How much did they steal from you this year?

It's that (belated) time of year, time for the PLCB to tell us what a wonderful job they are doing and what a swell place to work they have. Their Annual Report is out (you can download the PDF document here), and the truth is in there; we just have to root it out. 

We say it's "that time of year," but it's not, actually, because the annual report took a ludicrous four months to come out...again. Last time it took four months they said, "Ohh, there were special considerations with the new tax code." No new tax code this year, and they didn't bother with a new excuse. What's the point: it's all lies anyway.

Onward! Right on page 2 there's a mission statement (emphasis added):

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 maximize financial returns for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians.

Funny how the part about maximizing revenue isn't in the liquor code. Just as well, since based on the available statistics they aren't doing a very good job on the stuff that is, like alcohol education or social responsibility; at least, not compared to states on our border. Their own report on these outcomes shows that students who consumed alcohol in the past year went up from 81.4% to 83%  After 85 years of the PLCB, 85 years of CONTROL FAILURE...maybe it is time to try a different system. Any normal business wouldn't survive 85 years of failure.

What have they done to us lately? After record sales (and record variably-priced screwing us) PLCB liabilities went down $2.03 million on over $1.1 billion dollars of debt. A payback rate of over 500 years, and getting worse. It was "only" 400 years previously. For some reason they don't report that number. Another interesting part of their financial reporting is that they say, on five pages in a row, that "The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements." And then don't list what any of the accompanying notes are. They aren't going to verify what they are saying; just believe them, because they have such a great track record of telling the truth.

Another thing they don't tell us is that while variable pricing was supposed to be a partnership where the public was supposed to receive some benefit, we don't know what the benefit is in dollar terms. We can look at past financial statements and see that the PLCB is making almost double what it used to. That's almost all because of lower acquisition costs, but where is the share that the public was supposed to get?  We may have seen a 2% reduction in prices, and even that might be high. For every extra $100 they make, we are probably lucky to see a $2 reduction, spread across a number of products. Even then the PLCB still screws us, because of their rounding formula. Rounding is not considered part of "mark-up," so they can hide that from us, just like they hid what the mark-ups actually are now.

It all goes back to the total lack of leadership and experience of those at the top. They are never held responsible for the lack of progress under their leadership, so the status quo, or even a slip in the status quo, is the norm. On the business side it is even worse. I can understand hiring political hacks if you don't want things to improve in a structured order. But when you've got a failed congressman, a political chief of staff, and a furniture company exec it doesn't seem to be the path to a successful liquor business. In 85 years there hasn't been a Yuengling or Jacquin's executive, or someone from a wine wholesaler or spirits importer, who was qualified and wanted to do the job...really?

When you think about this, keep in mind this quote from the Joint session of the House Liquor Control Committee and the Senate Law & Justice Committee of 2017 (adjusted a bit for truth):

SENATOR MCILHINNEY (former Chairman Senate L&J Committee, since retired): "... the state citizens own this system, and they should be able to get some...benefit by having a good  deal when they go to the liquor store."

MR. HOLDEN (Chairman: Liquor Control Board) : "Absolutely Absolutely not."

There, I fixed it for you, Tim.

Don't We Deserve a Better Board?

If we have to play by the PLCB rules...could we at least get a better set of players?

Back in 2015 in the Annual Report (page 2), the vision of the PLCB was stated as: "Be recognized as the best-in-class wine and spirits retailer, distributor and regulator in the United States."

Which meant that they wanted to be better than Utah, the only other wine and spirits retailer, distributor, and regulator in the United States. Not a high bar, considering Utah is practically an anti-alcohol theocracy. Four years later, how are they doing? Let's start at the top and go from there.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has three members, none of which over the past 85 years has any previous knowledge of the liquor industry or about running a 2 billion dollar enterprise.

