tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918812132650913462024-03-13T12:47:35.949-04:00Why The PLCB Should Be AbolishedReasons why the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board should be abolished, and The Almighty Liquor Code completely overhauled and rewritten, to reflect over 80 years of change since Repeal.Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger558125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-73759824173910708942023-10-30T11:25:00.001-04:002023-10-30T11:25:20.791-04:00Just Had A Thought<p> I'm in the process of being interviewed by email for a story about the PA Liquor Code and how people are finding ways around it (like BOTLD and, of course, beer and wine in supermarkets and Sheetz), and I sent the following quote in...that really seemed to sum up the whole thing so well that I thought I'd share it. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>So many things in PA liquor law are done ostensibly in the name of "control," when really the liquor code controls <i>competition </i>more than it does <i>consumption</i>. It has long since stopped serving the citizens, and only serves existing businesses and politicians. </b></span></p>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-3644370771295436022022-08-02T22:24:00.002-04:002022-08-02T22:24:22.250-04:00You Were Right; The Pappy Lottery Was Rigged<p><a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/08/pa-liquor-control-board-officials-got-dibs-on-high-end-bourbon-lottery-leftovers.html" target="_blank">Reported on PennLive.com</a>: <b>Five PLCB executives </b>were <b>investigated </b>by the <b>State Ethics Commission </b>for, let's not mince words, <b><i>cheating</i> </b>on the PLCB's Pappy Van Winkle <b>"lottery."</b> <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Let's do a perp walk.</span></b> </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>Board member</i> Michael Negra</b></li><li><b>Cliff McFarland</b>, director of supply chain </li><li><b>Tom Bowman</b>, director of product selection</li><li><b>Bryan Kelleher</b>, director of the bureau of business development for wholesale operations</li><li><b>Carl Jolly</b>, a retail operations manager</li></ul><div><b>All five of them </b>were found to have participated in a <b>scheme </b>to snap up <b>'unclaimed' Pappy Van Winkle </b>12 Year Old bourbon (the <b>"Lot B"</b> bottling prized by the pros) and other allocated whiskeys. See, the PLCB would hold a <b>lottery </b>(which often led to <b>website crashes</b>, and was widely believed to be <b>rigged</b>, though no evidence of that has <b>surfaced</b>...yet) for PA residents to take a chance at <b>buying </b>one of the state's allocated bottles of various whiskey releases. <b>After the results were announced</b>, the <b>winners </b>would then be <b>able to buy </b>the bottles at the <b>PLCB list price</b>, which was, admittedly, often <b>hundreds of dollars less </b>than at private stores in other states. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzZIfbOK7RY5rRtzBuBNIJZAgFcNhiIkZuiExb4dJLt3rm-NW05fevgkVMIrGowy95qPMpj5h-PlCLECQ88qFlz3w_aLIx5tlLD6jUaBuCY4gEGZgZG7rUFVFM-Kv4ul4eFkz6cAHdn1qnmGenM6najOMaCx6He94NmONkECIovqi6n4muzzOB91w/s700/Executive%20shopping%20lounge.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzZIfbOK7RY5rRtzBuBNIJZAgFcNhiIkZuiExb4dJLt3rm-NW05fevgkVMIrGowy95qPMpj5h-PlCLECQ88qFlz3w_aLIx5tlLD6jUaBuCY4gEGZgZG7rUFVFM-Kv4ul4eFkz6cAHdn1qnmGenM6najOMaCx6He94NmONkECIovqi6n4muzzOB91w/s320/Executive%20shopping%20lounge.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Shopping' at the PLCB Executive Store</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>But amazingly, not every bottle would be claimed. </b>For instance, the lottery cited in the PennLive article, the <b>January 2020 lottery </b>for the Lot B bottling, had <b>over 17,000 entrants for 999 bottles</b>, and <b>24 went unclaimed</b>. The rules of the lottery said that <b>those bottles </b>would then be <b>released </b>for a <b>"second-chance" lottery</b>...but the PLCB decided <b>not to do that</b>, and instead the <b>vultures at the top </b>feasted on the remnants. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Want more? </b>The lottery allowed winning entrants to purchase a <b>single bottle</b>. Ha! <b>Jolly</b>, for instance, despite <b>not having even <i>entered</i> the lottery </b>(why would he? That's for us <b>suckers</b>), "bought <b>three bottles </b>of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon for $410 and separately a bottle of <b>Weller 12-year Reserve </b>Bourbon for $40." That was in <b>one lottery. </b>We're not told <b>how many bottles in total 0</b>were bought by these <b>PLCB parasites</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>There is an aspect to this </b>that is particularly <b>hard to swallow</b>. Their participation is <b>not contested</b>; they all did it, some of them <b>multiple times</b>. They didn't <b>steal </b>the bottles; they <b>bought </b>them, <b>at list price</b>, with their <b>own </b>money. There is apparently <b>no credible evidence </b>that they <b>flipped </b>the bottles to make money; Lot B, for example, is currently going for <b>well over $1,000 </b>in the so-called "secondary market." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>But because there was </b>"insufficient clear and convincing evidence of a <i>pecuniary benefit</i>", the State Ethics Commission found that there was <b>"no violation"</b> of the state ethics code. That's <i>bullshit</i>. The whiskey <b>wasn't theirs to buy</b>, and even if they didn't sell it, <b>they had that potential</b>. That's like saying you're not guilty of theft because you stole a Van Gogh...and <b>then just kept it. </b>I mean, you didn't make any money on it, right? <b>No harm, no foul, baby!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Despite that "innocence,"</b> the Ethics Commission's <b><a href="https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Ethics-Commission_details.aspx?newsid=213&fbclid=IwAR1cXHeYvBjzoGjyoB6z7uhbAQUlCi9Acu0vYMe7hvvuT9UwDzrlkInWgDk" target="_blank">report</a> </b>says that they were each "<b>ordered to fulfill his agreement </b>to not purchase any items offered by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board <b>outside of the process </b>by which a Commonwealth resident may purchase such items." Don't the words <b>"fulfill his agreement" </b>sound like a <i>deal</i> was made? </div><div><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFRczUhjhU4?start=15" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Of course a deal was made.</b> And once again, <b>the PLCB gets away with this crap</b>. And what do we do? <i>Nothing.</i> <b>That's what we do. Because the miserable PA Legislature has other things to do. Like making it harder to vote, and easier to frack.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you remember </b>when the PLCB was the <b>ONLY retail operation to shut down voluntarily </b>in March of 2020? Absolutely closed <b>for six weeks</b>, and not only that,<a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2020/03/why-is-plcb-lowering-spirits-instead-of.html" target="_blank"> they boarded up the windows</a> because they were afraid of us, that <b>we rampaging drunks </b>would loot their stores. <br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVRO95-RQd5k9IJdbr6g09drxyAXzcdrCgFMv160BwfppKBpfNX6tV1-sHU8jvVBQaE9CgJw70akJ5n757jh769w_lZHQ1NJBbVbtQxNmkpBz23eSofivdK37tQzEfimcABOK0LLn2gB-TQh1m5quIUm0Cv61hVRRz_UBdkVA82-145TMWwK66yLB/s335/Boarded%20WB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="335" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVRO95-RQd5k9IJdbr6g09drxyAXzcdrCgFMv160BwfppKBpfNX6tV1-sHU8jvVBQaE9CgJw70akJ5n757jh769w_lZHQ1NJBbVbtQxNmkpBz23eSofivdK37tQzEfimcABOK0LLn2gB-TQh1m5quIUm0Cv61hVRRz_UBdkVA82-145TMWwK66yLB/w320-h212/Boarded%20WB.jpg" title="Actual photo from Wilkes-Barre, 3/2020" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual PLCB store, Wilkes-Barre, March 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Why are these guys still around?</b> <i>Will no one rid us of this troublesome agency?!</i> <div><br /></div><div><b>Apparently not</b>, because neither <b>Shapiro's or Mastriano's campaign </b>responded to me when I asked them about <b>their positions on PLCB privatization</b>. I'd remind you that I'm a nationally known whiskey writer, I've testified about these issues before the legislature; I'm not <i>just </i><b>a blogger howling in the night</b>...but they didn't respond. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Which leads me to believe that we're screwed. </b>Shapiro is just another Democrat who will <b>veto </b>any privatization bill -- <b>for reasons unclear </b>-- and Mastriano apparently is either <b>beholden </b>to the <b>religiously anti-booze </b>or will be too busy fighting for freedom, whatever he thinks that means. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>But don't worry</b>. These guys promised not to buy booze outside the normal channels again. <b>Pinky swear</b>. <br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Looks like it's gonna be a long eight years. </b></div><p></p></div>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-62408303568065063272022-06-02T10:12:00.005-04:002022-06-02T15:11:36.790-04:00Out Of Control<p>I've been at this for <b>years</b>, since 2008, although I did pretty much <b>drop the ball </b>during the pandemic (which I regret, <b>deeply</b>, because a LOT of things <b>needed to be said</b>, but that's <b>virus over the dam </b>now). One of the <b>consistent themes </b>through all of those years was the way the Liquor <b>Control </b>Board was <b>actually out of control. </b></p><p>I've brought up numerous examples of this. <b>The famous wine kiosks</b>, the <b>Rise of Conti </b>(and the essential <b>abolishment </b>of his CEO position after he fell from grace), numerous clashes with <b>Governor Rendell </b>(told you I'd been at this for <b>years</b>), the lying about <b>'variable pricing,'</b> and the disastrous <b>allocated whiskey lottery </b>that they never could get right, and finally just <b>gave up on</b>.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJr3RJtInLzkVb4MbpwZIVZznnr2l3iN8rw2Wc2xWjUtid2ba4zC8U1R5nI12_OLWpzB6M3vGa0ajVGSZAsHoqKLrYCndUPk5PCZmg5pEouZ7Mn1xhlBDbxXXP7KQp-mQcVtNARd993us6qHsOUymB5FufM7F2ZcrfTV_oSs6pZgZfJIOHWgVaQek/s247/not%20that%20Frank%20Burns.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJr3RJtInLzkVb4MbpwZIVZznnr2l3iN8rw2Wc2xWjUtid2ba4zC8U1R5nI12_OLWpzB6M3vGa0ajVGSZAsHoqKLrYCndUPk5PCZmg5pEouZ7Mn1xhlBDbxXXP7KQp-mQcVtNARd993us6qHsOUymB5FufM7F2ZcrfTV_oSs6pZgZfJIOHWgVaQek/s16000/not%20that%20Frank%20Burns.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Whoops, not THAT Frank Burns!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But one of the <b>most egregious, amazing examples </b>was one I <b>missed </b>during my COVID hiatus, when <b>Representative Frank Burns</b> (D-Johnstown) tried to <b>find out </b>how many <b>"zombie" licenses </b>the PCLB had for <b>future auction </b>(these are <b>seized </b>or unused licenses; after a year, under <b>relatively new law</b>, they <b>revert </b>to the PLCB, where they can be <b>auctioned </b>to the highest bidder). <p></p><p><b>The PLCB said no!</b> That's right: a government agency <b>refused </b>to give <b>regulatory information </b>to a <b>duly-elected legislator. </b>So Burns went to the <b>Office of Open Records</b>. They said the PLCB had to <b>give him the information</b>...and The Lords Of Liquor Control <b>refused </b>again, appealing to the <b>Commonwealth Court</b>. The court <b>ruled in Burns's favor</b>, so <b>of course</b>, the PLCB (which has an <b>unending supply of crap lawyers</b>) appealed the ruling to the <b>state Supreme Court</b>. The PA Supremes fairly quickly <b>denied </b>the PLCB's <b>appeal</b>, upholding the Commonwealth Court ruling, giving the agency 30 days to present the information.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i-aFhZmMubQs8Krxc4cyDXCPybv8XPH9dt65lDLWCUZkVNRVZrno0GdgQlG_VZpjDlyv5SkLAVU7bD-LeqmUtLiIG_rsy4WNT96WoxvecHcc6Efa_a7lIEmcI1ZW0Re3wG4P07ee_2-O6q4jF9iKeDJ-tDA-b691KhVQElCDls0tZ4bVZB98bJSe/s1200/Frank%20Burns.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1200" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i-aFhZmMubQs8Krxc4cyDXCPybv8XPH9dt65lDLWCUZkVNRVZrno0GdgQlG_VZpjDlyv5SkLAVU7bD-LeqmUtLiIG_rsy4WNT96WoxvecHcc6Efa_a7lIEmcI1ZW0Re3wG4P07ee_2-O6q4jF9iKeDJ-tDA-b691KhVQElCDls0tZ4bVZB98bJSe/s320/Frank%20Burns.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yeah, I'm Frank Burns. Arrest the PLCB.<br />(And the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!)</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Aside from the <b>truly interesting </b>fact that Rep. Burns is a <b>Democrat</b>, and the state Supreme Court has a <b>solid Democratic majority </b>(so they <b>clearly </b>do <i>get</i> what the PLCB is, but <b>consistently refuse </b>to <b>privatize </b>it), what do we learn here? <p></p><p>The PLCB <b>directly denied a</b> legal request for information from a <b>state legislator</b>. This wasn't a <b>frivolous request</b>, like 'Hey, <b>how many bottles </b>of Maker's Mark do you guys have <i>right now?</i>' It was <b>information </b>that concerned <b>constituent requests </b>and a valid issue, namely, how is a <b>purchaser </b>supposed to know what the <b>value of a license is </b>when the PLCB <b>won't tell them how many </b>are going to be <b>available?</b> </p><p>The PLCB gave its <b>stock answer</b>, which had <b>always </b>worked for it in the past: <b>'That's proprietary information, my good man.'</b> But <b>this time</b>, they ran into someone who was <b>just as willing </b>to go to court as they were, <b>and they lost</b>. (Burns paid the legal costs out of <b>his own pocket</b>, by the way; the PLCB...<b>yeah, they paid out of <i>our</i> pockets.</b>)</p><p><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSLWjyPuHeEQCLKyLEEribMUa_qQjkSuIEiulzCk-EmH34HMcBZzzotUkQeDO2arbJKQ5Ho9F_31BxBOLJw49Bqvl3fdvSxe5f7WW8rzYNrdgXqftdR092Dnh8jTXxoJJPtTUamCBnSjuyjALbaGCuINhKlwlW9Hp4am97HoTYOpfoAgKM1dfqVum/s240/Wrong.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="240" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSLWjyPuHeEQCLKyLEEribMUa_qQjkSuIEiulzCk-EmH34HMcBZzzotUkQeDO2arbJKQ5Ho9F_31BxBOLJw49Bqvl3fdvSxe5f7WW8rzYNrdgXqftdR092Dnh8jTXxoJJPtTUamCBnSjuyjALbaGCuINhKlwlW9Hp4am97HoTYOpfoAgKM1dfqVum/s1600/Wrong.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Commonwealth Court Justice Cannon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>They not only lost</b>, the judge "<b>bought none </b>-- not one iota -- of what the Liquor Control Board was <b>trying to sell</b>. <i>[Wow, the PLCB sucking at selling something; shocker.]</i> The Right-to-Know Law is clear -- the <b>information here is public record</b>,” said Burns's lawyer, <b>Terry Mutchler</b>, the first director of the state's Office of Open Records. “It is a <b>very strong decision </b>that advances the law by giving <b>deeper guidance </b>on the components of <b>records </b>that agencies consider pre-deliberative. And also, <b>because it points out that although the LCB may be ‘business-like,’ it is not a business.</b>” (Yes, <i>that's </i>why I included the entire quote.) <p></p><p><b>This is classic PLCB style</b>. Don't just be <b>wrong</b>; deny you're <b>wrong</b>, waste thousands of taxpayer <b>dollars </b>denying you're <b>wrong</b>, and then when you're <b>proven wrong</b>, be <b>assholes </b>about it. Assholes? Yeah, the PLCB's main <b>comment </b>on the Supremes' decision was <b>along the lines of</b>, 'Wow, we were <b>really looking forward </b>to proving our case, but we've been <b>denied justice</b>.' Typical. </p><p>This is all by way of <b>proving the point </b>I've been making for <b>years</b>, the one I simply <b>cannot believe </b>the General Assembly does not get: <b>the PLCB is a rogue agency</b>. Burns <b>gets it</b>. He believes that <b>the Board wields too much power</b> and has become <b>arrogant and unresponsive </b>to the public’s wishes. “The LCB has <b>their own little kingdom </b>with a moat around them <b>for protection</b>,” said Burns. “They’re <b>not accountable to anyone</b>, and that has to change. <b>If they can treat a legislator like this </b>you can only wonder how they treat <b>other people </b>out there.”</p><p><b>Bang on,</b> Rep. Burns. The Liquor <b>Control </b>Board is literally <b>out of control</b>, and the reason is that <b>it is answerable only to itself</b>. It is a government agency with its own <b>plentiful source of revenue</b>. It has its own <b>enforcement arm</b>, its own <b>courts and judges</b>; it regularly <b>thumbs its nose </b>at the legislature, the <b>governor</b>, and the <b><a href="https://www.inquirer.com/business/plcb-direct-shipping-wine-commonwealth-court-mfw-a6-20220601.html" target="_blank">Pennsylvania courts</a></b>; and it <b>arbitrarily </b>changes state-written regulations by <b>'interpreting</b>' them as they wish.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpoBdjBfCYB-QTME_MtdwswnxlpcG6EnLWDn_gOC0M2E7CkDBUYtXlsHjG7lOgo9bBUiyP1Dm8JvxRUCiwtZhvFCxYdvvYDxN14ouuxJQR05rbKMuyhYgQCbyZlgZMneUfhk06m_3NDkMzmstQJyh2m_w23dZ6mjA4FMz-bcRtUGbvtDzbjEY9vMW/s577/nuke%20it.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="577" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpoBdjBfCYB-QTME_MtdwswnxlpcG6EnLWDn_gOC0M2E7CkDBUYtXlsHjG7lOgo9bBUiyP1Dm8JvxRUCiwtZhvFCxYdvvYDxN14ouuxJQR05rbKMuyhYgQCbyZlgZMneUfhk06m_3NDkMzmstQJyh2m_w23dZ6mjA4FMz-bcRtUGbvtDzbjEY9vMW/w400-h300/nuke%20it.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It does not need to be <b>reformed</b>, or <b>'brought to heel,</b>' or be <b>regulated</b>. It needs to be <b>done away with</b>. It <b>serves no purpose </b>that is not either <b>anti-consumer or superfluous</b>. Everything the PLCB does can be done <b>more efficiently </b>by existing state agencies. <b>Except </b>the actual wholesale and retail <b>sale of booze</b>: thanks, <b>we can do that better on our own</b>, no state agency required. <p></p><p>Here's how I <b>laid it out </b>almost exactly 14 years ago in this blog: "...<b>privatize booze sales</b>, put <b>licensing and inspection </b>in the hands of the <b>Dept. of Agriculture</b>, <b>tax collection </b>in the purview of the <b>Dept. of Revenue </b>(they've got <b>some experience </b>with that), put the anti-alcoholism and <b>underage drinking prevention </b>programs under the <b>Dept. of Health</b>, and fully <b>hand over enforcement </b>to the <b>State Police</b>. [Then] give a <b>re-write of the [Liquor] Code </b>over to a commission that <b>includes interested consumers for a change</b>, and charge them with writing a <b>simpler, more understandable </b>Code."</p><p><b>The PLCB shut down for six weeks during the pandemic</b>, and <a href="https://dced.pa.gov/letter-from-secretary-levine"><b>Wolf himself </b>said </a> <i>(link goes to a PDF) </i>we <b>didn't need them</b>, because now <b>we could buy booze </b>at the Acme store. The PLCB is <b>corrupt</b>, the PLCB is <b>outdated</b>, the PLCB has <b>only 600 stores </b>for the entire state. The PLCB won't <b>let you buy booze </b>in Jersey or Delaware, they <i>force us to buy from them</i>. </p><p>Why the hell aren't we <b>done </b>with this? Why does the Legislature <b>put up with it? </b></p><p><b>Privatize. End this out of control agency. </b></p><p><br /></p>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-40420737486864250732022-04-14T09:30:00.001-04:002022-04-14T09:30:14.286-04:00What Might Privatization Look Like? <b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivharCqw7U9TMHGvKDhqupOIgbqkvpy9Ye4-r2_EpTKhC3XR1vSYbWN2PD8JhpJR_MSQ1NFWOKu1U-1WpflDsqoK0JTNrpiMFQvOp3kyGooHeS-z8N53IDj13fW6hHByIOV3Q5Qu9dA0ZofpDyGOlDc4LoYhCU05BDvtTmtwRgTj_YVtucBge0maYw/s700/Crystal%20Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivharCqw7U9TMHGvKDhqupOIgbqkvpy9Ye4-r2_EpTKhC3XR1vSYbWN2PD8JhpJR_MSQ1NFWOKu1U-1WpflDsqoK0JTNrpiMFQvOp3kyGooHeS-z8N53IDj13fW6hHByIOV3Q5Qu9dA0ZofpDyGOlDc4LoYhCU05BDvtTmtwRgTj_YVtucBge0maYw/w320-h213/Crystal%20Ball.jpg" title="The future is as clear as vodka..." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future is as clear as vodka...<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Two years later...</b>I haven't <b>given up</b>, but I'll admit that the <b>pandemic </b>re-ordered my priorities. I've got <i><b>[THE RAGING FEAR]</b></i> my concerns <b>under control </b>now, and I'm starting to think about other stuff again. <b>Like privatization. </b><div><br /></div><div>There's <b>talk </b>of using a <b>state constitutional amendment </b>to get rid of <b>The Police-Enforced Monopoly </b>that is the <b>State Store System</b>. This tells me <b>two things</b>. One, <b>Republican legislators </b>are tired of <b>Democratic bullshit </b>about this issue, and they're <b>going nuclear</b>. And two, that Republican legislators have <b>stopped thinking clearly</b>. