Safeway and King Soopers abandon beer-sales ballot

[pseudo3d]

While alcohol in grocery stores move forward in other states like Tennessee, which allowed wine in grocery stores for the first time, in Colorado, retailers are not allowed to sell full-strength beer. King Soopers and Safeway had been pushing for a ballot option and settled for a compromise option involving expanding liquor licenses. Growing up in areas where beer and wine (but not hard liquor) have always been available in supermarkets, it's a little weird to see weird liquor license battles in an area out west (as opposed to NJ and PA).

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/ ... sales.html

[veteran+]

While alcohol in grocery stores move forward in other states like Tennessee, which allowed wine in grocery stores for the first time, in Colorado, retailers are not allowed to sell full-strength beer. King Soopers and Safeway had been pushing for a ballot option and settled for a compromise option involving expanding liquor licenses. Growing up in areas where beer and wine (but not hard liquor) have always been available in supermarkets, it's a little weird to see weird liquor license battles in an area out west (as opposed to NJ and PA).

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/ ... sales.html

I agree and find it strange that we are in the year 2016 and still having issues regarding this.

The southeast (IMO) is worse with this and other kinds of red light district (or vice) laws and ordinances.

[pseudo3d]

While alcohol in grocery stores move forward in other states like Tennessee, which allowed wine in grocery stores for the first time, in Colorado, retailers are not allowed to sell full-strength beer. King Soopers and Safeway had been pushing for a ballot option and settled for a compromise option involving expanding liquor licenses. Growing up in areas where beer and wine (but not hard liquor) have always been available in supermarkets, it's a little weird to see weird liquor license battles in an area out west (as opposed to NJ and PA).

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/ ... sales.html

I agree and find it strange that we are in the year 2016 and still having issues regarding this.

The southeast (IMO) is worse with this and other kinds of red light district (or vice) laws and ordinances.

With Florida you at least get adjacent grocery-branded liquor stores, whereas Texas has all sorts of bizarre Prohibition-era rules still enforced, yet you can sell beer and wine in grocery stores without problem (in wet counties). In Texas, you can also get 190-proof Everclear (I think even without questions). Mississippi is the only state in the Southeast is the only "weird" one as far as what grocery stores can sell (Louisiana you can buy it all in one place).

[storewanderer]

I think Utah has some strange laws that only allow weaker alcohol to be sold in the stores there (beer)? And before the olympics were in SLC, there were no "bars" in Utah, just "clubs" which were de facto bars but if you were a local you couldn't go there but I guess a tourist could go to the "club" if it was within their hotel? Or some such thing. I have always been pretty confused as I travel by all the odd controls over liquor state by state. It is even funnier in places like Kansas City which blends between KS and MO and there are entirely different laws...

There is also ND that does not allow chain retailers to operate a pharmacy in the state. But there are some CVS there with pharmacy which were grandfathered in as old Skaggs/Osco locations which pre-date the law.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-north ... 4120140904

Some really funny laws on the books out there.

Nevada is wide open on liquor and California is pretty much wide open too. I think the biggest stipulation in California is no alcohol sales between 2 AM and 6 AM.

[veteran+]

While alcohol in grocery stores move forward in other states like Tennessee, which allowed wine in grocery stores for the first time, in Colorado, retailers are not allowed to sell full-strength beer. King Soopers and Safeway had been pushing for a ballot option and settled for a compromise option involving expanding liquor licenses. Growing up in areas where beer and wine (but not hard liquor) have always been available in supermarkets, it's a little weird to see weird liquor license battles in an area out west (as opposed to NJ and PA).

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/ ... sales.html

I agree and find it strange that we are in the year 2016 and still having issues regarding this.

The southeast (IMO) is worse with this and other kinds of red light district (or vice) laws and ordinances.

With Florida you at least get adjacent grocery-branded liquor stores, whereas Texas has all sorts of bizarre Prohibition-era rules still enforced, yet you can sell beer and wine in grocery stores without problem (in wet counties). In Texas, you can also get 190-proof Everclear (I think even without questions). Mississippi is the only state in the Southeast is the only "weird" one as far as what grocery stores can sell (Louisiana you can buy it all in one place).

There are many States (if not most) on the southeast that do not sell liquor and do not always have an immediate liquor store adjacent (that to me in the year 2016 is "weird"). Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, etc. and there are other creative restrictions.