We have a Chairman who has no experience with even a million dollar business, let along something the size of the PLCB. He did make it to Congress, and served on the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry subcommittee, and Transportation and Infrastructure committee, before the citizens decided that he wasn't doing the job they wanted and voted him out. Since there isn't much call for somebody who's chummy with with politicians, and knows a little about Livestock, Dairy & Poultry, the PLCB was a perfect place to put somebody who was owed a couple of favors.

Governor Corbett appointed Republican benefactor Mike Negra to the board. Mr. Negra does have a history of being involved in multiple successful businesses, so at least he has a concept of what is going on, but no actual hands on with the liquor business, or anything the size of the PLCB.

Lastly we have the newest member and first woman ever to serve on the board, Mary Isenhour. Although you wouldn't know it by looking at the PLCB website. Here it is, over a MONTH after her confirmation, and the PLCB still hasn't decided if she rates being included with the other board members. (Let's see how long it takes for them to include her once this is published.)*

Keeping the public informed through transparency is sadly not the way the PLCB works.  Remember that it took over 100 days before they removed Michael Newsome, and that was only after I poked them with a stick again. Newsome might still be there if I hadn't said anything.

What are Isenhour's qualifications? She was Gov. Wolf's Chief of Staff and a campaign aide. Her business experience is like the others, desperately lacking in knowledge and size. She replaced Michael Newsome, who was Gov. Wolf's CFO in the furniture business -- can't get more qualified to sell liquor than that...or can we?

Remember how we were comparing the PLCB to Utah's State Store System of Stores? So how does the Utah DABC stack up? They have a seven member board that's appointed, but there is also an advisory board of seven members...who must come from defined specific areas of expertise. The Governor can't just willy nilly pick his favorite dog walker to sit on the Advisory Board. Utah specifies that the advisory board members are selected from the following areas of expertise.

Retail Alcohol Industry — Wholesaler Industry — Manufacturing Industry — Restaurant Industry — Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory Council — Alcohol or Drug Related Enforcement — Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health — Alcohol or Drug Abuse Prevention and Education

The Utah version of a Superstore

Another view. Pretty nice, right? 

It is almost certain that since this system was adopted every Utah DABC Advisory member is far more qualified than any that have ever been appointed to the PLCB. This doesn't mean that Utah hasn't had their share of people of limited competence on the Liquor Board. The Governor selects the seven members of the Liquor Board, so it can be and likely is as full of hacks and cronies as Pennsylvania. The difference is that the Utah board can't go off the rails making arbitrary decisions without an adult from the Advisory Board watching them. No deciding that 12 packs are cases, no robot wine armies, no variably price screwing the citizens, and no being over a Billion in debt. Oh, and they have had women on the Boards for years already.


End the PLCB jobs program - PRIVATIZE


*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.

Chalmers Selection Event Wine, For all your PLCB events!

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 14, 2019 /PRNewswireless/  

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Fine Wine and Good Spirits State-Owned Monopoly Retail Stores Of Distinction is proud to announce exclusive Pennsylvania rights to the new Chalmers Reserve Event Wine. Presenting a bottle of Chalmers Reserve Event Wine to Chairman Tim Holden (represented for the event by a cardboard cut-out figure), Director of Wines (Other) Sue Broomhall stated, "Everybody at the PLCB knows that the better the commercial, the better the wine. One bottle of Chalmers and your party will certainly get started."

"So true!" shouted a group of non-certified wine specialists from the PLCB's luxurious tasting room. 

"And Pennsylvania consumers won't even have to pay the $1 a bottle cost mentioned in the commercial" Ms. Broomhall continued. "With the flexible pricing authorization of Act 39 allowing us to negotiate prices and markup, we are proud to bring this to Pennsylvania for only $14.99 a bottle!"

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. 

And the winner is...Everybody but Pennsylvania.

Nice to know that the second largest wine retailer in the U.S. (at the moment) only influences a captive monopoly citizenry and nothing else.