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y2mCHvAb7mWsfVfW3hnFX_1EgnPcPIxOOGpJYLVZyL6Dqc7j4aIBbzmNRvIrDfK_tnllCl53oihOACLguG5BuQM071Qak3sarudQt6LheX5gV2-2aVbFSgEc8i_euHUYPojf-5gNicbTHNgY11uc1SHN136LKkDuM2rjmqxr9FNFf6QuLiR-rP-Z/s1500/sledge-hammer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1500" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y2mCHvAb7mWsfVfW3hnFX_1EgnPcPIxOOGpJYLVZyL6Dqc7j4aIBbzmNRvIrDfK_tnllCl53oihOACLguG5BuQM071Qak3sarudQt6LheX5gV2-2aVbFSgEc8i_euHUYPojf-5gNicbTHNgY11uc1SHN136LKkDuM2rjmqxr9FNFf6QuLiR-rP-Z/s320/sledge-hammer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demolition of the PLCB, amendment-style!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>It's my strong opinion </b>that this would be the <b>bluntest of instruments </b>to achieve the goal of privatization of booze sales in the state. An amendment would <b>not have the detail necessary </b>to do this <b>well</b>, and would <b>leave open </b>all kinds of maneuvering room for <b>backroom deals </b>of the type I'm pretty sure <b>we all know </b>would happen. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What kinds of deals?</b> How about <b>minimum </b>square footage requirements, like they included in <b>Washington State's </b>privatization deal? The <b>"reason"</b> is that they're <b>'saving'</b> us from <b>'<a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-big-lies.html" target="_blank">a liquor store on every corner</a>,' </b>but it's really a deal for <b>big-money donors </b>like chain grocery and liquor stores to get a <b>new oligopoly </b>on retail liquor stores, trading a <b>shitty monopoly </b>for a <b>still-limited oligopoly</b>. We don't want that, <b>believe me</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Or they'll <b>boost taxes </b>to "<b>make up for the shortfall</b>" from the loss of the PLCB <b>"profits."</b> Once again, like <b>Washington State's </b>privatization deal, this is <b>wrongheaded</b>, and will lose us the <b>greatest benefit </b>of privatization: <b>competition</b>. It will put <b>PA liquor stores </b>(and bars, and restaurants) firmly <b>behind </b>neighboring states' stores on price, leading to <b>even more border bleed</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because you <i>know</i> that the hated Police-Enforced Monopoly <b>will not go away</b>. We'll still be <b>forced </b>to buy booze in PA. <b>Bullshit on that. <i>Bullshit!</i></b><br /><br />Okay, <b>calm down,</b> Lew. The constitutional amendment idea is <b>not a good one</b>, despite the Democrats <b>forcing consideration </b>of such extreme measures by their <b>bullheaded intransigence </b>on this issue. We need to come up with <b>some way </b>to make this an <b>attractively bipartisan </b>issue. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Some of the problem </b>is that the <b>lazy legislature </b>acquiesced when the PLCB put the <b>supermarket safety valve </b>in place, and didn't do the right thing: <b>create a separate grocery/deli/c-store/gas station license </b>for retail off-premise sales. That led to supermarket and c-store chains buying R-licenses at <b>insanely inflated prices </b>(over $500,000 in some instances), and now — <i>shocker! </i>— those businesses are <b>dead-set </b>against <b>any move </b>toward such a license. Great. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>But that's a whole other post,</b> and I <i>will</i> get to that, and soon. I'm back on this. <br /><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iYppW_Mjhph6Ypypn3rGEXODsbULfbysPIaP12hfc8_3zNnLvr5MQ3ro4KFX4BBTSKdH7WU4oXaDZB26ojKALZ39E12cQ-r7ODHTdN_yu_vOO0l_GyNTvnxv1UKpmoJDtf02_sw7jB32c1C8lOyzHtoGqQh_jV6d5WjUqJJZT5fiiokuK4Zly6PJ/s1024/to%20do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iYppW_Mjhph6Ypypn3rGEXODsbULfbysPIaP12hfc8_3zNnLvr5MQ3ro4KFX4BBTSKdH7WU4oXaDZB26ojKALZ39E12cQ-r7ODHTdN_yu_vOO0l_GyNTvnxv1UKpmoJDtf02_sw7jB32c1C8lOyzHtoGqQh_jV6d5WjUqJJZT5fiiokuK4Zly6PJ/s320/to%20do.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to take over the world, Pinky!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<b><br /></b></div><div><b>Meanwhile</b>...What <i>do</i> I <b>want to see </b>in privatization? All open to tweaking, but...<br /><br /><b>
First, and non-negotiable:</b> the <b>PLCB ceases to exist </b>except as <b>a regulatory agency</b>...if needed. <b>No state stores, no state wholesale</b>. They've <b>proven </b>that they cannot run this <b>fairly or honestly</b>. They're done. As a regulatory agency, their operations must be made <b>more transparent</b>, and their <b>power </b>to <b>"interpret"</b> state laws and regulations to the <b>point of nullification </b>must end. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Second, very important: learn from Washington State's mistakes. </b>And they made <b>plenty </b>of them. A <b>study panel</b> should look at what <b>Washington </b>did, and what <b>Alberta </b>did, and come up with <b>recommendations </b>to make sure that <b>we do better</b>. Ask consumers in those places, too. <br />
<br />Those two are huge, big picture things. Here are more direct things. <br /><br /><b>
1. Allow ALL R and Hotel licensees </b>-- bars, restaurants, hotels -- to sell <b>any </b>type of alcohol beverage to any legal customer for <b>on-premise consumption</b>. With the purchase of an <b>additional Off-license permit </b>(for a reasonable annual fee to the state), they would be allowed to sell <b>full bottles/cans to go. </b>No more limits, <b>no more "step outside and you can buy another" bullshit</b>. Licenses increased to <b>one per 500 adults </b>in a county. <b>Licenses become non-transferable five years after passage</b>, which should end the ridiculous secondary market in paper<b>.</b><br />
<br /><b>
2. Beer Distributors become all-alcohol stores </b>with off-premise sales. Beer distributors <b>MAY </b>dispense draft beer in sealed (have to work on that definition) to-go containers. Number of licenses is increased to <b>one per 500 adults </b>in a county. <b>License is non-transferable</b>, starting five years after passage.<br />
<br /><b>
3. Create a new license </b>for grocery stores, convenience stores, drugstores, and gas stations. Takeout <b>ONLY</b>, no on-premise consumption. Number of licenses are <b>not limited</b>, pay a <b>reasonable annual fee </b>to the state (with allowance for review after five or ten years), and are <b>not transferable</b>. License holders <b>MAY </b>also buy or retain a separate R-license for <b>on-premise consumption </b>if they want. <br />
<br /><b>
4. Open up wholesale.</b> Beer wholesalers may add <b>all other alcohol</b>. New wholesalers allowed, <b>reasonable annual permit</b>, non-transferable. <b>More wholesalers means more competition</b>, which means <b>better prices and service</b>. Charging <b>$100 million for a wholesaler license </b>is not a way to get more wholesalers. This may need <b>tinkering</b>; for instance, are <b>multi-state wholesalers allowed </b>to operate in the state? We may want to say no to that, or <b>we may not</b>. </div><div>
<br /><b>
5. Pennsylvania citizens AND licensees may buy and sell from out of state. Period. </b>This has gone on for <b>way too long</b>. If the state can't <b>tax </b>and <b>regulate </b>booze in a manner <b>consistent </b>with neighboring states, that's <b>too damned bad</b>. Look at it as <b>incentive to do better.</b> <br />
<br /><b>
6. Sales tax to be applied at wholesale (or producer) level.</b> Convert the <b>Johnstown Flood Tax </b>from a tax on price to a flat <b>gallonage tax, </b>like the rest of the country, and <b>peg it to current national average</b>. If that means less revenue, <b>screw 'em</b>. What Pennsylvania's tax does -- <b>unintended consequences </b>-- is make <b>blotto booze </b>(cheap wine, cheap vodka) <b>even cheaper</b>, while making <b>better booze </b>even <b>more expensive</b>. If we're <b>taxing alcohol </b>for some <b>health or moral reason</b>, the <b>gallonage tax </b>is more <b>honest</b>; if it's just about <b>raising revenue</b>...well, why not put <b>an excise tax on everything </b>and share the pain?<br />
<br /><b>
7. Rip out the old Liquor Code and start over. </b>Aim for <b>simple, understandable laws </b>that ruin <b>as few businesses as possible</b>, but <b>changes</b> them where they are <b>unfair</b>, or <b>not in the public interest</b>. For instance, <b>booze wholesale should emulate food wholesale</b>: competition <b>allowed</b>, exclusivity as something that suppliers would pay for. The Code is currently open to <b>way too much interpretation and confusion</b>, and that has to end. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. Perhaps the most important is this: </b>when this is done, when it's being written and decided upon, it must be <b>100% transparent. </b>There must be <b>citizen and industry representation </b>on whatever <b>task force </b>does this rewriting of the Liquor Code, and <b>regular reports </b>must be presented; <b>weekly, if necessary</b>. There's <b>too much money </b>at stake to do otherwise, and we've already seen that it <b>causes corruption</b>. Obviously, <b>I volunteer</b>. Seriously, there should be representatives from <b>all sides</b>: wholesale and retail <b>booze business </b>(but only one each), <b>consumers </b>(one or two), <b>anti-alcohol types </b>(gotta be fair), the <b>UFCW </b>(no, really, it's only fair), and <b>politicians</b>. Maybe more stakeholders, that's just a first cut, but <b>there must be representation and openness. </b><br /><br />
These points will <b>make me no friends </b>in the industry. They <b>completely </b>upset the apple cart, and may <b>ruin </b>long-established family businesses. But they will <b>create </b>new businesses, and the <b>solid </b>family businesses will thrive and succeed...as long as big businesses, chain retailers, <b>aren't allowed to write this privatization bill.</b> And of course...nothing's set in stone, and politics is the <b>art of the possible</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's about time, it's <b><i>long past time</i></b>, that the <b>consumers</b>, the <b>voters</b>, had a <b>large say </b>in how this <b>gets done</b>. <br />
<div>
<br /></div><div><b>Privatization. Yesterday, today, <i>forever.</i></b></div>
</div></div>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-29714786810317858602020-04-18T11:43:00.001-04:002020-04-18T11:43:52.283-04:00Why This Isn't Already Done<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPALZYwBjwM/Xpsb-Lhg4eI/AAAAAAAAwzs/O1Nynq-kodgZUAxmEZ2A-Bdl2Bk5QjKigCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/water-wears-away-stone.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPALZYwBjwM/Xpsb-Lhg4eI/AAAAAAAAwzs/O1Nynq-kodgZUAxmEZ2A-Bdl2Bk5QjKigCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/water-wears-away-stone.png" width="200" /></a><i>This is something I just posted on the </i><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/355217042982/" target="_blank">"Abolish the PLCB - Rewrite The Code!"</a></b> <i>Facebook group page (a group you're certainly encouraged and welcome to join). A new member was full of righteous rage and wanted to know how to get privatization and said we needed to force Harrisburg to change this. Frankly, I wish we could. But 12 years of writing and editing this blog, and all the activity that went with it, has taught me patience, the patience needed to wear away a stone. Here's what I've learned, here's how it's got to be done. </i><br />
<br />For the new readers: I've been trying to push this rock for twelve years. I've been to Harrisburg to attend hearings and lobbying meetings, I've testified before a joint committee of the legislature once, I've made friends with a number of reporters and fed them info and ideas. Some <b>small progress</b> has been made, but...a reality check is needed. This is an<b> uphill fight</b>, although the PLCB's huge failures in the past month are a <b>great opportunity.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Here's why.</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkblI0qmkRQ/Xpscnz-_VdI/AAAAAAAAwz0/1A3d_At-JEs7t1IUGSQQyDIss_EnL5iRQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ideas%2Bto%2BHarrisburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkblI0qmkRQ/Xpscnz-_VdI/AAAAAAAAwz0/1A3d_At-JEs7t1IUGSQQyDIss_EnL5iRQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/ideas%2Bto%2BHarrisburg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so spunky back then.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had a lot of schemes and ideas when I started working on this back in 2008. The <b>tough truth </b>is that there isn't anything that can be done until a MUCH larger number of voters are actively engaged on the issue. And that's <b>not easy</b>, because of a few factors.<br />
<br />
1. People are liable to be <b>embarrassed </b>to stand up for their booze rights. "It's only a drink, it's not important." Polls usually show that people are <b>willing </b>to be taxed more for drinks, even though they already are.<br />
<br />
2. Many Pennsylvanians just <b>don't know any better.</b> They've never gone out of state to buy booze, so the State Stores' <b>adequacy </b>is all they know.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wz9niOcE17o/UR1DeYKlVnI/AAAAAAAAE8g/c_hB0qtXBekhbPTnugPGjA7g1C5VVfgdACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/horse-manure-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wz9niOcE17o/UR1DeYKlVnI/AAAAAAAAE8g/c_hB0qtXBekhbPTnugPGjA7g1C5VVfgdACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/horse-manure-002.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Dezinformatsiya...</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">UFCW</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> style</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. The <b>other side</b>, largely through the union that represents the State Store clerks, UFCW Chapter 1776, does a <b>great job of shaming anyone who supports privatization</b>: "You're a <b>drunk</b>! You just want more <b>alcohol!</b> This will cost thousands of <b>family-supporting jobs!</b> The PLCB gives MILLIONS to the state, to police, to communities! There are <b>much more important things </b>that need to be done!" And people back off, because that <b>SOUNDS</b> reasonable.<br />
<br />
4. There's a LOT of <b>deeply-believed misinformation and ignorance </b>about the situation. That the PLCB is a cash cow (<b>it's not</b>), that it serves us well (with only 600 stores in a state where 5,000 would be average, <b>how can they?</b>), that it's not illegal to buy booze out of state (<b>it absolutely is</b>). People are constantly amazed about the existence of the <b>Johnstown Flood Tax</b>, they believe it's illegal because "it's a tax on a tax" (<b>completely not illegal </b>to do that), without ever realizing the <b><a href="http://noplcb.blogspot.com/2008/05/reason-4-18-emergency-tax.html" target="_blank">huge layer cake </a></b>of taxes and fees that boost the shelf price of booze in PA.<br />
<br />
5. The PLCB is <b>absolutely brilliant</b> at assessing the <b>threat </b>of privatization, and <b>doing just enough </b>to make people think they're improving, and the threat decreases.<br />
<br />
Despite all this, we will have to get <b>millions </b>of them on board, because the Legislature <b>cannot be moved otherwise.</b><br />
<br />
Democratic legislators <b>block-vote </b>against this; in over 10 years, <b>not one </b>has ever broken ranks that I can recall. Republicans from southeast PA are likely to <b>flip-flop </b>on it: they face more pressure from <b>unions </b>here, and from <b>a highly-organized group of beer sellers </b>who'd just as soon see their competition run incompetently. It's a powerful combo. <b>Speaker Turzai </b>has tirelessly campaigned for privatization (he's <b>retiring </b>after this term), but the <b>Senate </b>has balked on it, and <b>Wolf will not sign </b>a full privatization bill. <b>Without Democratic votes</b>, there's no way to override him.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAEGyvonxwY/XpsfdtVd9fI/AAAAAAAAw0A/BOE_17pPVY8QKWan8CrJ56v0lty2P3PpACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wolf%2BSay%2BWhat%2BNow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="628" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAEGyvonxwY/XpsfdtVd9fI/AAAAAAAAw0A/BOE_17pPVY8QKWan8CrJ56v0lty2P3PpACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Wolf%2BSay%2BWhat%2BNow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Privatization? No. HELL no.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <b>courts </b>won't do anything because of the <b><a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/08/what-could-tennessee-wine-and-spirits.html" target="_blank">21st amendment</a></b>; states have very broad power to regulate alcohol.<br />
<br />
The Board itself is, naturally, <b>only interested in preserving the agency</b>. The three members are traditionally appointed 1 each by the legislative GOP, Dems, and the governor, so no real help there.<br />
<br />
THE ONLY THING THAT WILL WORK is <b>getting fellow citizens involved</b>. Writing letters to newspapers, reminding people how badly the PLCB handled literally everything in this crisis, reposting on Facebook.<br />
<br />
Like it says at the top of the blog,<br />
<br />
"...there was [in 1997] <b>no overarching passion</b> within the General Assembly, or in the <b>public </b>at large, <b>for privatization</b>. <b>Unless and until </b>there is a general hue and cry, it is <b>very unlikely </b>there will be a <b>privatization initiative that succeeds</b>." -- John E. Jones III, former PLCB chairmanLew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-6030102551317231152020-04-03T22:08:00.000-04:002020-04-14T13:19:48.598-04:00Time for a Change.org<b>With the State Stores closed</b>, and the PLCB's website essentially <b>non-functional -- </b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8wRgPeeZ3I/Xofh6hg6hYI/AAAAAAAAwfE/XBk5QQQQNj0Ps3x5YxaGt2xZdnnjGp9xgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/StoreClosed_Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="970" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8wRgPeeZ3I/Xofh6hg6hYI/AAAAAAAAwfE/XBk5QQQQNj0Ps3x5YxaGt2xZdnnjGp9xgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/StoreClosed_Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>With restaurants and bars across the state </b>reduced to take-out business --<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nz7YP3rAwnk/Xofjeu1TK5I/AAAAAAAAwfQ/eh3m_mqVn9IohwGk0WcrO6N-dFqGM7J-QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Empty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nz7YP3rAwnk/Xofjeu1TK5I/AAAAAAAAwfQ/eh3m_mqVn9IohwGk0WcrO6N-dFqGM7J-QCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Empty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>With the PLCB refusing to service </b>any but the largest accounts (while the Wolf Administration tells Pennsylvania that we should <b>look to the private market </b>to meet the demand caused by the closed State Stores...while <b>denying</b> that market the right to sell spirits)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okLdGCMzFTI/VQG3gr_HC9I/AAAAAAAAMes/MHzaMHtdKnkdY1fAgu5-HQGtduqMlNAVQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Wolf%2BTriumphant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okLdGCMzFTI/VQG3gr_HC9I/AAAAAAAAMes/MHzaMHtdKnkdY1fAgu5-HQGtduqMlNAVQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Wolf%2BTriumphant.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>With <i>thousands</i> of businesses on the brink of failure, <i>tens of thousands of people unemployed</i> -- </b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AFgH51TgfOc/Xoflb3xcDCI/AAAAAAAAwfc/ixRNxHucNsgRe22HRdsFZzW2b6SOv1kWACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Waiters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AFgH51TgfOc/Xoflb3xcDCI/AAAAAAAAwfc/ixRNxHucNsgRe22HRdsFZzW2b6SOv1kWACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Waiters.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Someone</i> has to do <i>something. </i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<b>Why not you?</b> Sign this <a href="http://chng.it/z6BFB9RDYh">Change.org petition,</a> asking <b>Governor Wolf and the Legislature </b>(or the PLCB, why not?) to <b>immediately </b>allow the <b>sale of wine and spirits </b>to-go (or local delivery) by <b>all licensees, including beer distributors</b>, through the end of 2020. Give them a <b>chance </b>to <b>make the money </b>that will allow them to <b>stay open</b>, employing <i>some</i> people, and <b>giving others hope </b>for re-employment when the crisis ends.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9SoJDYCGMjs/Xofqp0Q-OWI/AAAAAAAAwfo/l97FIYLAgaABOISzuthBItynclDX2hsFgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20171119_200251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9SoJDYCGMjs/Xofqp0Q-OWI/AAAAAAAAwfo/l97FIYLAgaABOISzuthBItynclDX2hsFgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20171119_200251.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddy, can you spare a signature? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before you say, 'Oh, <b>those Change.org petitions </b>don't <b>change </b>anything,' <b>last week</b> a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/allow-ontario-restaurants-to-include-wine-and-beer-in-take-out-and-delivery-orders">petition</a> <i>just like this one</i> succeeded in getting <b>the government of Ontario</b> to <a href="https://nowtoronto.com/food-and-drink/food/takeout-alcohol-toronto/">allow restaurants </a>to sell wine and beer to go. We can do that here, <b>just as quickly, just as easily</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Until then,</b> Pennsylvanians will continue to <b>cross the borders</b>, spreading the disease. Those <b>taxes </b>will be <b>lost to the state</b>, where they could help <b>pay unemployment benefits</b>, while the PLCB <b>flounders, </b>trying to serve the <b>whole state </b>from <b>three warehouses </b>with a patched-up website (while the wholesalers who service the PLCB's operations have their offers to help <b>rejected</b>), literally filling only <b>hundreds of orders</b> out of <i><a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/on-line-liquor-sales-in-pa-how-it-works-and-why-it-might-not-always-work-for-you.html">hundreds of thousands of attempts</a> to place an order. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Is this a total solution? </b>No.<br />
