SchnookoLoly

Beer taxes, the LCBO online and Growlers: Big changes coming to Ontario booze | National Post

Thoughts?

Mine... good idea, terrible execution.

Husband found a summary that sums it up pretty well I think:

"Ontarians have made it clear that they support breaking the monopoly. But we know best, we'll show them!

- Ontario will sell a few large grocery stores expensive beer licences (the cost of which they have to pass onto the consumer)
- Then we'll limit them to selling only six-packs.
- Then we'll implement a tax to make six packs more expensive.
- That'll funnel people right back to the Beer Store/LCBO monopoly
- Then we can point out that privatization has failed and go back to our old ways

Oh, and we'll take wine off the table, and tax it at a lower rate because people Wynne likes drink wine. Just the dirty, nasty beer-drinkers need to pay more."

scrubbedexpat091

BC is letting wine be sold is certain grocery stores, but they are making the stores have a separate till to pay for it since apparently mixing booze with groceries is too difficult at check out...lol

They also did some changes at the wholesale level and adjusted the government store hours so they are open later and on holidays/Sunday's so the private stores have competition now on those day which were the bread and butter for private stores.

Our liquor store at work has seen a small drop since the changes went into affect, but the owners are still worried since the store make's up a significant amount of the monthly revenue.

Pizzawheel

I think we should stay quiet on this one in case someone notices that the insane monopoly/ tax / red tape situation means when you're tightening the purse strings you end up drinking fine german beer instead of the local swill.

It's a loophole I like.

magnumpi

Ontario Liebrials saying no raise in beer prices but there is to be a 25c TAX $1 per two four, yuck.

450 supermarkets across Ontario but not till winter 2015

caretaker

That could be to keep it Kosher and Halal.

Mr Bean

Agreed. I recently drowned myself in Lowenbrau as it was only $2 a pop. That is a good deal.

bats

Often kept separate in case the person on the till is younger than legal booze age.

geedee

Quebec has the right idea... you can buy it in supermarkets, corner stores, Costco (and boy is it cheap!) and even petrol stations!

scrubbedexpat091

I guess I just still find it odd. California must allow under 21's to scan booze in stores or stores don't hire under 21's as the booze is not segregated, you can buy all your booze and groceries on the same till.

I wonder why Canada wants to stay in like 1950 when it comes to booze?

palmerq

In blighty I am pretty sure if you buy beer at the supermarket and it's a youngster on the till they just have to get a senior member of staff over to authorise the sale, not very difficult at all.

scrubbedexpat091

That is what Wisconsin did when I lived there. I don't recall it ever happening in California, but the stores I went to for groceries were all union stores and not many youngsters working tills since it is a senior job in a union store. But maybe stores don't hire under 21 for cashier, I just don't recall it ever being an issue or someone else coming over to scan it.

They however do no let you use self check out with booze.

withabix

And then in BC this month they made the stupid regressive move of going back to displaying the prices without taxes in the liquor stores....

scrubbedexpat091

Wasn't it just the government stores that did that?

withabix

Not sure. Haven't been in to a private one since the change. Only go to those if there's an immediate need for some cold ones, otherwise I find them uncompetitive (which is of course part of the problem).

scrubbedexpat091

Private stores don't have the benefit of being part of the government, the wholesale prices are pretty crappy which leads to crappy prices and profits.

The real benefit to private stores was longer hours and weekends/holiday's but now that the government stores open the private stores lost the 1 advantage they had.

At the end of the day, BC government controls the wholesale pricing which means no competition.