Yeah, the PLCB keeps talking "world-class" and walking "second rate." That's certainly the impression you get from Infowine.com's annual list of the top 100 influencers in wine: not one PLCB employee is among them. Numerous other people in retailers like K&L (California) Total Wine (soon to be the #2 retailer ahead of the PLCB) and Costco (currently #1) made the cut. The list includes Masters of Wine (none in the PLCB - ever), winners of  the James Beard Foundation medal for the nation’s outstanding wine and spirits professional (none in the PLCB - ever), Members of the Guild of Sommeliers (none in the PLCB - ever) and innovators from across the country (none in the PLCB - ever...and no, the wine kiosks don't count).

I was part of the Livestock, Dairy,
and Poultry subcommittee. Of course
I'm qualified to be in charge of liquor!

No, Pewnnsylvania gets brainstorms like "A consortium of control states all buying from the PLCB", Wine Kiosks (never forget!!), using buying power to raise prices instead of lower them, and hiring a probation officer to run the whole operation. Just what are those free states thinking with their convenience, selection, and real certified professionals working to expand the boundaries in wine? Fools. They could be selling their customers wine that didn't make the cut in the real world like the PLCB does, and positioning it as some sort of benefit.

Just more examples of how the PLCB can never lead, never bring the citizens of the Commonwealth the same standard that the majority of people in the US enjoy. Just because mediocrity is well lit does not make it what the people want or deserve. People need government to regulate the safety of products, to make sure they aren't abused by things beyond their control, and to insure clean water and air.

They don't need government to decide what wine they're allowed to buy.

Privatize.

Proof the PLCB is screwing us - in their own words.

Please see the "We regret the error" post of April 30 for clarification.

The last post showed how even the most basic of business math escapes the political appointees that run our anti-consumer, police-enforced, cronyistic, unqualified, graft-tainted, incompetent (I can keep going) monopoly liquor control system. But even basic math — like you learned in 2nd grade — escapes them. Check this out: they can't even count!

No fair! You said there wouldn't be any more math!

This is taken straight from the law that made recent substantial changes to The Almighty Liquor Code, including "flexible pricing" (the law is commonly referred to as ACT 39):

"The board may price its best-selling items and limited purchase items in a manner that maximizes the return on the sale of those items."  

This is the flexible screwing pricing we have been talking about. We added the emphasis, and you'll see why shortly. ACT 39 then further defines what "best selling" means.

"Best-selling items" shall mean the one hundred fifty (150) most sold product identification numbers of wine and the one hundred fifty (150) most sold product identification numbers of liquor as measured by the total number of units sold on a six month basis calculated every January 1 and July 1." (Again, emphasis added.)

So using what you learned in 2nd grade, there are a total of 300 items that can change price, 150 wine and 150 liquor. Everything else is still under the 30% markup rules as before; that hasn't changed. If the price to the PLCB goes up, your price on the shelf goes up; and if a price goes down your price goes down. Pretty simple: 150 wines + 150 spirits = 300 items affected by "flexible pricing...plus the "limited purchase items."

Now let's look at testimony given by the board at a joint legislative hearing about how Act 39 is working out...because the legislators had a lot of questions about "flexible pricing." (You can read the transcript here)

"This rigid markup structure was inefficient, resulting in missed opportunities for the commonwealth to realize additional revenue and for licensees and retail customers of the PLCB to share in cost savings."  

Share in cost savings, eh? That's important. We'll get back to that.

Reading further in the testimony of the board we find this:

"...pricing flexibility has resulted in a reduction of product acquisition costs for almost seven hundred products, retail prices decreases for more than one hundred and twenty products and retail price increases of a hundred twenty-five products." 

Okay. The law states clearly that there the PLCB could change the standard markup on 300 of the best-selling products. Of that 300, prices went up on 125 of them, leaving a maximum of 175 prices that could be reduced or unchanged. Of that 175, approximately 120 went down, leaving about 55 unchanged, or at least in an unknown status. That's all that are allowed to be changed under the law. However, the board said that costs went down for 700 items: 700 minus the 120 items that were lowered in price...means 580 items didn't get reduced.