<b>Will this save every restaurant, every bar?</b> No.<br />
<b>Will it adequately compensate every beer distributor for the damage to their business? </b>No.<br />
<br />
<b>Is it better than what the State's doing now? </b> <i>Hell yeah. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Over 11,000 people have signed as of April 14. This is not a fringe position. </b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Please. Sign the petition and <b>share it</b>. <i>Thank you</i>.<br />
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<h1 class="mtl mbxxxl xs-mts xs-mbxs type-break-word petition-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2.44141rem; line-height: 1.2288; margin-bottom: 60px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 25px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word !important; word-break: break-word !important;">
<a href="http://chng.it/z6BFB9RDYh" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Allow Pennsylvania licensees to sell spirits for take-out & delivery thru 12/31/20</span></a></h1>
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Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-3685955221954026022020-03-20T15:56:00.005-04:002020-03-20T15:56:58.348-04:00Why Is The PLCB Lowering Spirits Instead of Selling Them?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d4CKEEzI13M/XnUC3Jaq83I/AAAAAAAAwQg/wf4vxADBCSMF71ONqI3y3uyPNblStO_JwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Boarded%2BPhilly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d4CKEEzI13M/XnUC3Jaq83I/AAAAAAAAwQg/wf4vxADBCSMF71ONqI3y3uyPNblStO_JwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Boarded%2BPhilly1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philadelphia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The PLCB <i>shut down</i> the <b>State Store System of Stores</b> because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are the <b>ONLY control state</b> to do so (other than Utah, <b>temporarily</b>, because of an <i>earthquake</i> that happened concurrently). Liquor stores <b>remain open</b> in other states (because a lot of them sell booze<i> in grocery stores</i>, you know, like <b>normal people </b>do); <b>beer distributors </b>were literally classified as <b>"life essential"</b> by Governor Wolf in yesterday's <b>shut-down-the-state order</b>; and of course, as we <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2020/03/why-not-leave-them-closed.html">pointed out recently</a>, we were <b>told </b>by the state that we <b>didn't need </b>the <b>State Store System of Stores </b>because "Individuals can still <b>buy wine and beer at grocery stores </b>with PLCB licenses."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdAWjycLOx8/XnUGbDirHWI/AAAAAAAAwQ8/sYp4ARCR2T0BkaqVqcO-JffXpEWa4miDwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Boarded%2BWB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="335" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdAWjycLOx8/XnUGbDirHWI/AAAAAAAAwQ8/sYp4ARCR2T0BkaqVqcO-JffXpEWa4miDwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Boarded%2BWB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilkes-Barre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have <b>encouraged </b>the State to <b><a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2020/03/why-not-leave-them-closed.html">leave the stores closed</a></b>. The <b>Distilled Spirits Council of the US and American Distilled Spirits Association</b> has pointed out that the <b>current instruction </b>leaves the <b>citizens </b>unable to <b>buy spirits </b>(a <i>completely legal product </i>in Pennsylvania and the United States), and suggested the state at least <b>temporarily allow the sale of spirits </b>at the grocery stores and beer distributors that remain open...<b>somewhat heroically</b>, and I'm not kidding about that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7UA2HNKKLM/XnUGaJfbWuI/AAAAAAAAwRE/zwZqhbqmnZInNtY4c6oeBS29VawS7eTrgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Boarded%2BAllentown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7UA2HNKKLM/XnUGaJfbWuI/AAAAAAAAwRE/zwZqhbqmnZInNtY4c6oeBS29VawS7eTrgCEwYBhgL/s320/Boarded%2BAllentown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allentown (the sawdust is a nice touch)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>I've been talking to wine and spirits wholesalers</b> who <b>work with the PLCB </b>to <b>supply </b>their warehouses. They're <i>ready, willing, and able</i> to <b>supply spirits </b>to the grocery stores, convenience stores, and beer distributors that are <b>already open </b>and selling. What's <b>more</b>, they're also ready to <b>supply </b>the restaurants and bars who are <b>eager </b>to do <b>take-out beer and wine and spirits sales</b>, just to keep their <b>people employed</b>, to <i>literally </i>keep their businesses from <b>failing</b>. Not closing temporarily: <i>failing</i>. The wholesalers <b>know </b>that they can <b>find drivers</b> to do the work. <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2013/06/detailswhy-so-late-senator.html">The PLCB has <i>said</i></a> they could do this <i>(click the link, and scroll down to the 7th paragraph)</i>, but have <b>never </b>shown a <b>bit of initiative </b>toward <b>action </b>on it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fgSnKGPASmI/XnUGaPKXngI/AAAAAAAAwRA/-qQ8gXW3_GEA44nfIXjywAPqsIhr3FoRQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Boarded%2BBillsport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1100" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fgSnKGPASmI/XnUGaPKXngI/AAAAAAAAwRA/-qQ8gXW3_GEA44nfIXjywAPqsIhr3FoRQCEwYBhgL/s320/Boarded%2BBillsport.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Williamsport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Has there been <b>any indication </b>that the PLCB is even <b>considering </b>any of this? At least <b>the legislature </b>has decided to come <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/03/amid-coronavirus-crisis-the-pa-general-assembly-is-now-equipped-to-assure-continuity-of-government.html"><b>back to work </b>remotely</a> and <b>get something done</b>, but you have to believe this <b>isn't </b>going to be <b>high on their list </b>-- <i>and I'm not suggesting it should be. </i>But as we saw when the Board decided that it could simply <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-plcb-should-follow-law-not.html"><b>"interpret"</b></a> the hated <b><a href="http://noplcb.blogspot.com/2009/02/reason-15-case-law-is-stupid.html">Case Law</a></b> <i>right out of existence</i> by <b>declaring a six-pack to equal a case, </b>the courts give the PLCB <b>very broad latitude indeed </b>on "interpretation" of <b>The Almighty Liquor Code </b>(had we mentioned that the PLCB <i>has its <a href="https://www.lcb.pa.gov/Legal/Office-of-ALJ/Pages/default.aspx">own courts?</a></i>). They could easily <b>rule on </b><i>all of this </i><b>stuff</b>, and let the <b>Legislature</b> catch up.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XynLQRDS_7g/XnUGa-EOzrI/AAAAAAAAwRE/3FajWMSps_E2ISQP2kIkiW_hdQkl8MfMACEwYBhgL/s1600/Boarded%2BPhilly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XynLQRDS_7g/XnUGa-EOzrI/AAAAAAAAwRE/3FajWMSps_E2ISQP2kIkiW_hdQkl8MfMACEwYBhgL/s320/Boarded%2BPhilly2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also Philly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
No. The <b>Board</b>, the <b>Governor</b>, the <b>Department of Community and Economic Development</b> have done <i>nothing</i> about this, <b>none </b>of the really <b>easy </b>steps that would take <i>some</i> of the <b>stress </b>off businesses, and extend some <b>fairness </b>to the <b>folks </b>in the spirits production chain (who also <b>need gainful employment</b>), and let those of us who <b>might </b>want a <b>whiskey sour </b>or Bloody Mary (or <b>quarantini</b>, which is apparently <b><a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/17/heres-how-to-make-a-perfect-quarantini-while-stuck-at-home/">a thing</a></b>) buy a bottle or two.<br />
<br />
What <i>are</i> they doing?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpEBO9F8FJ0/XnUGaONgJSI/AAAAAAAAwRI/wzXl8aNvNNgGdLYn5QyoKmSIK_OPRGVJQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Boarded%2BHburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1280" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpEBO9F8FJ0/XnUGaONgJSI/AAAAAAAAwRI/wzXl8aNvNNgGdLYn5QyoKmSIK_OPRGVJQCEwYBhgL/s320/Boarded%2BHburg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrisburg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/03/plcb-boards-up-wine-and-liquor-store-in-kline-plaza-in-harrisburg-to-prevent-looting.html">They're boarding up State Stores as a precaution against looting.</a> </span></b></div>
<br />
In a state where the last <b>large scale riots </b>were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_York_race_riot"><i><b>over fifty years ago</b></i></a>, the PLCB <b>decided </b>to <b>raise public morale </b>with this <b>amazing display of optimistic trust</b>. Because <i>nothing </i>says "it may be <b>rough</b>, but we're going to get through this <b>together</b>" like <b>boarding up your store</b><i>...in Williamsport. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
This <b>lack of leadership</b>, lack of <b>understanding</b>, lack of <b>common good sense </b>is <b>just another example </b>of what an <b>awful mistake </b>having this <b>all-too-independent </b>state agency in charge of <i>retail stores</i> has been. The Legislature should, in the <b>spare ten minutes it would take</b>, use this opportunity to say, 'Okay, <i>that's enough.</i> You had your chance, more than enough chances, and that's it. Game over, PLCB. You're done.'<br />
<br />
<b>Even better?</b> It <i>really would </i>only take <b>ten minutes</b>. The Legislature actually drew up plans back in 1987 to end the <b>State Store System of Stores</b> and those plans, never enacted, are <b>still available online </b>in the <b>Pennsylvania Code</b>...ready to roll.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/004/chapter7/s7.342.html&d=reduce">Here's the plan</a>; your predecessors already did the work for you. </b>Literally all you should have to do is <b>change the dates and vote</b>.<br />
<br />
Because <b>all the PLCB is going to do</b> in this crisis is <b>protect themselves</b>. Apparently they think <b>Pennsylvania</b> is <b>France</b>. We deserve a lot better than this.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrVa8dlxAnE/XnUdtgsEMVI/AAAAAAAAwRQ/g_uSCUEZgS8l8X_p11b-6gHHdnCRoEDaQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Boarded%2BParis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1000" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrVa8dlxAnE/XnUdtgsEMVI/AAAAAAAAwRQ/g_uSCUEZgS8l8X_p11b-6gHHdnCRoEDaQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Boarded%2BParis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-49152968220223999692020-03-19T10:08:00.002-04:002020-03-19T10:08:43.638-04:00Support for Emergency Spirits Sales<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AATiLHvaKls/XnN2DX7H-RI/AAAAAAAAwP4/Q7qg7wvMeAEbWscxC95ndoB0-qeM43QkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NOW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="105" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AATiLHvaKls/XnN2DX7H-RI/AAAAAAAAwP4/Q7qg7wvMeAEbWscxC95ndoB0-qeM43QkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/NOW.jpg" width="200" /></a>Posted with these brief comments: Clearly the PLCB is in the minority. We could be doing more. If take-out is allowed, the opportunity to allow citizens to do one-stop shopping HELPS the situation. The Legislature and the Governor and the PLCB should take up this suggestion (at the very least) immediately. Jobs are being lost.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
March 18, 2020<br />
<br />
The Honorable Tom Wolf<br />
Office of the Governor<br />
508 Main Capitol Building<br />
Harrisburg, PA 17120<br />
<br />
Dear Governor Wolf:<br />
<br />
We are writing to you on behalf of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the American Distilled Spirits Association, national trade associations representing producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States, regarding the difficult decision to close all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in response to COVID-19.<br />
<br />
We understand state leaders like yourself are struggling with the careful balance of protecting the health of citizens while also protecting the financial health of state and local economies. We'd like to offer some alternatives to completely shutting down all state stores that take into account these dual needs and share how other control states are handling the issue.<br />
<br />
Control states, including Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia, have adopted emergency rules to reduce the risks to patrons and workers while also trying to keep afloat hospitality businesses and continue to serve the public.<br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
. In Alabama, the state has reduced the number of open ABC stores and shifted personnel to open locations. The state ABC has also outlined guidelines to protect customers and employees including limiting the number of customers allowed in a store at any given time; having store personnel retrieve customers products; encouraging credit card purchases; and requiring employees to wear gloves.<br />
<br />
. In North Carolina, local counties continue to operate their off-premise spirits stores but might consider scaled back hours of operation. Distilleries may still sell bottles for off-premise consumption.<br />
<br />
. In Virginia, stores remain open with reduced operating hours at certain stores. The VABC guidance states, "As the sole retailer of distilled spirits in Virginia, we are dedicated to filling our role in providing product to our licensees and the public."<br />
<br />
. Utah and New Hampshire continue to keep their state stores open.<br />
<br />
To date, Pennsylvania is the only state to completely close down all stores that provide consumers with access to distilled spirits products. Pennsylvania's hospitality industry, including craft distillers, is already under enormous strain due to the U.S. tariffs on EU spirits and wine products. We respectfully request that you reconsider your decision to close all state stores. It is the only channel of distribution that Pennsylvania consumers have to distilled spirits.<br />
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If you are unable to re-open all or select PLCB stores, an innovative alternative would be to temporarily allow "R'" licenses that currently sell beer and wine to also sell spirits until PLCB stores are re-opened. Many restaurants are now selling take away food only and the loss of patrons is financially harming their businesses. These restaurants are already licensed to sell spirits and already are trained in proper ID verification. As restaurants across the state are suffering huge financial losses due to lack of business, the ability to also sell distilled spirits would help offset their losses and could potentially prevent permanent restaurant closures.<br />
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The spirits industry stands ready to assist you in exploring innovative approaches to protect Pennsylvanians while easing the burden on consumers and the hospitality industry. We are all in this together and we are committed to doing our part to support our communities during this difficult time. For example, distillers in Pennsylvania and across the country are converting their distilling operations into production lines for hand sanitizer to help communities combat COVID-19. We look forward to working with you and the PLCB now and in the future.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your leadership.<br />
<br />
Very Best Regards,<br />
<br />
Chris R. Swonger<br />
President/CEO<br />
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States<br />
<br />
Matt Dogali<br />
President/CEO<br />
American Distilled Spirits Association<br />
<br />
CC: Chairman Tim Holden, Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-45559969811614937962020-03-18T21:04:00.000-04:002020-03-19T08:10:47.059-04:00Why Not Leave Them Closed?We have a<b> tremendous opportunity </b>before us. We must not <b>waver</b>. We must not <b>hesitate</b>.<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>The State Stores could easily be closed by June.</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me explain. </div>
<div>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">I have a tremendous idea!!</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By now, you all must know that <b>Governor Wolf</b> has declared that the <b>State Store System of Stores</b> is <b>CLOSED</b>, nominally because of the <b>COVID-19 pandemic</b>. Shut down as of 9 PM on <b>St. Patrick's Day</b>, of all <b>inane coincidences</b>. What's more, the PLCB's FWGS <b>website </b>is <b>no longer delivering booze </b>to your door (you know, because <b>they never really wanted to </b>anyway), AND the <b>licensee "service centers"</b> are also closed (all the bars are <b>closed </b>anyway, except for takeout food and beer, two things with which the PLCB is entirely uninterested). <br />
<br />
<b>Wow</b>. And <b>as I was writing this </b>earlier, Wolf <b>issued a <a href="https://www.lcb.pa.gov/Legal/Documents/advisory%20notice%20no.%2026%20licensee%20enforcement%20re%20COVID-19,%20FINAL.pdf">proclamation</a> </b>(link will download a PDF of the letter) <b>shutting down </b>ALL licensee operations that involve <b>selling food or drink </b>(of <i>any</i> kind) for <b>consumption on premises</b>. Take-out/to-go is still allowed, but one wonders for how long (see below). The only exception is for <b>hotel room service</b>.<br />
<br />
Note: <b>licensee operations only</b>. Restaurants, lunch counters, etc. that are NOT licensed are still asked to <b>voluntarily </b>limit operation to take-out only. Wolf is doing this under the authority of <b>The Almighty Liquor Code</b>: "The PLCB, upon authorization from the Governor, has the <b>authority </b>under the Liquor Code (47 P.S. §4-462) to <b>mandate </b>the closure of licensed establishments in <b>times of emergency</b>."<br />
<br />
Here's what you see when you go to <a href="https://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/maintenance.html">Ye Olde Fine Wine Et Goode Spyrites site of Web</a>:<br />
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<br />
<b>Reaction has been mixed.</b> There was an <b>insane rush</b> to the stores, people <b>standing in line </b>for half an hour, as if they were <b>Fine Bottled Water and Good Toilet Paper Shops</b>. People say, oh, you don't need booze (<b>idiots</b>). Or they say, <b>booze is as necessary </b>as groceries and medicine, which, if you <b>really think that</b>, then why <b>didn't </b>you tell your state rep that <b>years ago </b>and get it out of <b>the state's incompetent control? </b>Eh, another missed opportunity.<br />
<br />
<b>Back to today. <i>Why</i> </b>did the governor <b>close the State Stores</b>, and <b>not </b>close <b>beer distributors</b>, not close the <b>sales rooms</b> of wineries, distilleries, or breweries (yes, and meaderies and cideries and kvasserei)?<b> Simply because he could</b>, most likely, and <i>possibly </i>because of union pressure. Naturally enough, <i>why</i> is <b>not a question </b>that's been <b>asked of Wolf </b>directly. It's <b>much more important </b>that we do 'flatten the curve' and get this damned virus under control. <b>Believe me, </b>that's absolutely true. <b>Retail operations, </b>particularly small ones, are going to <b>take a whupping </b>here, and that's going to be <b>disastrous </b>for the economy.<br />
<br />
But that's not what we're here to talk about. <b>It's about the opportunity to finally put an end to the ridiculous State Store System of Stores. </b><br />
