USPS wanting to ship booze

I don't know if anyone saw this on CNN yesterday, but the Postmaster General was pretty animate about making this happen.
Wonder what the effects on liquor stores will be if it becomes a reality?

http://abcnews.go.com/business/t/blogEntry?id=19860493

[Robin Garr]

Interesting idea. The no-ship rule doesn't have much policy purpose in modern times. I'd be a little concerned about the Postal Service's record for quality and timeliness of delivery, though.

I don't think this would have much impact on local wine shops. Virtually 99 percent of the pushback against anything that makes it easy for consumers to buy wine directly from the source runs up against the very heavily funded and aggressive folks from the national wine and liquor wholesale industry, which has enjoyed a legal monopoly on interstate liquor distribution since Prohibition.

I don't know if anyone saw this on CNN yesterday, but the Postmaster General was pretty animate about making this happen.
Wonder what the effects on liquor stores will be if it becomes a reality?

http://abcnews.go.com/business/t/blogEntry?id=19860493

I wonder more what will be the effect on the consumer...As a common-suer of our Commonwealths "Official" Spirit, I already find it disturbing that much of our finer product somehow ends up in the hands of unappreciative sloths on the left and right coasts....Not to mention feriners across the various big ponds, who have no business consuming the product in the first place...If the postal service makes it easier for these undeserving miscreants to buy -our- Bourbon, where will we get -our- Pappy ???? Riddle me that.

Interesting idea. The no-ship rule doesn't have much policy purpose in modern times. I'd be a little concerned about the Postal Service's record for quality and timeliness of delivery, though.

I don't think this would have much impact on local wine shops. Virtually 99 percent of the pushback against anything that makes it easy for consumers to buy wine directly from the source runs up against the very heavily funded and aggressive folks from the national wine and liquor wholesale industry, which has enjoyed a legal monopoly on interstate liquor distribution since Prohibition.

It all comes back to taxes. If a bottle of wine is sold to a kentucky resident in kentucky, whether at a retail store or on a computer screen, the state wants its wholesale tax. It is why the three tier system is in place.

Alcohol is regulated on a state to state basis. The feds dont care about the online alcohol trade because they get their money directly from the alcohols producer.

USPS lost 14 billion last year. Shipping some booze isnt going to save that sinking ship. Any normal company would have shut its doors long ago.

[Robin Garr]

the state wants its wholesale tax. It is why the three tier system is in place.

This would make an interesting discussion over a glass of an adult beverage. I agree that the state likes its tax, but it's a relatively small slice of the pie. For the wholesalers, however, their legal monopoly set in place by the Repeal of Prohibition is big, big bucks, and they will fight much harder, and on a national scale, to keep it. They play the state tax officials like a cheap violin to keep allies on the state level and keep pressure from above on the legislature while the WSWA works with money from below.

the state wants its wholesale tax. It is why the three tier system is in place.

This would make an interesting discussion over a glass of an adult beverage. I agree that the state likes its tax, but it's a relatively small slice of the pie. For the wholesalers, however, their legal monopoly set in place by the Repeal of Prohibition is big, big bucks, and they will fight much harder, and on a national scale, to keep it. They play the state tax officials like a cheap violin to keep allies on the state level and keep pressure from above on the legislature while the WSWA works with money from below.

Nearly all elected public officials are cheap violins that are slaves to tax dollars.

11% wholesale plus 6% retail sales tax amounts to nearly as much as a competitive retailer stands to make on most bottles of booze. Plus many of the newly wet locales (4th class and below cities) are able to charge an additional 5% local "alcohol" tax. In Elizabethtown last year, that amounted to over 1 million. The city budget was in the neighborhood of 55 million. A nearly 2% "windfall" is not small change.

I agree that the system in place is not perfect but I also know that it isnt going anywhere.. I can think of about 10 times in the last year where I would have "fired" my distributor and looked elsewhere for the product.

For disclosure purposes, I own a liquor store.

[Robin Garr]

For disclosure purposes, I own a liquor store.

Feel free to tell us where it is, Eric ... we like to support our HotBytes merchants.

For disclosure purposes, I own a liquor store.

Feel free to tell us where it is, Eric ... we like to support our HotBytes merchants.

Packages & More Liquors in Elizabethtown. We pride ourselves in our bourbon, craft beers and wine knowledge and selection.

[Robin Garr]

Thanks, Eric! Next time I'm down that way, I'll be sure to look you up.

call me when the military has to start pre-funding their pensions and benefits.

Much of the red ink in 2012 was due to mounting mandatory costs for future retiree health benefits, which made up $11.1 billion of the losses. Without that and other related labor expenses, the mail agency sustained an operating loss of $2.4 billion, lower than the previous year.