The Chairman said "Immediately after the effective date of Act 39, we began using the flexibility we were afforded in pricing our limited purchase items, including luxury products sold in our Premium Collection stores, Chairman's Selection, and Chairman's Advantage products, Wine Club items, and products in our e-commerce portfolio. We have always been able to negotiate with our suppliers to obtain great values on these products, but with Act 39, we  have been able to price each item as appropriately based on our supply and anticipated demand and current marketplace conditions."

Math - The PLCB way

Those 580 items that didn't get reduced couldn't be any of the things the Chairman mentioned here, because he said they already had negotiating power over their costs, and ACT 39 didn't change that. What it did change was the mark-up, the price they could charge us on the shelf. Did they charge more? No, only 125 items went up in price. Did they charge less? Not according to their testimony.

Figure it out. By process of elimination, the 580 items that they are now paying less for aren't in the top 150 wine or spirits, and aren't in the group of items that the board said they could already negotiate on. That means they have to be regular items that should fall under the 30% markup rule, which means one of two things. Either the price for the consumer had to go down, which didn't happen according to the testimony, or the Chairman is lying about something. Of course, there is the third option: he has no idea what he's talking about, or he's inflating the numbers to make the system look good in general (which is probably just habitual at the PLCB). Not really all that reassuring either.

Will we ever know? Probably not, since no one on the legislative side of the table seems to want to ask the right questions. Why do we put up with this continued malfeasance that is being perpetrated on the citizens and consumers?

Privatize and end this BS.

The PLCB doesn't know business; just ask them

The PLCB plays at being a business, but they really don't know what they're doing. We've told you that many times. If you don't believe us, you can just listen to them. They'll make it pretty clear.

The PLCB -- the actual three member board, plus the so-called "executive director" Charles "Not a CEO, Nope, No Sir" Mooney -- testified in front of a joint meeting of the House Of Representatives Liquor Control Committee and Senate Law and Justice Committee about the effects of Act 39...especially about flexible pricing (you can read the whole transcript here). It's a big deal, these meetings and the change Act 39 brings, and the Board has to be ready for the legislators' questions.

And of course...they weren't. Apparently, they weren't really ready for flexible pricing, either, despite having asked for it for years. 

Let's start with the Chairman. Here's what he told the legislators when they started drilling him about why they hadn't simply negotiated lower prices to begin with; you know, with the huge "buying power" we always heard about. As we told you all along, the "buying power" bullshit was just that: bullshit. They never used it.

Holden: "If we would have sought lower product costs from suppliers, it would have resulted in reduced Commonwealth revenue due to the required application of a flat percentage markup and taxes." On face value, that would seem to make sense. Lower wholesale prices, run to a set mark-up formula to the shelf, means "reduced Commonwealth revenue," sure. Of course, it also means lower prices for us. You know, the citizens. But if it means the revenues are maximized, well, okay. After all, you can't make more money by lowering prices. 

But there ARE real businesses that make a profit doing exactly that. You may have heard of them: Walmart. Target. Aldi. Total Wine & Spirits. All of these real businesses, run by real business people, regularly make tons of money by cutting prices. It's established practice: lower your gross margin, so you make less money on each item; but at the same time the lower prices mean more sales, so you make more money overall. The PLCB doesn't get it; guess it's too much work. ("So many boxes to lift!")

They didn't need "flexible pricing," they could have been doing this all along. It's simple. For every item on the shelf, there is a price that will result in the maximum revenue. Higher, and sales decrease; lower, and total profit decreases. That price point is affected by things like competition, or price-matching, or sales, but the PLCB doesn't do any of those; they certainly don't have any significant legal competition. (And no, the PLCB does not have sales, at least, not in the usual sense: if the producers drop a price, the PLCB passes it through as is, and their slice of the pie remains exactly the same. They never cut prices, except on their ill-advised "clearance sales." Thanks, guys.)

Of course I'm lying. I don't know any of this math stuff.

But here's the thing that boggles the mind. Even under "flexible pricing," where they have to negotiate each price of the top 150 wine and spirits items, they STILL aren't using this business tool. So while they are screwing the suppliers and consumers, it certainly isn't as satisfying as it should be for either of us. 