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<b>Rahm Emanuel's famous quote </b>was about the 2008 recession. He followed the famous part with this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is an <b>opportunity</b>, what used to be long-term problems, be they in the health care area, energy area, education area, fiscal area, tax area, <b>regulatory reform </b>area, <b>things that we have postponed for too long</b>, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with."</blockquote>
Are the State Stores an <b>immediate problem?</b> Are they one that "<b>must </b>be dealt with"? <b>Of course not. </b>I'm not a fool. No one's livelihood or survival is <b>threatened </b>by the continued existence of this <b>Relic of Repeal</b>, this Fossil of Prohibition.<br />
<br />
But it is definitely falls under "thing that we have postponed for too long," making this is a <b>unique opportunity to deal with it</b>. The State Stores will be closed for at least two weeks, probably more. And the Governor, a <b>Democratic governor</b>, has openly <b>admitted </b>that <b>the State Stores are not necessary to serve the needs of the citizens of the state. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>He did?</b> When did he say that? In the <a href="https://dced.pa.gov/letter-from-secretary-levine">letter</a> to Pennsylvania businesses (dated March 14) from <b>Wolf's </b>Secretaries of Health, and Community and Economic Development, there is a list of descriptions of <b>"non-essential businesses"</b> that are asked to close. At the end of that list, there are <b>these bullet points:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
NOTE: <b>Liquor stores will begin an orderly closure</b>. Individuals <b>can still buy wine </b>and beer at <b>grocery stores </b>with PLCB licenses<br />
NOTE: Restaurants should stay open for <b>carry-out</b> and delivery only</blockquote>
<b>You see?</b> The State Stores can close <i>because people can still buy wine at grocery stores and restaurants.</i> Of course they can, and <b>they do</b>, in <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/04/death-by-thousand-cuts-its-working.html">huge, growing amounts</a>.<br />
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If the <b>State</b> would <b>allow </b>grocery stores (and <b>beer distributors</b>, and restaurants, and <b>deli licenses</b>, and private clubs) to <b>sell spirits by the bottle </b>-- and really, why not? <b>It's all the same alcohol!</b> -- we could just <b>leave the State Stores closed</b>. Never open them again. <br />
<br />
It's not that hard. <b>Have an auction</b>, sell off the inventory, and have <b>time </b>for <b>new businesses </b>to <b>get licenses </b>and open with <b>former State Store employees </b>at the register (or <b>at the helm</b>, why not?).<br />
<br />
<i>At the very least,</i> the Legislature should <b>immediately</b> adjust <b>The Almighty Liquor Code </b>to allow <b>licensees</b> -- grocery stores, bars, <i>and beer distributors</i> to add off-premise, take-out <b>spirits sales</b>. End this <b>ridiculous prejudice </b>against spirits. Let mom pick up <b>a bottle of Bailey's</b> at the Giant Eagle.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>And do away with the <i>stupid</i> cafe requirements</b> (because...we're only doing <b>take-out</b> <i>now, </i>and the world hasn't ended)<b>, and the childish "buy four bottles and step outside the door" limit. </b>What ridiculous <b>bullshit </b>is that, <b>anyway?</b><br />
<br />
We could do this. It's just waiting to happen.<br />
<br />
<b>"...it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." </b>Clearly <b>Governor Wolf</b> is ready.<br />
<br />
<b>PRIVATIZE</b>. And if we can't do that, <b>take the spirits monopoly away from the State Stores</b>. The grocery stores have <b>earned </b>it, beer distributors have <b>earned </b>it by <b>staying open </b>during the <b>crisis</b>...something the <b>State Stores weren't prepared </b>to do. </div>
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Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-65677758404934248792019-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:002019-11-18T09:00:34.075-05:00A great place to work? <b>Among the lies, & fallacies, disingenuous statements and statistics</b> that appear out of thin air over at the old PLCB <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/01/magazine/on-language.html">fudge factory</a></b>, we hear how the PLCB is a <i>great place to work!</i> Jinkies! <b>Cool!</b><br />
<br />
But what do the <b>numbers </b>say? According to the <a href="https://www.lcb.pa.gov/About-Us/News-and-Reports/Documents/AR_2018-19_FINAL.pdf"><b>2019 annual report</b></a> (on page 61) the <b>average age </b>of a store clerk is <b>44 years old</b>. Not exactly attracting younger workers. And when they do get workers, 56% of them are part time. I don't think those are the <b>"Family Sustaining Jobs"</b> that are <b>so often mentioned</b>. Out of that 56%, <b>over half of them quit </b>every year for a <b>turnover rate of 53.1%</b>. Even if you <b>somehow manage </b>to get one of the <b>2,453 full time </b>filled positions, there is a <b>49.3 % turn over rate there too</b>. Now factor in this: <b>29% </b>of store workers <b>change location </b>every year.<br />
<br />
Can you say <b>"turn and churn"</b>? Is it <b>burnout</b>, or do they just get <b>tired of the bullshit? </b>If the PLCB <b>isn't that good at retaining employees,</b> just how good they are to work for?<br />
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<b>Turn it on its head</b>: is this <b>mismanaged workforce </b>of any <b>benefit </b>to the agency (and thus, to the commonwealth). The <b>average sales </b>per employee for 2017 across this kind of industry was <b>$689,000 </b>per each full time equivalent. The PLCB can <b>force </b>a <b>"part time"</b> employee to work <b>34 hours a week </b>if they want to, so that makes <b>figuring out the total hours </b>the part time workforce puts in a bit difficult. I'll just go with 25 hours a week for <b>part time workers </b>and 15 hours for <b>seasonal workers</b>.<br />
<br />
With 3,190 full time sales and admin employees putting in 37.5 hours per week times 52 weeks, that's a total of <b>6,320,125 hours. </b>Add to that 25 hours times 1,773 workers times 52 weeks equals <b>2,304,900 hours </b>plus 383 seasonal workers at 15 hours each, but only 13 weeks of work equals <b>74,490 </b>for a grand total of <b>8,719,515 hours</b>. Take that and divide it by 37.5*52 (1,950) and you get roughly 4,471 full time equivalent employees.<br />
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Now that we have the number of full-time equivalents, we can then <b>multiply </b>that by
<b>$689,000 </b>for each employee and come up with $3,080,519,000 as what
<b>average sales should be</b>. But the PLCB only did <b>$2,126,927,971 in sales </b>
or <b>UNDERPERFORMED the average by just about 45%</b>. In simple terms, having
the PLCB do things is <b>costing the state about $950 Million </b>in lost
taxable sales based on average sales. Now that is the average, there
could be significant differences for liquor stores. But looking at
Total Wine, they are only about 10% below that average, so it pretty much
confirms the PLCB is a bloated, poorly managed organization, <br />
<br />
It gets worse. All the PLCB numbers were taken from the number of <b>working employees </b>as of June 2019. However, the amount that <b>are authorized</b> is <i>greater</i>. If the PLCB were <i>fully staffed, </i>they would be<b> 65% BELOW</b> average in sales per employee. Filling over
1000 current vacancies might cause the PLCB to not be able to meet the
amount of <b>payout revenues </b>requested by the administration.<br />
<br />
That of course, would require
the PLCB to <b>variably screw the citizens that much harder </b>just to keep
them afloat. In that scenario, it is <b>better </b>for them to have <b>less people </b>on the
sales floor. What a way to run a business!<br />
<br />
PLCB workers, staff, administrators, board members, and your supporters in the Legislature: tell me why we need this <b>bloated, under performing jobs program?</b><br />
<br />
We are not safer, we are not better served and we are not satisfied. <b>Privatize.</b><br />
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<br />Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-38109010058705639422019-11-12T09:14:00.000-05:002019-11-12T09:52:38.061-05:00How much did they steal from you this year?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It's that (belated) time of year, <b>time </b>for the <b>PLCB </b>to tell us what a <b>wonderful job </b>they are doing and what a <b>swell place to work </b>they have. Their <b>Annual Report </b>is out <i>(you can download the PDF document <a href="https://www.lcb.pa.gov/About-Us/News-and-Reports/Documents/AR_2018-19_FINAL.pdf">here</a>)</i>, and the<b> truth</b> is in there; we just have to <b>root it out. </b></div>
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We say it's <b>"that time of year,"</b> but it's <b>not</b>, actually, because the annual report took a <b>ludicrous </b>four months to come out...<b>again</b>. Last time it took four months they said, <b>"Ohh, there were special considerations with the new tax code."</b> No new tax code <b>this year,</b> and they didn't bother with a <b>new excuse</b>. <b>What's the point</b>: <i>it's all lies anyway.</i></div>
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<b>Onward! </b>Right on page 2 there's a <b>mission statement</b> (<i>emphasis added</i>): </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The mission of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is to responsibly sell wine and spirits as a retailer and wholesaler, regulate Pennsylvania’s alcohol industry, promote alcohol education and social responsibility and <b>maximize financial returns </b>for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians.</blockquote>
<br />
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<b>Funny </b>how the part about <b>maximizing revenue isn't in the liquor code. </b>Just as well, since based on the available statistics they <b>aren't doing a very good job </b>on the stuff that is, like <b>alcohol education </b>or <b>social responsibility; </b>at least, not <b>compared </b>to states on our border. Their own report on these outcomes shows that <b>students who consumed alcohol </b>in the past year <b>went up </b>from 81.4% to 83% After 85 years of the PLCB, 85 years of <b>CONTROL FAILURE</b>...maybe it is time to <b>try a different system</b>. Any normal business wouldn't survive <b>85 years of failure</b>.</div>
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<b>What have they done to us lately?</b> After <b>record sales</b> (and record <b>variably-priced</b> screwing us) <b>PLCB liabilities</b> went down $2.03 million on <b>over $1.1 billion dollars of debt</b>. A <b>payback rate of over 500 years,</b> and getting worse. It was <b>"only"</b> 400 years previously. For some reason they don't report that number. Another <b>interesting part</b> of their financial reporting is that they say, on <b>five pages in a row,</b> that "The <b>accompanying notes </b>are an <b>integral part </b>of these statements." And then <b>don't list </b>what any of the accompanying notes <b>are</b>. They aren't going to <b>verify </b>what they are saying; <b>just believe them, </b>because they have such a <b>great track record </b>of telling the truth.<br />
<br />
<b>Another thing </b>they don't tell us is that while <b>variable pricing </b>was supposed to be a <b>partnership </b>where the <b>public </b>was supposed to <b>receive some benefit</b>, we don't know <b>what the benefit is </b>in dollar terms. We can look at <b>past financial statements </b>and see that the PLCB is <b>making almost double </b>what it used to. That's almost all because of <b>lower acquisition costs,</b> but <b>where is the share </b>that the public was supposed to get? We may have seen <b>a 2% reduction in prices</b>, and <b>even that </b>might be <b>high</b>. For every <b>extra $100 </b><i>they </i>make, <i>we </i>are probably <b>lucky </b>to see a <b>$2 reduction, </b>spread across a number of products. Even then the PLCB <b>still </b>screws us, because of their <b>rounding formula</b>. Rounding is <b>not considered part of "mark-up,"</b> so they can <b>hide that </b>from us, just like they hid <b>what the mark-ups actually are now</b>.<br />
<br />
It all goes back to the <b>total lack of leadership and experience </b>of those at the top. They are <b>never held responsible </b>for the <b>lack of progress</b> under their leadership, so the status quo, or even <b>a slip </b>in the status quo, is the norm. On the business side it is <b>even worse</b>. I can <b>understand </b>hiring <b>political hacks </b>if you <b>don't want things to improve </b>in a structured order. But when you've got a <b>failed congressman, a political chief of staff, and a furniture company exec</b> it doesn't seem to be the path to a <b>successful liquor business</b>. In 85 years there hasn't been a <b>Yuengling </b>or <b>Jacquin's </b>executive, or someone from a <b>wine wholesaler </b>or <b>spirits importer</b>, who was <b>qualified </b>and <b>wanted </b>to do the job...<i>really?</i><br />
<br />
<b>When you think about this</b>, keep in mind this quote from the Joint session of the House Liquor Control Committee and the Senate Law & Justice Committee of 2017 <i>(adjusted a bit for truth)</i>:<br />
<br />
<b>SENATOR MCILHINNEY</b> (former Chairman Senate L&J Committee, since retired): "... the state citizens <b>own </b>this system, and they should be able to <b>get some...benefit</b> by having a good deal when they go to the liquor store."<br />
<br />
<b>MR. HOLDEN </b>(Chairman: Liquor Control Board) : "<strike>Absolutely</strike> Absolutely <b>not</b>."<br />
<br />
There, I <b>fixed it </b>for you, Tim.<br />
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Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-70967535905827990512019-08-19T09:27:00.000-04:002019-08-19T09:27:34.637-04:00The Difference is What They Steal From You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did a <b>short post on this </b>for the "<b>Abolish the PLCB -- Rewrite the Code!</b>" <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/355217042982/">Facebook group</a>. If you <b>missed it </b>there (and you really should <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/355217042982/"><b>join</b></a>), this is the <b>full version</b>.<br />
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I'm about to <b>go out shopping </b>for my Labor Day get-together (planning ahead, as the <a href="https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2016/02/19/liquor-laws-how-get-beer-pennsylvania/80508058/">PLCB minions always nag about</a>). Phone in hand, I'm <b>checking prices</b>, just on the <b>rare case </b>that the PLCB put <b>something I want on clearance</b>. Because that's the <b>only </b>way they <b>ever </b>beat Total Wine's pricing. No surprises: no clearance deals, and nothing I wanted was on sale, or the difference might have been greater. <br />
<br />
I <b>usually </b>go to New Jersey, but the Total Wine in <b>Towson</b>, Maryland was <b>closer, </b>and even with the so-called "<b><a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1008-20121003-story.html">Free State</a></b>" (what bitter irony) charging a <b>9% sales tax on alcohol</b> it worked out to about the same total cost as New Jersey, but with less driving time. This is a <b>big store </b>at <b>30,000 sq.ft.</b> A true <b>Superstore </b>unlike anything in Pennsylvania. They also sell <b>beer </b>— like <b>any real liquor store </b>would — and as a <b>bonus </b>(for me, at least), they sell <b>cigars, </b>too. If Total Wine has a <b>variable pricing scheme, </b>it at least <b>appears </b>to favor the <b>consumer </b>with lower prices, and not just the owners. <b>Competition </b>will do that.<br />
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Here's the <b>Pennsylvania version </b>of <b>variable pricing </b>at work. <b>Jack Daniel's </b>is the largest selling <b>American whiskey </b>nationwide, and in both Pennsylvania and Maryland. If you <b>compare the prices </b>on <b>big brands </b>like that, keep this <b>in mind</b>: <b>every dollar difference </b>is what the PLCB is <b>stealing </b>from you with <b>variable pricing</b>. You <b>know </b>that Total Wine <b>isn't losing money. </b>They're set to <b>overtake the PLCB in total sales</b> shortly, so they <b>must </b>be doing something right, even though they have to <b>deal with competition </b>and not the <b>easy ride</b> of a <b>police enforced monopoly</b>.<br />
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<b>Dare to compare:</b><br />
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Kendall Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve California PLCB $15.99, Total $9.97 - <b>$6.02</b><br />
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Maker's Mark Straight Bourbon Whisky 1.75L PLCB $59.99, Total $44.99 - <b>$15.00</b><br />
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Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough PLCB $11.89, Total $10.97 - <b>$0.92</b><br />
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Apothic Red PLCB $12.99, Total $7.97 - <b>$5.02!</b><br />
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Tito's Handmade Vodka 80 Proof 1.75L PLCB $34.99, Total $28.99 - <b>$6.00</b><br />
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Jack Daniel's Old No 7 Black Label 1.75L PLCB $46.99, Total $39.99 - <b>$7.00</b><br />
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These are common choices, <b>big sellers</b>. Nothing <b>out of the ordinary </b>or esoteric to <b>skew </b>the results. It does show how <b>badly </b>we are being treated, how <b>badly </b>the PLCB is managed, how <b>badly </b>variable pricing is being abused...and <b>how much the PLCB lied to get it</b>. We <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2016/10/flexible-pricing-means-someones-getting.html">told you</a> this would happen. And here it is, in black and white.<br />
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End the charade. Privatize.<br />
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<br />Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-46103283774971404502019-08-09T10:25:00.004-04:002019-08-12T08:53:39.176-04:00What could Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas mean to Pennsylvania?<b>I am not a lawyer, </b>and some or all of my thoughts <b>could be right or wrong</b>, so <b>maybe </b>this post should be filed under <b>wishful thinking</b>, but...there <b>seems to be a crack in the control wall</b>. It's from the <b>hammer blow </b>struck by the <b>Supreme Court's </b>decision in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/tennessee-wine-and-spirits-retailers-assn-v-thomas"><b>Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas</b></a>, handed down on June 26. Take a look with me and <b>see what you think. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future of the PLCB?</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The facts of the case:</span></b></div>
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To
<b>sell liquor </b>in <b>Tennessee</b>, you need a <b>license </b>from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (<b>TABC</b>). That's pretty <b>normal</b>...in states where <b>private </b>liquor stores <b>are allowed</b>. But there was a <b>catch</b> in Tennessee. Under <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-57/chapter-3/part-2/57-3-204/"><b>Tennessee Code</b></a>, to get a license, you must have been a <b>resident </b>of the state for <b>two years</b>. There was a <b>ten year </b>residency required to <b>renew</b> a license, so <b>don't plan on leaving</b>. And yes, the same requirements were there for <b>corporations</b>.<br />
<br />
The case stems from <b>two license applications </b>that <b>did not meet </b>the residency requirement. The TABC was <b>planning </b>to <b>approve </b>their applications anyway...until the <b>Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers
Association </b>informed TABC that <b>if they did</b>, they planned to <b>sue</b>. (You know...to <b>protect </b>their <b>competitive advantage</b>.) The TABC <b>preemptively </b>went to court to <b>determine the constitutionality </b>of the requirement. The <b>district court </b>ruled that it <b>violated </b>the <b>dormant
Commerce Clause </b>of the <b>U.S. Constitution</b> <i>(Been saying that about the PLCB for years! -- Lew)</i>. The Sixth Circuit <b>affirmed</b>, and it was off to the <b>Supremes</b>, because the <b>Association </b>wasn't giving up on <b>their anti-competitive lawsuit. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cracking the wall around the 21st Amendment</td></tr>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">The Supremes Say: </b><br />
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In a <b>7-2 decision</b> (Justices Gorsuch and Thomas dissenting), the court found that: Under the dormant Commerce Clause, <b>notwithstanding the Twenty-First Amendment</b>, a state <b>may not regulate liquor sales
</b> by granting licenses <b>only </b>to individuals or entities that have <b>met
