Beer and Pennsylvania- Now We're More Like Ohio!

One of the amazing things that I realized when I was moving around the country in 2008 on the Presidential trail was that not every state had liquor laws like Pennsylvania. When I was in Ohio, and would get gas at the end of the night, I could also buy a six-pack of beer. A few years later in New York state, working a local race, the six pack buy was a ritual at night. When I would come home to Pennsylvania at the end of these places though, I had to go to a beer distributor. Pennsylvania didn't allow six packs to be sold at gas stations and convenience stores. The result was much more restrictive sales, obviously.

That has now ended. If there was one, and only one area in which I aspired for Pennsylvania to be like Ohio, it was this. Now I don't want to see the distributors go out of business, but I do like the idea of six pack sales in convenience stores. I think it's good policy, as it will create more sales and more tax revenue. It also allows the opportunity to sell more licenses. I also like it as a consumer. I can buy a six pack when I want now, and not just in "regular business hours." The Governor's office sums up my highest hopes here:

“Governor Wolf has requested a policy change at thePennsylvania Liquor Control Board to free the six-pack and allow for gas stations to sell six-packs of beer as long as they regularly and customarily prepare and sell food, have a serving area of not less than 300 square feet, and are equipped with tables and chairs accommodating at least 30 persons at one time,” Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan wrote in a separate post.

“Creating and following this precedent will make the commonwealth more inviting for customers and businesses, and it will address a long standing failing of our liquor and alcohol system,” he concludes. “Soon, it will be easier than ever to stop by your local Sheetz, Wawa or Rutters and to grab your favorite brews! It’s time to free the six-pack, Pennsylvania.”

Now, to be clear- I do not support selling the state liquor stores. I do support this though. This is more convenient for consumers. I also support the increased revenue for the state. As for the beer distributors, who will face increased competition, this could be an issue. My thought there is that they can and will compete if they are willing to improve their selection, be more flexible with their hours, and compete price-wise as well. I don't think this is a death sentence. I think this is market capitalism at it's finest. We heard similar cries of how this would kill distributors when super-markets got the licenses to sell beer too. It never happened, at least not in my neighborhood.

I already love my Wawa and Sheetz (in that order), but now i'll love them even more. At the end of a long day's work, I can grab a hoagie and a six pack and go home, in one foul swoop. Count me in. I think this is a positive policy change for consumers in Pennsylvania.