No, the PLCB wants to really ream us. "...brands that are not within the statutory definition of best selling wines and spirits continue to be governed by the proportional pricing requirement of the liquor code. For a future legislative consideration, we respectfully recommend that the same pricing flexibility be extended on all products sold by the PLCB." 

And there it is. It's not enough that they raise prices on the majority of the best-selling items, they want to do that to everything. Keep in mind that there is no institutional pricing oversight by the legislature (only these hearings where the legislators gets to chide the Board about prices, and the Board gets to say 'oh, yeah, guess so, whatever') and as always, nobody with any experience in the industry is leading this parade of monkeys down the path.

More bumbling ensued as the hearing went on. The Chairman: "We made some mistakes at the initial supplier meetings. We asked suppliers for significant reductions to their product costs to increase our margin. But we failed to take a few things into consideration. We miscalculated the reaction of some of the largest suppliers of our best selling brands, who refused to come to the table at all." Imagine that. You said, 'Hey, we want to pay less for these brands everyone wants,' and companies that deal with sharpened pencils every day said 'That's nice. No.' After all, they sell the same products in neighboring states...that don't have the PLCB.

And once again, we suffer for the mistakes of ignorance, just as we have done for the past 83 years. While the Chairman was being the mouthpiece for this failure, it fully lies on Charlie Mooney. After 40 years in the PLCB, Mooney might know about graft, nepotism, bribes: it's apparently the way the PLCB runs. But it looks like he had no idea how the actual liquor industry (or any industry for that matter) worked.

So after blundering around for nine months, and hiring two specialists to help them figure out how to do this, and -- once again! -- paying an outside consulting firm to gather data, that all eventually led to this statement: "... pricing flexibility has resulted in a reduction of product acquisition costs for almost seven hundred products, retail prices decreases for more than one hundred and twenty products and retail price increases of a hundred twenty-five products."

Let me put that in English for you - they saved money on 580 products and you didn't see a dime of it. They raised prices on more items than they reduced prices, and of the top 10 selling liquor or wine items you saw a reduction on only one: a pint bottle of cheap vodka. Remember those top 10 items are the ones they should have the most leverage on, due to sales volume. They screwed us again. Of course they did.

SENATOR MCILHINNEY: "... the state citizens own this system, and they should be able to get some, any benefit by having a good deal when they go to the liquor store."
MR. HOLDEN: "Absolutely",
Except they aren't. We aren't. Weren't the legislators paying attention? We got NO benefit on 81% of the products that the PLCB paid a lower price for. They said so themselves.

Charlie Mooney also came up with: "Senator, we -- I am confident, without all the data in front of me, that, overall, consumer prices have decreased." Well Charlie, without having all the data in front of me, I call BULLSHIT. Especially after you raised prices on 422 items just because you had crap negotiating skills and didn't get what you wanted.

Maybe they should rename it the PLCB principle.

Remember that the PLCB has over $1.7 BILLION in liabilities, they are a drag on the economy of the state and stifle a free market where large and small businesses do not exist because of their continued presence in the marketplace. They do nothing for the citizens, unless you happen to be one that works there. Even Russia has free market liquor stores. Pennsylvania doesn't.

A closer look at the PLCB Cash Cow

The PLCB and the UFCW (the State Store clerks' union) have always fed the public (and the Legislature) a big lie about the PLCB Cash Cow. They make it sound like their bulging bovine is comprised of nothing but filet mignon, and shits millions into the General Fund.

What they want you to think

However, the Federal Government doesn't think so and with new accounting rules in effect, the real value of the PLCB is more starkly in focus. Remember a couple years ago, when pension debt was required to be included in the annual report, showing that the incompetents in Harrisburg were really $240 million in debt? Now other benefits besides just pensions have to be taken into account, and it turns out that the PLCB is OVER A BILLION BUCKS IN DEBT. with total liabilities of over $1.7 billion! Yup, billion.  With a 'B.'*

Let me say that again. The agency that has been stealing from the public and short-changing the clerks the benefits it promised (which it could never afford to begin with) for over 80 years, while telling us all that it makes money...is over A BILLION DOLLARS in debt.