state residency requirements</b>.<br />
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The <b>21st Amendment </b>has long been held to <b>allow states free rein </b>on writing laws <b>controlling </b>the sale of alcohol <b>within their borders</b>. Section 2 of the Twenty-First Amendment states: “The <b>transportation or importation </b>into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States <b>for delivery or use </b>therein of <b>intoxicating liquors</b>, in <b>violation of the laws thereof</b>, is hereby prohibited.”<br />
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But a <b>number of Supreme Court decisions </b>since the 1990s -- <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/44_Liquormart,_Inc._v._Rhode_Island">44 Liquormart</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granholm_v._Heald">Granholm</a></b>, etc. -- have been <b>chipping away </b>at the <b>absolute </b>nature of such <b>control</b>. Tennessee Wine and Spirits takes that <b>quite a step further</b>. The Court’s <b>Commerce Clause jurisprudence </b>holds that “a state law that <b>discriminates against out-of-state goods </b>or nonresident economic actors can be <b>sustained only </b>on a showing that it is <b>narrowly tailored </b>to ‘<b>advance a legitimate local purpose</b>.’” Tennessee’s residency requirement <b>clearly favors </b>residents over nonresidents, <b>hard to justify </b>as a "<b>legitimate </b>local purpose" in the face of the Commerce Clause.<br />
<br />
<b>That's just what the Supreme Court found</b>. The Court noted that at the time the Eighteenth Amendment (nationwide prohibition) was ratified, it had <b>already been established </b>that the <b>Commerce Clause prevented </b>states from <b>discriminating </b>against the citizens and <b>products </b>of other states. Against this backdrop, when the <b>Twenty-First Amendment </b>was ratified, “the Commerce Clause <b>did not permit the States to impose protectionist measures </b>clothed as police-power regulations.” Thus, while § 2 of the Amendment gives states <b>latitude </b>with respect to the <b>regulation of alcohol</b>, it <b>does not allow them to violate the nondiscrimination principle.</b><br />
<br />
(A <b>discrimination</b>, maybe, against <b>every citizen and entity </b>who would like to <b>sell alcohol </b>in <b>competition </b>with the <b>state's police-enforced monopoly</b>?)<br />
<br />
The Court concluded that <b>protectionism is not a legitimate local purpose </b>and that the residency requirement “has at best a <b>highly attenuated relationship to public health or safety</b>.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Opinion</b></span><br />
Our state law <b>does </b>discriminate against out-of-state <b>citizens</b> and out-of-state <b>economic actors</b>. It also imposes <b>police powers </b>to maintain and <b>enforce protectionist measures. </b>Read the beginning of the <b>Liquor Code Section 104(a</b>):"This act shall be deemed an <b>exercise of the police power </b>of the Commonwealth for the <b>protection of the public welfare, health, peace and morals of the people </b>of the Commonwealth and to <b>prohibit forever the open saloon</b>, and all of the provisions of this act shall be <b>liberally construed </b>for the accomplishment of this purpose."<br />
<br />
In the above decision, the Supreme Court held that <b>"Protectionism is not a legitimate local purpose</b>" and stresses the <b>REGULATORY </b>authority, not <b>monopoly </b>authority of the state. But does that make Pennsylvania's <b>Almighty Liquor Code</b> invalid? That just might be the <b>next question </b>the Court will have to decide. <b>How much </b>does the <b>21st Amendment </b>give the states the right to impose <b>protectionist, monopoly, discriminatory </b>measures, instead of <b><i>regulation </i></b>that allows the <b>intent of the Commerce Clause</b>? How much does it <b>matter </b>if the state allows <b>private retailers </b>or <b>only state store sales?</b><br />
<br />
As I said, <b>I'm not a lawyer. </b>But it does <b>make me think </b>of what might be <b>coming down the road </b>at some point. I think that <b>Costco and Total </b>Wine teaming up will have the resources to <b>get it done </b>and none too soon for me.<br />
<br />
<b>Privatize. </b></div>
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</section>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-48296056707059418482019-07-29T09:31:00.001-04:002019-07-29T10:28:21.348-04:00Carlisle AlcoAutoFest! Drive Yourself To Drink!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation <b>(PENNDOT)</b> in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board <b>(PLCB)</b> are proud to bring you the first <b>Carlisle AlcoAutofest!</b> Due to the special relationship the PLCB has with PENNDOT, you will be able to drive to the Festival <b>even in cars not sold or ever sold in Pennsylvania!</b>(*1) Cars made <b>before 1933 </b>get in <b>free!</b><br />
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Numerous vendors will be providing samples of drinks you can only <b>"win"</b> (<i>the chance to purchase at variable pricing</i>) <b>by lottery</b> in Pennsylvania. The PLCB will have <i>two</i> on-site stores selling <b>the same things you can buy in every state store </b>at prices only <i>slightly </i>to <i>obscenely </i><b>above list price</b>. Taste the <b>latest bottlings</b> of Jim Beam White, Jack Daniel's Black, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, and many other standard brands <i>(that all cost less in Maryland, only 42 miles away)</i> straight from the well-known PLCB <b>overstock trailers </b>sitting in <b>the sun </b>behind the fenced-in area near the <b>porta-potties!</b> It will be an experience <b>you won't find anywhere else </b>in the country!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's only 5 days. How hot can it get?</td></tr>
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PENNDOT will have convenient <b>mandatory </b>breathalyzer stops all along the main drag and at <b>all exit points</b>. They'll be using the <b>same technology </b>as the <b>Wine Kiosks </b>- Amazing, <b>and fun!</b> <b>Safety is always the PLCB's number one concern</b> (the safety of <b>PLCB jobs,</b> that is). The PLCB's <b>number two concern </b>is money, <b>"profits"</b> (<i>hoho, what a funny joke</i>), so for the first time, <b>the BLCE </b>will be working with the Department of Revenue to <b>collect taxes </b>on bottles "won" by happy participants.(*2)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At checkpoint, show ID, face camera and blow
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See your <b>government in action</b> and your tax dollars at work! Take a <b>virtual tour </b>of the <b>PLCB luxury tasting room</b>. Learn how people with <b>minimal qualifications </b>decide what the <b>entire state </b>will be <b>allowed to buy</b>. See how knowing about <b>Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry </b>can get you an <b>executive position </b>with the PLCB! Visit the <b>Career Desk </b>and find out how a <b>career </b>with the PLCB is right for you. None of that <b>product knowledge or RAMP training required, </b>like in the private sector.<br />
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If you're in a <b>grumpy mood</b>, the PLCB has <b>just the thing</b>. Take a seat in the Courtesy Training tent (<i>supplied by a real company owned by the real husband of a real PLCB regional manager...which really was nepotism!</i>), and see how <b>PLCB clerks </b>deal with stress <b>like JFK did </b>during the <b>Cuban Missile Crisis (*3)!</b> Ask the PLCB staff why <b>bottles favored by alcoholics are cheaper </b>in Pennsylvania. You'll be <b><i>amazed </i></b>at the answer they give.<br />
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<b>Souvenirs </b>will be available in the PENNDOT tent. Just <b>take a number </b>and <b>have a seat </b>while you decide what commemorative item your Aunt Martha <b>really</b> wants. Maybe she'd like the "You've got a friend at AlcoAutoFest" plate <i>(shown above in classic Pennsylvania license plate blue and gold)</i>,<i> </i>or the "<b>10 Bootleggers per Year</b>" BLCE flag. (I like the "After 85 years only $1,000,000,000 in Debt" picture frame myself.)<br />
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<b>See you there!</b><br />
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<i>(*1) You just have to prove that all PA taxes were paid the year of importation into the state.</i><br />
<i>(*2) Taxes based on what the PLCB would have charged if they had any product, not on list price.</i><br />
<i>(*3) That was a real lesson in the original Courtesy Training contract.</i><br />
<i>The Carlisle AlcoAutoFest is not a real event. But it's about dumb enough for the PLCB to try it. </i>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-22639302710262537822019-07-22T09:50:00.000-04:002019-07-30T17:38:23.004-04:00Don't We Deserve a Better Board?<b>If we have to play by the PLCB rules</b>...could we at least get a <b>better set of players?</b><br />
<br />
Back in 2015 in the <a href="http://www.lcb.pa.gov/About-Us/News-and-Reports/Documents/Annual%20Report%202014_2015.pdf">Annual Report</a> (page 2), the <b>vision of the PLCB </b>was stated as: <i>"Be recognized as the best-in-class wine and spirits retailer, distributor and regulator in the United States."</i><br />
<br />
Which meant that they wanted to be <b>better than Utah</b>, the <i>only </i>other wine and spirits <b>retailer, distributor, and regulator </b>in the United States. <b>Not a high bar</b>, considering <b>Utah </b>is practically an <b>anti-alcohol theocracy</b>. Four years later, how are they doing? Let's start at the top and go from there.<br />
<br />
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has <b>three members, </b><i>none of which </i>over the past 85 years has any previous knowledge of the liquor industry or about running a <b>2 billion dollar enterprise</b>.<br />
<br />
We have a <b>Chairman </b>who has no experience with even a <b>million dollar business</b>, let along something the <b>size of the PLCB</b>. He did make it to Congress, and served on the <b>Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry subcommittee,</b> and <b>Transportation and Infrastructure </b>committee, before the <b>citizens </b>decided that he <b>wasn't doing the job </b>they wanted and <b>voted him out</b>. Since there isn't <b>much call </b>for somebody who's <b>chummy with with politicians</b>, and knows <b>a little </b>about Livestock, Dairy & Poultry, the PLCB was a <b>perfect place </b>to put somebody who was <b>owed a couple of favors</b>.<br />
<br />
Governor Corbett appointed Republican benefactor <b>Mike Negra </b>to the board. Mr. Negra does have a history of being involved in <b>multiple successful businesses</b>, so at least he has a <b>concept </b>of what is going on, but no actual hands on with the <b>liquor business, </b>or anything the <b>size </b>of the PLCB.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eEbMz2yi9tA/XTW2R95kBGI/AAAAAAAAqFI/UOLBGW2CDKsnQ_R_oToMgzqnZ8a13FliACLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="310" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eEbMz2yi9tA/XTW2R95kBGI/AAAAAAAAqFI/UOLBGW2CDKsnQ_R_oToMgzqnZ8a13FliACLcBGAs/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Lastly we have the <b>newest member </b>and <b>first woman ever </b>to serve on the board, <b><a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/former-wolf-chief-of-staff-campaign-aide-confirmed-to-pa-liquor-control-board.html">Mary Isenhour</a></b>. <b>Although you wouldn't know it by looking at the PLCB website</b>. Here it is, <i>over a MONTH</i> after her confirmation, and the PLCB <b>still hasn't decided </b>if she <b>rates <a href="https://www.lcb.pa.gov/About-Us/Board/Pages/Board-Members.aspx">being included</a> </b>with the other board members. (Let's see how long it takes for them to include her once this is published.)*<br />
<br />
<b>Keeping the public informed </b>through transparency is sadly not the way the PLCB works. Remember that it took <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/03/100-days-and-counting-oh-will-you-look.html">over 100 days</a> before they <b>removed Michael Newsome, </b>and that was only after I <b>poked them with a stick</b> again. Newsome <b>might still be there </b>if I hadn't said anything.<br />
<br />
<b>What are Isenhour's qualifications?</b> She was <b>Gov. Wolf's Chief of Staff</b> and a <b>campaign aide</b>. Her business experience is <b>like the others</b>, <b>desperately lacking </b>in knowledge and size. She replaced Michael Newsome, who was <b>Gov. Wolf's CFO </b>in the furniture business -- can't get more qualified to sell liquor than that...<b>or can we?</b><br />
<br />
Remember how we were <b>comparing the PLCB</b> to <b>Utah's State Store System of Stores?</b> So how does the <b>Utah DABC stack up?</b> They have a seven member board that's appointed, but there is also an <b>advisory board </b>of seven members...<b>who must come from defined specific areas of expertise</b>. The Governor can't just <b>willy nilly pick his favorite dog walker </b>to sit on the <b>Advisory Board</b>. Utah <b>specifies </b>that the <b>advisory board members </b>are selected from the following areas of expertise.<br />
<br />
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<b>Retail Alcohol Industry —</b> Wholesaler Industry — Manufacturing Industry — <b>Restaurant Industry</b> — Utah <b>Substance Use </b>and Mental Health Advisory Council — <b>Alcohol or Drug Related Enforcement </b>— Division of <b>Substance Abuse </b>and Mental Health — <b>Alcohol or Drug Abuse </b>Prevention and Education<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MvHl_zKEwLc/XTW8TSXaiTI/AAAAAAAAqFY/KxR398A7Tb0oRLAmoyvF3CkO777waF9NwCLcBGAs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="87" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MvHl_zKEwLc/XTW8TSXaiTI/AAAAAAAAqFY/KxR398A7Tb0oRLAmoyvF3CkO777waF9NwCLcBGAs/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Utah version of a Superstore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3S_7zVqOcw/XTW8crz7yEI/AAAAAAAAqFc/8fW5yLcWrd0VUOtmfuzdiCL_Naqgcw-iwCEwYBhgL/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3S_7zVqOcw/XTW8crz7yEI/AAAAAAAAqFc/8fW5yLcWrd0VUOtmfuzdiCL_Naqgcw-iwCEwYBhgL/s1600/3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view. Pretty nice, right? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is <b>almost certain </b>that since this <b>system </b>was adopted <b>every Utah DABC Advisory member </b>is <b>far more qualified </b>than <b>any </b>that have ever been appointed to the <b>PLCB</b>. This doesn't mean that Utah hasn't had their share of people of <b>limited competence</b> on the Liquor Board. The <b>Governor selects </b>the seven members of the Liquor Board, so it can be and likely is as <b>full of hacks and cronies </b>as Pennsylvania. The difference is that <b>the Utah board </b>can't go <b>off the rails </b>making <b>arbitrary decisions </b>without an <b>adult from the Advisory Board </b>watching them. No deciding that <b>12 packs are cases</b>, no <b>robot wine armies</b>, no <b>variably price screwing </b>the citizens, and no being <b>over a Billion in debt</b>. Oh, and they have had <b>women </b>on the Boards for years already.<br />
<br />
<br />
End the PLCB jobs program - <b>PRIVATIZE<br /><br /><br />*True to form it only took the PLCB 42 days to finally put up a picture. Not quite as bad as the 102 days it took to take down the board member she replaced.</b>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-75186181954139119432019-06-26T10:00:00.000-04:002019-06-26T10:00:05.534-04:00The PLCB. A failure of an idea and the beginning of a fiefdom.Sometime in December of 1933, then Pennsylvania Governor <b>Gifford Pinchot </b>sat down to write an editorial piece for the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=n0AEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=%22Whisky%20will%20be%20sold%20by%20civil%20service%20employees%20with%20exactly%20the%20same%20amount%20of%20salesmanship%20as%20is%20displayed%20by%20an%20automatic%20postage%20sta&source=bl&ots=TrWfS3RTPN&sig=ACfU3U1aF180yQ-Ff0bWXmReMh9GlWmgnQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiEg9bc7p3hAhWNg-AKHWqRBooQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ&fbclid=IwAR19H0i2yzQfNQW_0Bv2FguvvEffo-khWzL8wY-6vMQUDZL7fjFAWi3PLPI#v=onepage&q=%22Whisky%20will%20be%20sold%20by%20civil%20service%20employees%20with%20exactly%20the%20same%20amount%20of%20salesmanship%20as%20is%20displayed%20by%20an%20automatic%20postage%20sta&f=false"><i>Rotarian </i>magazine</a> <i>[you can read it, starting in page 12*]</i>. He laid out his reasons for <b>"The Pennsylvania Plan,"</b> his reasons why he felt that the government had to restrict alcohol <i>for</i> the citizens, because <b>they couldn't control themselves</b>. Let's look at the points he made in The Pennsylvania Plan, and see if Pennsylvania <b>needed them then</b>...and if we have any need of them <b>now</b>.<br />
<br />
Pinchot said that Pennsylvania's liquor control legislation is dependent on <b>five cardinal points.</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The <b>saloon </b>must not be allowed to come back.</li>
<li>Liquor must be kept entirely <b>out of Politics.</b></li>
<li><b>Judges </b>must not be forced into Liquor politics.</li>
<li>Liquor must not be <b>sold without restraint</b>.</li>
<li><b>Bootlegging </b>must be made unprofitable.</li>
</ol>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ardent environmentalist; ardent prohibitionist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a quick look, you might conclude that <b>all of his points have
failed except #4.</b> (We do our <b>own bootlegging </b>these days, thanks to the <b>big liquor stores </b>on the New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland borders.) However, during the 85 years since Repeal, the <b>meaning </b>
of the language in some of the points has <b>changed</b>.<br />
<br />
Take point #1: <b>saloons </b>pre-Prohibition were in a large part <b>controlled by the
brewers</b>. Prices were kept low, so demand was high. There
were <b>enticements </b>like <b>free food or snacks </b>for those buying beer, which is why you see <b>strangely detailed happy hour laws </b>about <b>how much food </b>can be given away, and <b>what kind</b>. Bars were <b>"tied"</b> to the brewer that backed them; the only
way you could <b>get a Miller </b>instead of <b>a Bud</b>, for instance,<b> </b>was to <b>go to another bar</b>. The <b>corruption </b>this caused, both in <b>business and in politics</b> from the <b>free-flowing graft money </b>produced, was one of the <b>big drivers for Prohibition. </b><br />
<br />
That all changed with the <b>three tier system </b>in place in Pennsylvania (and most of the United States) today. That created three defined "tiers:" <b>producer/brewer, wholesaler, and retailer</b>, and forbid owners of one tier from <b>owning businesses </b>in the other two. No "tied houses." <b>So did the saloon come back? </b>Yes, but <b>not in the same way</b>, and that <b>hasn't been all bad </b>for the consumer. We'll call this point a <b>draw.</b><br />
<br />
In point #2, Pinchot was talking about <b>patronage</b>, the "spoils system," in which <b>state jobs </b>were handed out as <b>political favors</b>. He's already planning the <b>huge jobs program</b> of the <b>State Store System of Stores</b>. Point #2 meant that
employees would be selected based on <b>skills testing </b>instead of <b>loyalty testing</b>; who they <b>knew </b>
and the <b>favors they could do</b>. This was mostly true for the rank and file <b>store workers</b>,
<b>not so much for the managers,</b> and <b>not at all for the Board </b>who have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Liquor_Control_Board">all been <b>political hacks, cronies, and lawyerly hangers-on</b></a> since day one.<br />
<br />
He also
thought that <b>this new system </b>would keep politicians from <b>buying votes with booze,</b> and thus fall under the <b>control </b>of
distilleries and brewers. Did that work? Hard to say, because <b>how
people drank </b>changed during the Depression. <b>More drank at home after Repeal</b>, because they could buy at a local store
instead of having to <b>go out to a speakeasy </b>or club. This all
changed again once the <b>stores were unionized. </b>Now the <b>money flowed from union
coffers </b>into <b>politician's pockets </b>to <b>buy votes to keep this archaic system alive</b>. Although the <b>jobs </b>are still <b>subject to civil service rules </b>-- despite <b>recent efforts </b>to change this, under the guise of "<b>improvement</b>" -- overall <b>this has failed</b>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Money, money, money, <i>moooooney...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Point #3 is keeping the <b>dollars, booze
and votes </b>away from <b>judges </b>and their decisions. Now we have <b>judges</b>
working for the the PLCB...well, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/state/20120617_LCB_judges__work_habits_are_faulted.html"><i>mostly</i> 'working.'</a> I wonder what Gifford would say about that.
