting to spend some money improving PA liquor stores or sales, what they should do is threefold:
1. Train the employees better

2. Properly store wine on-site in the stores (I’m tired of getting a bottle that’s been sitting out on a truck all day in 18 degree weather)

3. Increase selection greatly (By making SLO and specialty orders easier to make)

P.S., Prices of liquor and wine doesn’t tend to be as jacked up as people would like to believe (unless I’m lying to myself). Prices could be found on their website: http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/