Don't believe me?  Why not ask the PLCB themselves? Here's the minutes from their December 6th meeting; take a look at page 9.

The reality of 80 years of lies.

What does it mean? It means that even with stealing more from you with "flexible pricing," even after screwing us with rising prices just because they want to, even after cheating us out of the discounts given by the suppliers, even after purposely working against PA businesses with imported house brands...they still need more...a lot more. The lying political hack they call a Chairman could barely keep a straight face when he told this whopper: "And, as we’ve said all along, prices will increase for some items, when the supplier and PLCB agree that the market can bear the increase." 

Looking at page 10 of the minutes you can see that for October they claim a profit (Change in net position) of $8,623,941. That means that if they didn't do anything else besides pay down debt, it would take ten years just to break even for the debt due today. Of course, they would be accruing more debt, new debt during those same 10 years. This is a Ponzi scheme worthy of Bernie Madoff. No wonder they worked so hard trying to get the Governor's borrowing plan into place. It would further obligate the citizens into paying off their debts and for the next 20 years keep the people who care about limited government and fair treatment for the citizenry at bay.

What does it take to be rid of them? How incompetent do they have to be? How anti-consumer will they get trying to pay off what they owe? You know where this money has to come from, don't you? I got a hint: the wallet of someone you know really, really well.

Can we afford to keep the PLCB's cash cow? Are state stores worth it? 3,500 clerks should not hold hostage a state of 12 million people. Privatize.


(*) Now $1.8 Billion in liabilities for January)

Big PLCB Price Hike May Be Coming!

The PLCB is playing hardball with their suppliers, and it looks like part of the process is threats in the media. Check this out from a recent story at KDKA's CBS Pittsburgh site titled "Prices Of Best-Selling Wines & Spirits To Rise."

The PLCB’s Elizabeth Brassell says the suppliers have been told the price for their product is going to go up on the shelf, “unless our suppliers of those products offer us lower acquisition cost to avoid the retail price increases.”
Brassell says the price increases affect “the best-selling 150 brands of spirits and best-selling 150 brands of wine.” In other words, probably your favorites.

You know what we have to say about that, right? Welcome to Flexible Pricing...we told you so! You know why it's going to affect the 150 best sellers? Because those are the only PLCB products covered by Flexible Pricing! Everything else is still under the mandated markup. 

Here's what the PLCB thinks is going to happen. The PLCB is going to hammer the producers in negotiations! They'll balk at lowering prices, because they know the PLCB isn't going to lower the price on the shelf (because they promised to make a LOT off of this), the PLCB will make this childish "don't make us raise prices!" bid in the press, figuring the producers will lower prices, and then they can say "look, your prices stayed the same, we are HEROES!!" while sucking off all the difference to cover their spiraling operating costs and hold off privatization for another legislative cycle...and the producers will call their bluff, and give 'em nothing.

And the PLCB will just have to raise prices and look like the inexperienced amateurs they are, we'll get screwed, border bleed will explode, and maybe, maybe we'll finally tell our representatives to get rid of this moldy old piece of Prohibitionist crap.

The PLCB Act .39 Special, only one made.

And here's the beauty of it all. If I were the producers... I'd be saying "Screw them. Jack the prices, blame it on them, and maybe Pennsylvania will finally wake up and get rid of these idiots. This is our chance!" Run the long game, booze folks, run the long game, and help us dump these rubes.

Because you know what I'm going to do when the prices go up at the end of August? Hop in the car and go buy booze in Delaware. Why not come along? Let's dump these rubes!

Pay no attention to the man behind the flexible pricing...

Back in October of last year, PLCB Chairman Tim Holden (a political appointee, with no major business experience)  put out this piece of propaganda, trying to fool us into believing that the PLCB's new "Flexible Pricing" was good for them. (We've been telling you for years it's a bad deal for consumers, but the Legislature handed it to the PLCB.)