This <b>has worked</b>, but <b>largely </b>because <b>judges working on booze </b>have been <b><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ring-fenced">ring-fenced</a></b>, as the British say.<br />
<br />
Point #4 was <b>probably </b>true for the <b>first 70
years </b>of the <b>State Store System of Stores</b> -- ah, <b>fond memories </b>of the completely <b>customer-unfriendly</b> counter stores! -- but no longer. When the board that was put in place to <b>control drinking</b> is now <b>advertising</b>, having <b>sales</b>, <b>sponsoring fests of
various kinds</b>, even trying to <b>sell booze by robot!</b> -- you can say that the <b>restraint</b> is <b>limited </b>at best.<br />
<br />
Point 5 is <b>pretty much irrelevant</b>. As we said, bootlegging went from <b>criminal enterprise</b> to an <b>everyday crime</b> cheerfully <i>"committed"</i> by <b>private citizens</b>. Governor Pinchot thought that the <b>state </b>would be able to <b>sell alcohol </b>for <b>less </b>than the bootleggers, and they <b>mostly did</b>. But the <b>power </b>of the <b>police-enforced monopoly</b> and <b>pure greed </b>kept them from selling wine and spirits for <b>less than the border states,</b> which made them <b>complicit</b> in making <b>criminals </b>of <b>everyday citizens</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Governor Pinchot</b> was a leader in the <b>Dry movement </b>and was a teetotaler himself. He really thought that his plan would have "<b>support of the vast majority </b>of the citizens of Pennsylvania." But he <b>never </b>actually <b>let the people decide,</b> and as we all know, there has <b>never </b>been a single <b>scientific poll </b>that showed the citizens to <b>be in favor </b>of the State Store System of Stores.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Looking back to what was envisioned</b> by Pinchot, you can see how <b>corrupt </b>the plan became over time. <b>Millions of dollars</b> were "...to be <b>made available to school districts</b> to help schools that were in danger of being closed." Even if we <b>sucked out every penny possible </b>from the PLCB now, it would only be about <b>$90 for every taxpayer*</b>* this year. That's certainly not a rate the PLCB could <b>keep up, </b>and <b>not really enough to notice</b> in my almost $5,000 tax bill. Pinchot also <b>suggested </b>that if <b>an item wasn't available</b> the system "<b>would have to get it.</b>" <b>Still failing at that one 85 years later. </b>And don't forget: there were <b>THREE TIMES</b> as many licenses available back then as now. <b>Where did we go so wrong</b>, Gifford? A commonwealth turns its <b>thirsty eyes </b>to you.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SmDB_C7Qg6U/XJvH-TXweEI/AAAAAAAAB44/yENDuN-hO84ejFNVkoSuGF9jIGX8OSSKACLcBGAs/s1600/New%2BCastle%2BWets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="700" height="204" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SmDB_C7Qg6U/XJvH-TXweEI/AAAAAAAAB44/yENDuN-hO84ejFNVkoSuGF9jIGX8OSSKACLcBGAs/s320/New%2BCastle%2BWets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Unfortunately, not everything he <b>proposed </b>went...<b>wrong</b>. The Governor said that "<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><b>Whisky
will be sold by civil
service employees</b> with exactly the same amount of <b>salesmanship </b>as is
displayed by an <b>automatic postage stamp vending machine</b>." Sure enough, that is <b>exactly </b>what we have in <b>almost every transaction</b>! He also said that there will be no
<b>artificial stimulation </b>of the demand for liquor. No PLCB
sponsoring a flower show trying to get women to drink, no staying open
longer for hunting season, no bottle signings by third rate
celebrities.</span></span><br />
<br />
As a <b>naturalist,</b> Gifford Pinchot was probably <b>second only to Teddy Roosevelt</b> in public service. (He was the <b>first professional forester </b>in America.) His <b>main fault </b>was that he <b>never </b>actually <b>wanted to know </b>what the <b>citizens </b>thought of his <b>Pennsylvania Plan, </b>because he thought <b>he knew what was best </b>for the masses.<br />
<br />
And that is the thing about the PLCB and the Almighty Liquor Code that has changed <b>the least</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*If you get the chance, read the "Regulated Licenses, Retail Plan" by Frank J. Loesch on page 14.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** 10.1 M adults, 68.6% are homeowners, ~90% of them pay some property tax</span></i>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-32907979466056491442019-06-20T10:07:00.000-04:002019-06-26T10:07:44.887-04:00Revisiting some numbers that you won't see the PLCB publishI <b>first posted </b><a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2016/04/numbers-numbers-numbers.html">Numbers, Numbers, Numbers</a> (some <b>State Store numbers</b> that are <b>always missing </b>in the PLCB's <b>annual report</b>) three years ago. It might be good to have a <b>second look </b>to see if there was any improvement <b>at the PLCB</b>. The original findings are (in parentheses).<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1920270002762713446" itemprop="description articleBody">
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1) The average amount of non-tax revenue returned to the state per unit (single bottle or box) of wine or liquor -<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><b>$1.25 </b><i>(73 cents) </i><i>Beware: this is based on the so-called "profit" turned in to the General Fund, which has little to do with actual profit. It's simply the amount <b>asked for </b>by the administration. We know that reserves were dipped into for 2018, so this number is skewed even more than it normally would be.</i><b><i></i></b><br />
<br />
2) Not counting the <b>actual cost of the item</b>, what the PLCB spends to put one item on the shelf - <b>$2.91 </b><i>($3.06)</i><br />
<br />
3) What PA spends to put an item on the shelf, <b>including </b>the average cost of the item - <b>$10.78 </b><i>($11.40)</i><br />
<br />
4) What it costs <i>with taxes included</i> to put one average item on the shelf - <b>$14.48</b> (<i>$15.21)</i><br />
<i>Note: While it looks like items 2,3, and 4 are an improvement...this is due to the huge numbers around just 3 items: Fireball 50 ml (+750,000 unitls) and Tito's 50 ml (+175,000 units) and Tito's liter (+380,000 units). When you <b>increase mini sales </b>by <b>over 900,000</b> units, it skews the <b>average </b>cost and tax per unit. </i><br />
<br />
5) Average <b>real estate rental cost </b>per store (2018) - <b>$1663 a week </b><i>($1432<b>)</b></i><br />
<br />
6) <b>Industry average </b>profit margin <b>8.1%;</b> <b>PLCB </b>2018 profit margin <b>8.9%</b><i> (6%) </i><i>The majority of this increase is due to the auction of the "Zombie" liquor licenses, not because of actual retail sales.</i><br />
<br />
7) PLCB <b>effective markup</b>, not counting any <b>taxes</b> -<b> 46.7% <i>(45.36%)</i></b><br />
<i>This is because of <b>variable pricing</b>. Now that <b>almost all </b>items fall under that, expect this to <b>rise even more </b>next year.</i><br />
<br />
8) <b>State and federal government workers'</b> average benefits as percentage of salary - <b>36.4%</b>.<br />
<b>PLCB benefits as percentage of salary <i>- </i>85-104%</b> <i>(as stated by Board members during the Appropriations hearings in the Senate).</i><br />
<br />
9) Percent of sales <b>actually checked for proof of age </b>- <b>Unknown. </b><br />
<i>The PLCB did <b>not include </b>any information about carding in this year's summary. It is still probably <b>under 2% </b>as it has been in years past.</i><br />
<br />
10) <b>Retail Wine Specialists </b>as a percentage of PLCB workers: <b>2.2%</b><i> </i><i>(1.7%) </i><i>- Only a gain of 20 in three years. </i>Retail Wine Specialist as a percentage of <b>Total Wine </b>store employees - <b>~20%</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sources</b></span><br />
<br />
1. - $185M returned to General Fund plus $30.5M for BLCE plus $5.5M for Alcohol Awareness programs plus $2.5M for Drug & Alcohol programs divided by 178.9
million unit sales. We were told "Modernization" will increase profits by
$180M. Is anyone surprised that we're not seeing anything close to that? (<i>Keep in mind
that the $185 million is a very flexible number, mostly representing what
the Legislature requires from the PLCB, whether it's actually "profit"
or not.)</i><br />
2. - <b>Operating expenses </b>(not counting the cost of wine and spirits) of $520M,
divided by units sold. The<b> lower </b>this number, the <b>more efficient </b>the
organization is.<br />
3. - Operating Expenses plus Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) = $1.928B divided by units sold 178.9M. <br />
4. - Gross sales ($2.59B) divided by total units sold. $3.47 in tax for every
bottle or box sold is the average of sales and Johnstown Flood Tax; more
expensive bottles can be much more.<br />
5. - Rental expense for all operating leases $52.2M divided by 604
stores. Of course, this <b>cost will increase </b>as the PLCB tries to move
into <b>higher traffic areas</b>.<br />
6. - IBISWorld, May 2013, <b>Operating Income </b>divided by Sales Net of
Taxes. With <b>increased pension costs</b>, workers comp, salary, and benefits
increasing, this<b> won't improve</b> any time soon.<br />
7. - <b>COGS divided by gross profit</b>. This fat markup
of 46.7% <b>still </b>isn't going to <b>be enough to cover </b>increasing operating
costs as the PLCB had to <b>go into reserves again </b>to pay the $185M requested by Gov. Wolf<br />
8. - US Dept Of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016 PA Senate
Appropriations hearing.<br />
9. - <b>No information about carding </b>is mentioned in this year's documents. You have <b>slightly
better </b>than 98% chance of <b>not </b>being carded (compared to <b>a 0.0% chance </b>at
<b>private stores </b>like Wegmans), and since the <b>State Stores </b>are <b>never
checked by police </b>for underage compliance...how <b>effective </b>are they?<br />
10. - 4999 (2/15/2019) divided by 111 (www.pennwatch) There appear to be <b><i>no</i> Spirits Specialists </b>in the PLCB.<br />
11. - Over <b>5000 employees </b>and <b>800+ Wine Specialists </b>(Total Wine wiki ). The <b>PLCB </b>has <b>ONE </b>retail wine specialist for every <b>5.4
stores</b>, Total has <b>SIX at <i>each</i> store</b>.
</div>
Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-57959716470786505942019-06-03T08:00:00.000-04:002019-06-03T08:20:50.215-04:00Just Imagine...<b>Imagine </b>that the Commonwealth <b>controlled meat sales </b>like they do with <b>wine. Crazy, sure</b>, but the <b>State Store System of Stores</b> doesn't make sense either. Just go with it. Along with the <b>butchers </b>who came in <b>every day </b>and cut the <b>steaks and chops </b>and ground the burger, there was this one guy, <b>The Meat Master,</b> who got to select <b>special meats</b> from all over that you <b>couldn't normally find </b>in Pennsylvania, mainly because the <b>Meat Control Board </b>didn't know what they were. You know, like the guy at the PLCB who picks the <b>Chairman's Selections</b>.<br />
<br />
This <b>Meat Master</b>, he must really <b>know his meat</b>, right? He should be able to tell <b>Choice from Wagyu </b>with <b>just one chew</b>, have a <b>couple of years </b>as a <b>certified master butcher,</b> so he knows <b>first hand </b>all the different cuts of meat available: beef, pork, poultry, game, sausage and charcuterie. He's the <b>Meat Master</b>, you'd want to be sure <b>he knows what he's doing </b>so that the <b>citizens </b>of Pennsylvania get the <b>absolute best meat possible</b>.<br />
<br />
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Yeah, except the real <b>Meat Master </b>has only <b><i>read </i>about </b>meat. He's eaten <b>lots of burgers </b>and pork chops, and <b>even had some fine hand-cut Delmonico steaks. </b>But he <b>never </b>actually had to <b>prove his ability </b>by being able to <b>differentiate different cuts and grades of meat</b> by taste. On top of that, his <b>certification test </b>to identify different cuts was <b>all home study </b>and he never actually did <b>any work </b>in a kitchen or <b>butcher shop</b>. He has the lowest possible certification as a <b>butcher</b>, but he's never so much as <b>boned a chicken</b>.</div>
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<a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Society-of-Wine-Educators-Logo1.jpg?w=320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Society-of-Wine-Educators-Logo1.jpg?w=320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Society-of-Wine-Educators-Logo1.jpg?w=320" width="123" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="articleBody"></span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><b>You've probably guessed</b>; this is about <b>wines </b>at the the PLCB, not <b>meat </b>at the Meat Control Board. The new head of the Chairman's Selection, <b>Josh Hull</b>, is a <b>Certified Specialist of Wine</b>. It sounds pretty
<b>fancy,</b> but what does it actually mean? A CSW is the <b>lowest certification
</b> provided by The Society Of Wine Educators (SWE), the <b>bottom rung </b>of one
of the four main wine certification organizations. </span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody">The CSW certification has <b>no official class time required </b>to sit
for an exam. It is entirely an <b>independent study program</b>. After passing
an exam, the credentials are appended to an individual’s name, which
is <b>appealing </b>for those aiming to make themselves <b>more marketable </b>in the
wine and spirits industry. It's...about <b>one step </b>above being a <b>mail-order preacher</b>. It is better than the in-house PLCB certification, but <b>that ain't saying much</b>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwmrqpXut8w/XO_-8HH4J4I/AAAAAAAAB8I/nhb4zPupBEsqsWxXOHn6yEu2P2FI8CqcwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="375" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwmrqpXut8w/XO_-8HH4J4I/AAAAAAAAB8I/nhb4zPupBEsqsWxXOHn6yEu2P2FI8CqcwCEwYBhgL/s200/Intro.jpg" width="151" /></a><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody">If you think that this guy is the <b>standard </b>that the <b>rest of
the wine world </b>is striving to achieve, that <b>pretty much sums up </b>what a
lot of the <b>problems </b>are at the PLCB. <b>Delusion </b>seems to be at or near the
top of the list. </span></span></span></span><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"> My <b>waiter </b>the last time I was in DC * had <b>better credentials </b>than the guy selecting
Chairman's Selection wines. <b>How do I know this?</b> He had his pin on for
<b>completion </b>of the introductory <b>Sommeliers </b>course.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><br />For some of the
<b>top wine programs </b>it takes <b>years of study</b>, multiple exams, <b>hands on tasting, </b>and
having to <b>prove your expertise</b>. The Institute </span></span><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody">of <span itemprop="articleBody">Masters
of Wine "</span></span></span></span><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody">seeks to <b>educate those on the leading edge </b>of the wine world." That pretty much explains why there are <b>none </b>in the PLCB. </span></span></span>We wouldn't want that for Pennsylvania would we?</span><br /><br />The reality is that the <b>Chairman's Selection Program often buys wine that didn't sell </b>when faced with free market competition. Consumers - en masse - <b>already decided </b>that there <b>are or were better wines </b>available at those particular price points. </span><span itemprop="articleBody">That isn't to say they are <b>bad wines</b>, just not <b>popular</b>. </span><br />
<a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tasting-britain-masters-of-wine-logo-001.png?w=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tasting-britain-masters-of-wine-logo-001.png?w=300" width="229" /></a><span itemprop="articleBody"> </span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><b>What do you do </b>when you have a product that doesn't sell? You <b>put it on sale, </b>perhaps try to <b>offer it </b>in other places that wouldn't <b>normally </b>carry it like...<b>The Dollar Store. Or Pennsylvania</b>. If this stuff was <i><b>so good, </b></i>why didn't the <b>super-duper wine selectors </b>at the PLCB select it in <b>the first place?</b><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"><br /><br />The PLCB should have hired an already highly <b>certified and qualified person
</b> who could then <b>train up </b>their platoon of wine buyers and wine
specialists past the <b>"PLCB standards"</b> to industry recognized standards, thereby improving the consumer experience. Remember us? <b>The consumers?</b> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="articleBody">Pennsylvania is a <b>dumping ground </b>for wine the rest of the country <b>didn't want.</b> Shouldn't we at least have somebody who is the absolute best picking out <b>the gems from the dregs?</b><br /><br /><br /><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><i>*Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons - highly recommended especially if somebody else is paying for it. BTW, they have 3 Sommeliers on staff, the PLCB has none. </i></span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><span itemprop="articleBody"></span></span>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-28338397967257641282019-05-13T09:42:00.000-04:002019-05-13T09:42:18.815-04:00How Long Does It Take? Two weeks ago I <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/04/they-only-fix-it-if-you-poke-them-with.html">posted</a> about how the <b>PLCB inventory accuracy rate</b> is getting <b>worse</b>. As I mentioned then, I <b>wrote them an email</b> with the link to the story, explained what their <b>mistakes </b>were, and gave them the <b>official government regulations</b> that explain how to determine what spirits should be called. If I gave them any more help, I would have to fix the inventory <b>myself</b>.<br />
<br />
Anyone with <b>moderate typing skills </b>could make these corrections in about three minutes. <b>Two weeks </b>should surely be enough time, even with <b>supervisory oversight</b>. Let's see how that worked out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKBiF_vL8vo/XNhRtwDWlAI/AAAAAAAAB7A/vyK4PPQFMBMBl7pG8wh0e6HDsj3sVdzpACLcBGAs/s1600/Typer.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="475" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKBiF_vL8vo/XNhRtwDWlAI/AAAAAAAAB7A/vyK4PPQFMBMBl7pG8wh0e6HDsj3sVdzpACLcBGAs/s320/Typer.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLCB - third-rate data entry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.<b> 510608</b>
<b>Berkshire Mountain Distillers Bourbon Whiskey - </b>This one is pretty easy. If it's a bourbon, it's <b>not a blend</b>: <i>it's a bourbon. </i><br /><span style="color: red;"><b>NOT FIXED</b></span>: The PLCB still calls it a bourbon, but still categorizes it as a blend.<br /><br />2. <b>153</b>
<b>Brixton Bourbon Whiskey Mash Destroyer - </b>I could
<b>almost forgive</b> this one, because it's a 'blend' of <b>bourbon and rum</b>; where do you put that? <b>But they couldn't even get the name right!</b> It isn't Brixton <b>Bourbon Mash </b>
Destroyer, it's <b><i>Brixton Mash Destroyer</i></b>. Why do they constantly <b>add words that aren't there?</b> Put this in SPECIALTIES, but it's not BLENDED WHISKEY.<br /><b>FIXED</b>:
While still in the Blended whiskey section they did fix the name and
changed the description enough to show that at least an effort was made.<br /><br />3. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=31328" target="_blank"><b>31328</b></a>
<b>Clyde May's Bourbon Mash Whiskey </b>- There is no Clyde May's <b>"Bourbon Mash Whiskey."</b> The Clyde May brand has a <b>Straight Bourbon </b>-- which is a <i>bourbon </i>-- and a "<b>Alabama-style Whiskey</b>" -- which is bourbon <b>with apple added</b>, which makes it SPECIALTIES -US, or WHISKEY...<br />
<b>FIXED</b>: Amazingly, the PLCB not only corrected the description but put it in the correct category too.<br />
<br />
4. <b>608012</b>
<b>Crater Lake Rye Reserve</b>- Again, not blended. It's RYE. <b>Pretty simple</b>. Who's making mistakes this <b>simple and stupid</b>? Sorry/not sorry: there's <b>no other way</b> to describe that.<br /><span style="color: red;"><b>NOT FIXED</b></span>: The PLCB didn't do <i>anything</i>.</span> <br /><br />5. <b>559141</b>
<b>George Dickel Whiskey Single Barrel </b>- <b>Reading
comprehension </b>and product knowledge required; no wonder the <b>PLCB got it
wrong</b>. If it is <b>single barrel,</b> what are you <b>blending it with?</b>
Imagination? There should be a <b>TENNESSEE WHISKEY</b> category. Most other <b>Tennessees </b>are in <b>WHISKEY</b>, which is such a <b>catch-all </b>it's all but <b>worthless</b>.<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>TOSS UP</b></span>: They didn't fix it...but they didn't keep the listing either. <b>The item has disappeared.</b><br /><br />6. <b>528555 Hooker's House Organic Rye Whiskey </b>- There is <b>no record </b>of a "Hooker's House <i>Organic</i> Rye Whiskey" on the Internet...<b>except connected</b> to this <b>mistaken PLCB record</b>. Again, <i>why are you adding words that aren't even there? </i>In any case: RYE, <b>not a blend</b>. Okay?<br /><span style="color: red;"><b>NOT FIXED</b></span>. Is two weeks just not enough time? This was one of the easy ones!<br /><br />7. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=34278" target="_blank"><b>34278</b></a>
<b>Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select Tennessee Whiskey 90 Proof </b>- Given their <a href="http://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/03/jack-daniels-is-whats-wrong-with-plcbs.html"><b>track record</b></a>, is anyone <b>really surprised </b>that there's a <b>Jack Daniel's bottling </b>on this list? I've been mentioning this <b>particular one </b>for a few years now. Jack Daniel doesn't <b>make </b>blended whiskey, but that doesn't stop the PLCB from getting it wrong <i>for the past 3 years</i>.<br /><span style="color: red;"><b>NOT FIXED</b></span>: Was there any doubt the PLCB would continue to screw up this entry? It is part of their DNA to have at least one Jack Daniel's product wrong.<br /><br />8. <b>504228</b>
<b>Jim Beam Eight Star Kentucky Whiskey 8 Year Old </b>- They <b>almost </b>got this one right: <i>it is a blend!</i> But as I <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2017/09/plcb-stupid-inventory-part-100.html">mentioned</a> <b>over a year ago...</b>it is <b>not 8 years old</b>. Where is <b>that</b> on this very simple label? <b>Nowhere that I can see.<br />FIXED! </b>I wonder who had to read the label and make the <b>command decision </b>that it doesn't say 8 years old.<br /><br />9. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=446" target="_blank"><b>446</b></a>
<b>Wigle Phil's Shadow Rye Whiskey Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels</b> - <i>Not a blend</i>. Again, at the very least, a RYE. <br /><span style="color: red;">NOT FIXED</span>: Not one of the three ryes on the list were fixed. <b>Does Rye confuse the PLCB?</b></span><br />
<b><br /></b><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJmbn2t0t6I/XNhVBXQjPkI/AAAAAAAAB7U/FFeQDU-6MiA6L722VsXiRU7hlp2En3MkQCLcBGAs/s1600/out%2Bof%2Btime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="281" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJmbn2t0t6I/XNhVBXQjPkI/AAAAAAAAB7U/FFeQDU-6MiA6L722VsXiRU7hlp2En3MkQCLcBGAs/s1600/out%2Bof%2Btime.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's ONLY been two weeks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>
Pretty weak track record</b>. Two weeks, ten whole work days, and only three entries fixed, four if you want to be <i>generous</i>. I guess none of the managers are the "hands on" type, and not very good motivators. Typical PLCB.<br /><br />There are undoubtedly <b>THOUSANDS </b>of bad entries in the PLCB inventory; I haven't even looked at the <b>wines</b>. If they can't fix even <b>half </b>of a small sub-group <b><i>when given all the information...</i></b>imagine how badly they are doing when they have to find out and correct these things through their own means.</span><br />
<br />
This access to '<b>all the wine and spirits in the entire system'</b> is supposedly one of the <b>advantages </b>of the <b>State Store System of Stores</b>. You don't have to <b>chase </b>supply and <b>price </b>through hundreds of <b>individual </b>stores, like in those <b>terribly disorganized </b>"free" states. If the database is so <b>badly disorganized </b>that you can't find what you're looking for...<b>where's the advantage?</b><br />
<br />
There is none. <b>Privatize now.</b>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-51145007687807816442019-04-29T08:57:00.000-04:002019-04-29T08:57:47.218-04:00They only fix it if you poke them with a stickEighteen months ago I wrote in "<a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2017/09/plcb-stupid-inventory-part-100.html">PLCB Stupid Inventory Part 100</a>" how <b>five out of only 53 items </b>in the <b>"Blended Whiskey"</b> category of their product database were...in the <b>wrong </b>category, about a 10% error rate. If you got <b>10%</b> of your job <b>wrong</b> every day, would you <b>still have </b>that job? Would <b>your boss </b>who <b>accepted </b>that rate of failure <b>have his job</b>?<br />
<br />
That's when I wrote that post; I started <b>poking them with a stick.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WKVugM8vjYk/XKkJXNstFyI/AAAAAAAAB5M/6MEpscWnzPI6RfVjHhNxUI4EnCmHD3CbQCLcBGAs/s1600/do%2Bsomething.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="704" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WKVugM8vjYk/XKkJXNstFyI/AAAAAAAAB5M/6MEpscWnzPI6RfVjHhNxUI4EnCmHD3CbQCLcBGAs/s200/do%2Bsomething.jpg" width="193" /></a><br />
So 18 months later...the <b>PLCB error rate </b>in <b>Blended
Whiskey</b> is now over 13.8%. <b>Way to go, guys.</b> The PLCB has <b>two ways </b>to look up things. The <b>so-called flat file inventory</b> that I use <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductDefault_Inter.asp">here</a>, which has <b>everything in one place</b>, or the <b>slower</b>, seemingly less accurate one on the <b><a href="https://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/">FWAGS website</a>,</b> which is just as bad, in its own way. The flat file inventory also <b>allows </b>you to look up things by <b>type</b>, which is what I'm doing below.<br />
<br />
Tell you what. <b>I'm feeling generous today,</b> so
I'm going to <b>list a few items </b>that they can't seem to <b>figure out</b> and tell them
<b>why </b>they're marked wrong. I'll even <b>send them the list. </b>But you know...I'm <b>pretty sure </b>the next time I
check, they'll <b>still </b>be wrong, and there will be <b>new things </b>wrong too. But maybe they'll learn. <b>Maybe</b>.<br />
<br />
All the <b>federal regulations </b>that pertain to <b>whiskey
classification</b> can be found online in the <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8c7c170b699dfff3bfbb20289115f4ec&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title27/27cfr5_main_02.tpl">Electronic Code OF Federal Regulations</a>. That's how you know <b>what kind of whiskey </b>you have, and how it's <b>going to be labeled</b>. Maybe somebody in the PLCB has <b>read it, </b>but I have my doubts.<br />
<br />
<b>Most of these </b>won't even <b>require </b>a reading of the regs. They're <b>pretty simple</b>. Let's <b>have a look </b>at <b>what's wrong </b>with these entries in the <b>Blended Whiskey </b>category.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfxoP4PKulg/XKkTxcMAE3I/AAAAAAAAB5g/TKOIfFvhYWcNlCwgqdXQzujX_0l4THrZwCLcBGAs/s1600/now-this-is-bourbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfxoP4PKulg/XKkTxcMAE3I/AAAAAAAAB5g/TKOIfFvhYWcNlCwgqdXQzujX_0l4THrZwCLcBGAs/s320/now-this-is-bourbon.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now this is bourbon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1<span style="font-size: small;">.<b> 510608</b>
<b>Berkshire Mountain Distillers Bourbon Whiskey - </b>This one is pretty easy. If it's a bourbon, it's <b>not a blend</b>: <i>it's a bourbon.</i><br /><br />2. <b>153</b>
<b>Brixton Bourbon Whiskey Mash Destroyer - </b>I could
<b>almost forgive</b> this one, because it's a 'blend' of <b>bourbon and rum</b>; where do you put that? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>But they couldn't even get the name right!</b> It isn't Brixton <b>Bourbon Mash </b>
Destroyer, it's <b><i>Brixton Mash Destroyer</i></b>. Why do they constantly <b>add words that aren't there?</b> Put this in SPECIALTIES, but it's not BLENDED WHISKEY.<br /><br />3. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=31328" target="_blank"><b>31328</b></a>
<b>Clyde May's Bourbon Mash Whiskey </b>- There is no Clyde May's <b>"Bourbon Mash Whiskey."</b> The Clyde May brand has a <b>Straight Bourbon </b>-- which is a <i>bourbon </i>-- and a "<b>Alabama-style Whiskey</b>" -- which is bourbon <b>with apple added</b>, which makes it SPECIALTIES -US, or WHISKEY...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Which leads you to ask: <b>why </b>does this database have a <b>LIGHT WHISKEY </b>category that has <i>no entries</i>, but <b>no WHISKEY (FLAVORED)</b> category...<i>in 2019? </i></span><br />
<br />
4. <span style="font-size: small;"><b>608012</b>
<b>Crater Lake Rye Reserve</b>- Again, not blended. It's RYE. <b>Pretty simple</b>. Who's making mistakes this <b>simple and stupid</b>? Sorry/not sorry: there's <b>no other way</b> to describe that.<br /><br />5. <b>559141</b>
<b>George Dickel Whiskey Single Barrel </b>- <b>Reading
comprehension </b>and product knowledge required; no wonder the <b>PLCB got it
wrong</b>. If it is <b>single barrel,</b> what are you <b>blending it with?</b>
Imagination? There should be a <b>TENNESSEE WHISKEY</b> category. Most other <b>Tennessees </b>are in <b>WHISKEY</b>, which is such a <b>catch-all </b>it's all but <b>worthless</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />6. <b>528555 Hooker's House Organic Rye Whiskey </b>- There is <b>no record </b>of a "Hooker's House <i>Organic</i> Rye Whiskey" on the Internet...<b>except connected</b> to this <b>mistaken PLCB record</b>. Again, <i>why are you adding words that aren't even there? </i>In any case: RYE, <b>not a blend</b>. Okay?<br /><br />7. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=34278" target="_blank"><b>34278</b></a>
<b>Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select Tennessee Whiskey 90 Proof </b>- Given their <a href="http://noplcb.blogspot.com/2019/03/jack-daniels-is-whats-wrong-with-plcbs.html"><b>track record</b></a>, is anyone <b>really surprised </b>that there's a <b>Jack Daniel's bottling </b>on this list? I've been mentioning this <b>particular one </b>for a few years now. JD doesn't <b>make </b>blended whiskey, but that doesn't stop the PLCB from getting it wrong <i>for the past 3 years</i>.<br /><br />8. <b>504228</b>
<b>Jim Beam Eight Star Kentucky Whiskey 8 Year Old </b>- They <b>almost </b>got this one right: <i>it is a blend!</i> But as I <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2017/09/plcb-stupid-inventory-part-100.html">mentioned</a> <b>over a year ago...</b>it is <b>not 8 years old</b>. Where is <b>that</b> on this very simple label? <b>Nowhere that I can see.</b><br /><br />9. <a href="https://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductLocation_inter.asp?cdeNo=446" target="_blank"><b>446</b></a>
<b>Wigle Phil's Shadow Rye Whiskey Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels</b> - <i>Not a blend</i>. Again, at the very least, a RYE. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFC-tzl-WH8/XKkVKwc0ioI/AAAAAAAAB5s/X1g9vx8ycy88c8xB9KbCVubDDabsYuXygCLcBGAs/s1600/head%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bsand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="730" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFC-tzl-WH8/XKkVKwc0ioI/AAAAAAAAB5s/X1g9vx8ycy88c8xB9KbCVubDDabsYuXygCLcBGAs/s320/head%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bsand.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bet the answer is down here - I've looked <i>nowhere</i> else!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>
So there you have it, PLCB.</b> The gauntlet is tossed. Clean 'em up. Oh, and don't fall back on the old excuse that you are told by your suppliers what these are. <b>Just read the freakin' label</b>, and copy it into the database <b>without editorial additions</b>. Easy-peasy. Get it done, or I'll have to <b>get that stick out again. </b></span>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-3505790985421683992019-04-23T11:07:00.001-04:002019-04-23T11:07:25.506-04:00A Look Back At The Wine KiosksWe have a guest post today. A member of our Facebook group -- <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/355217042982/">Abolish the PLCB -- Rewrite the Code!</a> </b>-- Wende Phifer Mate, wrote a <b>remembrance of the wine kiosks</b>. It was so good, we decided to run it here (with permission, of course).<br />
<h2>
<b>Great moments in PLCB history. </b></h2>
Did anyone ever try to <b>purchase wine</b> from <a href="https://archive.triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/free-wine-kiosk-initiative-costs-state-liquor-control-board-300k/">one these kiosks</a>? I <b>lamented </b>the passing of them because they <b>provoked more laughter </b>than most comedians do.<br />
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Among the highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The instructions </b>- not bad if you had an hour to kill.</li>
<li><b>The ID checker </b>- you had to put your <b>drivers license</b> into a slot, then <b>look into a camera </b>in order to pass on to the next test. Hard to do with a straight face.</li>
<li><b>The breathalyzer </b>- yes, you had to <b>breathe into a weird tube </b>before <b>the machine </b>would allow you to proceed. It <b>did not always register </b>that it had been breathed into until you were <b>about to pass out </b>from trying.</li>
<li><b>Choosing your wine </b>- you had to wade though <b>the whole list </b>of available wines on the touchscreen. There was <b>no other way </b>to make a selection. Needless to say, it took <b>some people FOR...EV...ER </b>to get through this part. </li>
<li><b>The delivery system </b>- It was like those <b>candy machines </b>that push the <b>item </b>forward until <b>it drops</b>. Has there ever been a <b>more stupid idea!</b> I watched one of my bottles <b>crash to the floor </b>inside the machine <b>before </b>it got to the <b>collection window</b>. I read later that this was a <b>very common occurrence</b>.</li>
<li><b>The bags</b> - Plastic bottle bags were provided but <b>three </b>that I pulled out had <b>slits in the bottom</b>. Bottle goes in, bottle goes <b>right out </b>the bottom. <i>(That's another sale!)</i></li>
</ul>
In short, they worked <b>just as you'd expect </b>they would, coming from <b>the masterminds </b>running the PLCB.<br />
<br />
<br />
We <b>miss them </b>too, Wende, but like some of <b>Joe "Da CEO" Conti's</b> <a href="https://noplcb.blogspot.com/2013/02/joe-contis-greatest-hits.html">best moments</a>, they are a <b>gift that keeps on giving</b>. Whenever the PLCB starts to <b>seem reasonable</b>, just remember: they're <b>only one brain-fart away </b>from another great idea like the <b>Wine Robot Army</b>. That's why we say:<br />
<br />
<b>Privatize.</b>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-67962671221141684312019-04-22T08:30:00.000-04:002019-04-22T08:30:08.759-04:00As required by law......There are numerous <b>"newswires"</b> available; the majority of them just <b>reprint press releases </b>from businesses. So and so got promoted, Corporation XYZ broke ground for a new building, that sort of stuff.<br />
<br />
But in the <b>insecure world </b>of the <b>PLCB, </b>where every single <b>scrap </b>of good news is treated like a <b>cure for cancer</b>, we get <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-liquor-control-board-returns-nearly-2-1-million-in-licensing-fees-to-local-communities-300815946.html">crap like this</a>, telling us that <b>the PLCB gave back license fees to municipalities</b>. That's a press release essentially saying <b>"The PLCB is going to follow the law."</b> It even says, right in the release, <b><i>"As required by law."</i></b> Imagine if the <b>Department of Corrections</b> put out press releases saying, "<b>As required by law,</b> inmates were <b>released </b>at the end of their sentence." Or if PennDot decided to let us all know, "<b>As required by law,</b> plow drivers will <b>follow traffic signals</b>."<br />
<br />
Maybe the PLCB is trying to <b>make up </b>for all the news that's being <b>reported by independent journalists </b>about <b>graft</b>, nepotism, <b>back door deals</b>, lack of ethics, <b>destroying evidence</b>, shoddy record keeping, <b>wine kiosks</b>, <a href="https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2006-12-14-3695170-story.html">Water Heater Joe</a>, <b>overcharging </b>and variably screwing the citizens. I can think of better ways to do it, though. Here's one example for businesses to follow:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you imagine the PLCB actually doing this?</td></tr>
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Now I'm <b>all for transparency in Government</b>. That's <b>another reason </b>I
don't like the PLCB: they are the <b>least transparent </b>of any state
organization. Want to <b>find out </b>how much the <b>Department of Education </b>paid
for a <b>chair?</b> You can actually <b>look at the bids, </b>see who won, and <b>what
the bid was </b>for those chairs. But <b>if you want to find out how much </b>the PLCB paid
for that <b>case of vodka</b>...it's suddenly become <b>proprietary information</b>. It <b>wasn't </b>
before Act 39, and <i>there is nothing in Act 39 that makes it proprietary;</i> the PLCB just <b>decided</b> it was so. They <b>say </b>this is so <b>Company A </b>doesn't know what <b>Company B </b>is paying, and that makes negotiations <b>fair</b>. <br />
<br />
That would be true in the <b>open market</b>...but not in <b>a government-owned and operated monopoly</b>. You see, it <b>doesn't matter </b>if <i>either one </i>of those companies <b>know </b>what the <b>PLCB </b>is <b>paying </b>them - they have <b>nowhere else to go </b>if they want to <b>sell </b>in Pennsylvania. Each product is a <b>game of chicken </b>between the <b>PLCB </b>and the <b>supplier</b>. The PLCB says, <b>we'll only pay this much</b> or we won't <b>carry it, </b>and the supplier says <b>no, you'll pay this much </b>or you won't <b>carry it</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>So who blinks first?</b> The <b>PLCB, </b>because <b>they </b>won't be <b>providing what the consumer wants </b>(even more so than <b>now</b>), or the <b>supplier, </b>who might lose overall sales? Add to that the knowledge that <b>both sides </b>know what a <b>suitable substitute</b>* would cost the PLCB, and <b>you have price competition. </b>The PLCB <b>doesn't know </b>if the <b>price </b>they <b>paid </b>for <b>that substitute </b>is <b>equal to</b> or <b><i>above </i></b>what the supplier <b>they're currently negotiating with</b> is <b>willing </b>to take and the <b>supplier </b>doesn't know if the price <b>they </b>are offering is <b>above or below </b>what the PLCB is <b>willing to take</b>. Of course, <b>all that requires work </b>and if done <b>fairly, </b>would <b>benefit the consumer </b>and so <b>is antithetical </b>to the <b>PLCB way </b>of doing things. <br />
<br />
Remember: <b>the Board members ultimately make the decisions about what you get to buy.</b> They are <b>political cronies</b> with <b>no experience </b>in the <b>liquor business; almost every one has been a lawyer with political connections. </b>And <b>you don't have
any say </b>in who they are. These aren't <b>elected </b>positions, and they aren't <b>hires</b>, subject to the <b>civil service regulations</b>. The one <b>good </b>thing you can say is that they
<b>aren't full time employees, </b>so they can't screw things up 24/7.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3hYGy-L9qA/XJOaEF3tWgI/AAAAAAAAB3k/RGTnHxLSG18_pVjnpBQuLAEBnsmIGO2QQCEwYBhgL/s1600/cronies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="565" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3hYGy-L9qA/XJOaEF3tWgI/AAAAAAAAB3k/RGTnHxLSG18_pVjnpBQuLAEBnsmIGO2QQCEwYBhgL/s320/cronies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The <b>lack of qualified people </b>on the Board is mostly the fault
of the <b>Governor </b>- all of them since 1934. They <i>could</i> appoint people with <b>industry experience</b>...<b>but they don't.</b> Instead, <b>they use the PLCB </b>to <b>pay back
</b> supporters, <b>cronies</b>, <b>contributors</b>, any <b>non-qualified person
</b> they can find. And the legislature <b>rubber-stamps</b> them, which makes them
culpable, too.<br />
<br />
<b>We need to change the system </b>to something that <b>works for the people</b>. A system that allows freedom of <b>choice</b>, allows <b>convenience</b>, allows <b>competition</b>, and allows government to <b>focus on regulation</b>. We need <b>privatization</b>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>*A suitable substitute is something that satisfies the consumers desire for a product or type of product.</i><i> For example, </i><i>Nikolai would be a suitable substitute for Vladimir vodka on the low end, and Ciroc for Grey Goose on the higher end.</i>Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-77742403008332278712019-04-15T08:48:00.000-04:002019-04-15T08:48:28.064-04:00Chalmers Selection Event Wine, For all your PLCB events!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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HARRISBURG, Pa., April 14, 2019 /PRNewswireless/ </div>