Holden gets off to a bad start by using an example of Pennsylvania's "top selling Bourbon," Jack Daniel's. It isn't Pennsylvania's top selling Bourbon...it's Tennessee Whiskey, says so right on the label. A small strike, but the kind of product ignorance that's typical at the PLCB.

But it's what he has to say about Jack that's interesting. "In February 2016, Virginia’s price per bottle from the supplier of this product was $12.14, while Pennsylvania’s was $14.46. The retail shelf price on June 1 in both states was the same: $24.99." This just shows that the PLCB was too incompetent or lazy to negotiate better pricing for 82 years, and despite what they might claim about their new flexible pricing powers, there was nothing in the liquor code that prevented them from doing deals on pricing.

Now he gets to the flexible pricing shim-sham. "If Pennsylvania had been able to obtain Virginia’s lower price – $2.32 less per bottle – we would have achieved an additional $2.1 million in profit on that one product, based on the volume of sales in Pennsylvania. Or we could have reduced the retail price, or even a combination of the two." (emphasis added...for emphasis)

And here it is, nine months later...and Pennsylvania's #1 selling "Bourbon" hasn't changed price at all. They are keeping every penny of every negotiated price to the top ten selling wine and liquor brands, all but one: Nikolai vodka pints (the alcoholic's favorite), which have gone down 30 cents. Hey, thanks. Really appreciate it, PLCB.

It's all too clear: the PLCB (owned by YOU, they say) is screwing the citizens on a daily basis, over-charging on numerous items, especially their lottery items. A prime example is the 60% average price increase they charged for this year's Van Winkle releases, and the extra $570 they charged for the 3 bottle 'package' and the extra $860 for the 5 bottle 'package' on top of that. Or maybe the extra $100 they charged for the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection? Make no mistake, you as a consumer come in last in the PLCB's quest for survival. The Chairman even admits it "As we’ve said all along, prices will increase for some items, when the supplier and PLCB agree that the market can bear the increase."

"Charge what the market will bear" is a cornerstone principle of the free market, especially on "luxury items" like booze. You can see it in the beer market, for example, where craft beer prices continue to rise mainly because customers continue to pay them (so far). But those prices are kept in check by the knowledge that another retailer may sell for less and get the sale.

As a police-enforced monopoly, though, the PLCB can raise prices and the market - meaning you and me - has no other choice: we can't go to another retailer (or another state...), we have to bear it. Bet you didn't know that it was fine for a government agency to gouge you. Imagine if the Turnpike Commission had "flexible tolling." When did things change so that the government would treat you fairly and justly IF they made enough money from you?

So how will you know if the PLCB is cheating you?  You won't, because they don't have to tell you their secret pricing decisions. While they don't have any problem outing Virginia, the PLCB no longer lists the price they paid for their products. The official PLCB excuse is:

"Act 39 of 2016, which became effective in August 2016, granted the PLCB authority to negotiate product acquisition costs with suppliers for the most popular wines and spirits carried in Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores. The goal of these negotiations is twofold: to maximize revenue the PLCB generates for the commonwealth and to offer consumers fair and competitive prices. Subsequently, the PLCB removed product cost and retail price information from Board agendas and minutes in the interest of optimizing supplier negotiations. Additionally, now that the PLCB can act more like a traditional retailer with regard to pricing, it is not in our financial interest to give other alcohol retailers advance notice of our prices and sales."

But a traditional retailer has competition, not a police enforced monopoly! I'd like to know what other alcohol retailers are they talking about. Do you really think that Mondavi doesn't know what Gallo is charging, or Buffalo Trace doesn't know what Beam wholesales their bourbon for? If the PLCB knows what Virginia is paying, don't you think the distillers have a pretty good idea of what their competition is doing? I know that competition is a foreign idea to those at the top of the PLCB, but that is what keeps prices down for everything else you buy, not allowing some entity to charge whatever they want and then MAKE you pay for it.