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The<b> Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board</b> <b>Fine Wine and Good Spirits State-Owned Monopoly Retail Stores Of Distinction</b> is proud to announce <b><i>exclusive </i>Pennsylvania rights </b>to the new <b>Chalmers Reserve Event Wine</b>. Presenting a bottle of Chalmers Reserve Event Wine to <b>Chairman Tim Holden</b> (represented for the event by a cardboard cut-out figure), <b>Director of Wines (Other)</b> Sue Broomhall stated, "Everybody at the PLCB knows that the <b>better </b>the commercial, the <b>better </b>the wine. One bottle of Chalmers and your party will certainly get started."</div>
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<b>"So true!"</b> shouted a group of non-certified wine specialists from the PLCB's luxurious tasting room. </div>
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"And <b>Pennsylvania consumers</b> won't even have to pay the <b>$1 a bottle cost</b> mentioned in the commercial" Ms. Broomhall continued. "With the <b>flexible pricing authorization</b> of Act 39 allowing us to <b>negotiate </b>prices and <b>markup, </b>we are <b>proud </b>to bring this to Pennsylvania for <b>only $14.99 a bottle!"</b><br />
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<i>For further information on this and other exciting items soon to be seen at the State Store System of Stores, or maybe at the return of the Wine Kiosks®, please contact your local store. They'll be glad to provide whatever they decide you need. </i><br />
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<br />Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-74989819400214302282019-04-11T08:22:00.004-04:002019-04-11T09:00:50.479-04:00Death By a Thousand Cuts: it's working!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousand cuts, baby. That's how I like my hoagies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Seven years ago, when <b>UFCW 1776 President (For Life) Wendell W. "Windy Wendy" Young IV</b> was faced with the reality of <b>wine sales being allowed at grocery stores</b> (and the <b>possibility </b>of wine sales at beer distributors, but the <b>beer distributors bobbled that</b>), he <a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/01/06/part-2-controversy-at-the-retail-level/"><b>predicted</b></a> that it would mean <b>the end of the State Store System</b>. "Young says allowing wine to be sold by private sector would <b>take away business from state stores </b>and be the <b>'death by a thousand cuts'</b> to the state store system."<br />
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<div>
<b>Such drama!</b> And then it <b>went through</b>, and <b>Wendy didn't say nothing </b>more about it. In fact, <b>The Haircut That Walks Like A Man </b>hasn't had much to say since <b>Act 39</b> went through in 2016, probably because he figured <b>flexible pricing</b> was going to be such a <b>bonanza </b>for covering the <b>constant rise of operating costs </b>that his job was done. </div>
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But that <b>"thousand cuts"</b> call is coming back to <b>haunt him</b>...because it looks like <b>he was right</b>. </div>
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<div>
Last week, I asked the PLCB for <b>wine sales figures </b>from the <b>past three years </b>for the State Stores, private sales, and overall sales. <b>It's an interesting picture</b>. I had to <b>break it up </b>to <b>fit </b>it into the format of the blog; here's a comparison by <b>unit sales</b>, the <b>number of bottles </b>sold. "<b>Non-licensee</b>" is the <b>State Store</b> sales; "<b>Licensee</b>" is sales through licensed <b>private </b>retailers: bars, restaurants, resorts, and grocery/convenience stores (that includes by-the-drink sales, which you would assume are relatively steady year-on-year).<br />
<br />
2015 is <b>prior </b>to the shift to bottle sales at the licensees; 2016 was a <b>partial </b>year, and 2017 is the <b>first full year </b>of such sales. Notice the <b>huge jump </b>that year: <b>39.9% rise in licensee sales,</b> followed by a 17.4% rise in 2018. Look at the 2015 numbers vs. the 2018 numbers: they <b>almost </b><i>doubled</i> in <b>three years.</b> Meanwhile, the <b>State Stores were sucking wind</b>: a <span style="color: red;">4% </span><b><span style="color: red;">drop</span> </b>in 2017, a <span style="color: red;">3.7% <b>drop</b></span> in 2018.<br />
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<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Calendar Year"}" style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Calendar Year</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Customer Type"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Customer Type</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Unit Sales"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Unit Sales</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"% Change From Prior Year"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">% Change From Prior Year</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":67034168}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">67,034,168</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13331217}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">13,331,217</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":80365385}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">80,365,385</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":68507884}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">68,507,884</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.022}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2.20%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15282492}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">15,282,492</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.146}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">14.60%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":83790376}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">83,790,376</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.043}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">4.30%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":65797156}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">65,797,156</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-0.04}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: red;">-4.00%</span></b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":21377505}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">21,377,505</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.399}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b>39.90%</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":87174661}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">87,174,661</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.04}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">4.00%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":63333698}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">63,333,698</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-0.037}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: red;">-3.70%</span></b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":25099208}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">25,099,208</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.174}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b>17.40%</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,2,"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":88432906}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">88,432,906</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.014}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">1.40%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>How about dollar sales?</b> Looks<b> about the same</b>, though the <b>licensee dollar sales</b> actually <b>grew a bit more </b>than volume sales did, each year...which means the <b>State Stores are moving more bulk tanker stuff, </b>and the <b>private stores </b>are <b>skimming </b>some of the <b>higher-ticket sales</b>. A <b>thousand cuts</b>, indeed. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="63"></col><col width="82"></col><col width="97"></col><col width="78"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Calendar Year"}" style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Calendar Year</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Customer Type"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Customer Type</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Dollar Sales"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Dollar Sales</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"% Change From Prior Year"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">% Change From Prior Year</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":835985290}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$835,985,290</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":138374473}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$138,374,473</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":974359763}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$974,359,763</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"N/A"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":862634339}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$862,634,339</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.032}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3.20%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":160312440}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$160,312,440</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.159}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">15.90%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1022946780}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$1,022,946,780</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.05}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">5.00%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":827676034}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$827,676,034</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-0.041}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: red;">-4.10%</span></b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":225796242}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$225,796,242</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.408}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b>40.80%</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1053472276}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$1,053,472,276</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.03}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3.00%</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Non-Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Non-Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":812080965}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$812,080,965</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-0.019}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: red;">-1.90%</span></b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Licensee"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Licensee</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":266808655}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$266,808,655</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.182}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><b>18.20%</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Total"}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,4,"\"$\"#,##0",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1078889620}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">$1,078,889,620</td><td data-sheets-numberformat="[null,3,"0.00%",1]" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":0.024}" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2.40%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8OmQU-R8uM/XK4VnXsPqRI/AAAAAAAAoXg/AsBu9wyhyt8WAB6xQBbo4soZUommgyZTACLcBGAs/s1600/Cash%2Bmoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1009" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8OmQU-R8uM/XK4VnXsPqRI/AAAAAAAAoXg/AsBu9wyhyt8WAB6xQBbo4soZUommgyZTACLcBGAs/s200/Cash%2Bmoney.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Private stores = more state revenue, more jobs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Overall sales</b> are still growing, which is <b>going in the PLCB's pockets</b> because they're still effectively the <b>monopoly wholesaler</b>, but look at <b>how much </b>they <b>grew </b>when people could <b>buy in private stores!</b> Imagine if we went <b><i>crazy</i></b> and allowed <b>private <i>liquor </i>sales </b>as well! We'd be <b>rolling </b>in the (Johnstown Flood Emergency) tax revenue; increased sales would <b>clearly eliminate any need for a Washington-style tax increase.</b> Oh, and the PLCB press secretary, <b>Shawn Kelley</b>, happened to <b>mention </b>that they "understand from <b>anecdotal reports </b>from the <b>Pennsylvania Winery Association </b>[that Pennsylvania wine sales] have <b>grown significantly </b>since <b>grocery and convenience stores started selling wine</b>." I'll just <b>bet </b>they have. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No need to go on; the <b>numbers speak for themselves</b>. I <b>never </b>thought we'd say this, but...<b>Wendell was right</b>. It's not all that shocking, or that brilliant a prediction, though. Give the people a <b>choice</b>, and they'll <b>walk away </b>from the <b>State Stores</b>. Give us the <b>choice </b>on <b>spirits</b>, too, and see how long it is before <b>State Stores </b>start withering and <b>dying on the vine</b>...so to speak.<br />
<br />
<b>Privatize. </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-591881213265091346.post-90774216226122843192019-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:002019-04-08T09:00:09.610-04:00PLCB Numbers, PLCB lies: the truth about BailmentA little over six years ago, the PLCB put in place a system called <b>Bailment</b>. Bailment is a <b>common regimen </b>in the business world...which is <b>probably </b>why the PLCB took <b>80 years </b>to get there.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailment">Bailment</a> </b>is a pretty simple idea; for instance, when you <b>"give" your car </b>to your <b>mechanic </b>with the implicit understanding that there's only a change of <b>possession</b>, not <b>ownership</b>. The mechanic <b>holds </b>your car until the work is done, and it's understood that the car never <b>changes ownership</b>; you don't have to <b>stand there </b>with your hand on the car to <b>maintain your ownership </b>of it.<br />
<br />
In the case of the PLCB, bailment is a <b>little more complicated</b>, but not that much. The way it <b>used to be</b>, a wholesaler would <b>deliver product </b>to the <b>PLCB warehouses</b>, and <b>they'd submit a bill immediately</b>. <b>Under bailment</b>, the product is <b>delivered </b>to the warehouse, but the PLCB <b>doesn't take ownership</b> of it <b>until </b>it is subsequently taken from the warehouse for <b>delivery </b>to the stores. At that point, the wholesaler submits the bill, and PLCB will <b>pay them</b>. Well, not <i>right</i> then, that's not how <b>business works</b>, after all. <b>Everyone works on "net 30,"</b> where you have 30 days to pay. The PLCB, of course, <b>pays on "net 90."</b> Because they're a monopoly, <b>so there</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-upWVIq0nQUE/XIlqA6sSCQI/AAAAAAAAB18/IzWKI-1vhuU-5kGFJqlOXBtsCih8_mi4ACEwYBhgL/s1600/wheres%2Bmy%2Bmoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="533" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-upWVIq0nQUE/XIlqA6sSCQI/AAAAAAAAB18/IzWKI-1vhuU-5kGFJqlOXBtsCih8_mi4ACEwYBhgL/s320/wheres%2Bmy%2Bmoney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Bailment was touted as a <b>big money-saver </b>for the PLCB, a major 'get' the agency wanted <b>legislative permission</b> to use. It
would reduce the PLCB's actual inventory costs, which would seem likely. But it would <b>also </b>allow
the PLCB to skip the need for their annual <b>$110,000,000</b> tax-free, <b>interest-free </b>loan
from the <b>General Fund </b>at the <b>start of every year,</b> so they could <b>buy
product </b>and have something to sell in the stores. Isn't that the way <b>every business </b>works? <b>Borrow money from Mama </b>to buy stock, and then pay her back...<b>interest-free</b>?<br />
<br />
Well...the PLCB <b>did </b>stop taking the <b>loan. </b>Which you would think meant that they
should have had some <b>extra money </b>to turn into the
<b>General Fund</b>, you know, that big <b>"contribution"</b> that the <b>Legislature</b> <i>tells</i> them they're going to make. Yeah, <b>that didn't happen</b>. The amount <i>after </i>bailment was <b>the same
</b> as the amount <i>before</i> bailment - <b>$80,000,000</b>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkGsw_w4U8k/XIlqt-N9ZuI/AAAAAAAAB2A/hcqxiZdZPykwSK1Wg7ypNHckXk8zoPzgACLcBGAs/s1600/wasting%2Bmoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkGsw_w4U8k/XIlqt-N9ZuI/AAAAAAAAB2A/hcqxiZdZPykwSK1Wg7ypNHckXk8zoPzgACLcBGAs/s1600/wasting%2Bmoney.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We don't care -- it ain't OUR money, it's YOUR money.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <b>big talkers from the clerks' union</b> say that there <b>wouldn't </b>be any increase just because the loan <b>wasn't needed</b>, because <b>that money </b>was used to buy the <b>startup inventory</b>. Let's look
at that <b>in round numbers </b>to make it easier to follow.<br />
<br />
Say I (as the PLCB) borrow...<b>$100 million </b>to
buy inventory. In the course of the year, I make <b>$500 million </b>selling that booze to <b>unhappy </b>Pennsylvania citizens (unhappy because they <b>have to buy </b>from me!) <b>before </b>
expenses. I then have to <b>pay back the $100 million</b>, which <b>leaves me </b>with
<b>$400 million </b>to pay my other bills. But because of <b>The Wonder Of Bailment!!!</b>, I didn't
<b>spend </b>as much just to have things sitting in my warehouse, so I
didn't need that $100 million loan...which means I have the full $500 million <b>before expenses</b>. That
money is now <b>mine to spend </b>on other things...like <b>increasing the amount
turned into the General Fund</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>But that didn't happen</b>, nor is that money
<b>accounted for </b>in store remodels, in fact, there are <b>fewer stores now </b>than
there were then. It's not accounted for in increased education,
increased money to enforcement, or buying new LCBee costumes. <b>So where
did it go? </b><br />
<br />
<b>Well...</b>about the same time, the PLCB was <b>putting in </b>a new <b>Oracle computer system.
</b>Unfortunately, <b>just like </b>the system they installed before, they <b>didn't </b>do a very good job
(the <b>Auditor General </b>said so; <b>both </b>times). The <b>cost overrun </b>was about
<b>$40,000,000 </b>(although it <b>was </b>spread out over a few years). <b>Inventory
expenses</b> went up <b>over $20,000,000</b> the first year, even though <b>Bailment </b>was
supposed to <i>reduce </i>inventory costs and <b>keep them low</b>. Store, warehouse,
and transportation costs went <b>up $25,000,000</b>. Stores' operations and supervision expenses went <b>up $25,000.000 </b>Overall, for the <b>first two years </b>of bailment, <b>PLCB Operating expenses </b>went <b>up </b>over <b>$82,000,000!</b> While
both years had <b>"record sales"</b> (so <b>knock-down easy </b>to do in a <b>monopoly </b>that we wonder <b>why </b>they keep saying it), the PLCB <b>had record expenses to go with
them </b>and pretty soon...<b>the $100 million was gone</b>.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3c0gbzLvY0/XIlu2jUM28I/AAAAAAAAB2U/6Fls1k2Dp10dydSeKyp8T9cO15DNh0U_ACLcBGAs/s1600/Streetsignsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="411" height="311" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3c0gbzLvY0/XIlu2jUM28I/AAAAAAAAB2U/6Fls1k2Dp10dydSeKyp8T9cO15DNh0U_ACLcBGAs/s320/Streetsignsm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So...<b>all that money b</b>ailment was going to <b>save </b>through <b>reduction in inventory costs</b>? <b>Last year, </b>inventory was about 2.5% shy of <b>pre-Bailment levels</b>. One gets the feeling that the PLCB uses the Servpro motto - <b>"Like it never happened."</b><br />
<br />
After seeing what a bang-up job the PLCB did with our money here, maybe we'll check into how well <b>variable pricing </b>is <b>screwing the citizens, </b>and why we aren't seeing that <b>extra $185 million</b> that <b>wonderful plan</b> was supposed to bring in. We have a <b>sneaking suspicion</b> that the words <b>"rising operations costs" </b>are involved...Albert Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507998910770255971noreply@blogger.com0