Being the Chairman of the PLCB is the bizarro version of being Harry Truman, without the ethics or personal responsibility. "The buck passes here," is that right, Tim? Nothing is ever their fault no matter how idiotic (wine kiosks), misogynistic (date rape ads), anti-PA  business (Tableleaf et al), anti-consumer (any monopoly is anti-consumer) or just plain stupid (whatever happened to the PLCB Savor magazine, and the drink recipes that need things the PLCB doesn't sell?) Any Chairman claiming any responsibility for any of those things?  Didn't think so, and Mr. Holden is certainly not going to be the first.  

Stop being fooled.  The PLCB does not exist for the benefit of the citizens, it exists for the benefit of the PLCB. Anything to keep the pigs at the trough is what they are for and anything that resembles real business with real competition is what they are against. Starting at the top with the Chairman..

We're still screwed: PLCB flexible pricing is coming.

We've posted a number of  stories about how bad flexible pricing is for the people, the consumers, in Pennsylvania. It is potentially the worst thing ever to come from the police-enforced liquor monopoly.

Despite that, here are some of the "benefits" flexible pricing will bring, according to the Chairman of the PLCB Tim Holden. You probably want to take his thoughts with a grain of salt; Ol' Tim still doesn't know the difference between Jack Daniel's and bourbon, and probably doesn't care.

It seems that Tim is upset that some suppliers don't care about PLCB profits. Well, why should they?  Businesses do not exist so that the PLCB can over-charge the citizens. They exist to do as well as possible for their owners, their shareholders. To assume that a business should care about the success of an agency that depresses their sales performance is ludicrous in the extreme and just reinforces how out of touch the PLCB leadership is.

This is how PLCB flexible pricing is really going to work

Back in April, well before the passage of Act 39, Elizabeth Brassell, the PLCB director of communications, wrote to me: "You are correct that the Liquor Code does not indicate that prices can’t be negotiated or that the PLCB has any obligation to use manufacturers’ suggested retail prices. In fact, as you suggest, the PLCB’s buying power, as well as its discretion to list and delist products, allows for some price negotiation with vendors. However, any advantages obtained through volume purchases are directly reflected in the shelf price." Did they do this? Of course not, because it had no benefit to the PLCB, only the customers.

Chairman Holden tacitly admitted that saving consumers money wasn't all that important when he said: "The PLCB is driven by priorities made clear by the governor and General Assembly: (1) increase customer convenience; (2) generate additional revenue; and (3) achieve more-competitive retail pricing."  It seems that the General Assembly priority is more #3 because they, like most citizens, want to get the PLCB out of the retail and wholesale alcohol business.

Holden goes on to say:" We simply want more competitive costs from our suppliers – comparable to what other states and retailers enjoy." Except that while those other retailers pass on those cost reductions, because they want your business, the PLCB wants to keep that difference, to keep that money to bolster their bloated and failing organization.

They have no reason to pass on anything because they have no competition; there is nowhere else the consumer can legally go. Holden admits this: "We’ll also maintain the current retail price on the vast majority of products we sell, while achieving greater profit on hundreds of them. And, as we’ve said all along, prices will increase for some items, when the supplier and PLCB agree that the market can bear the increase." Of course, when there is no other choice of retailer, the market can bear a lot.

Think I'm over reacting?  Here are some new prices from the PLCB under the "flexible" system on some pretty price insensitive items they know they can bleed enthusiasts for:

Item	2015	2016	$↑	%↑
Family Reserve Rye	$100	$160	$60	60.0%
P. V. Winkle 23 Year	$250	$400	$150	60.0%
P. V. Winkle 20 Year	$150	$250	$100	66.7%
P. V. Winkle 15 Year	$80	$150	$70	87.5%
Old Rip Van Winkle 10	$50	$80	$30	60.0%
V. Winkle Special Res	$60	$100	$40	66.7%

Think that is bad?  Look what happens if you are unlucky enough to win a package deal.

Thirty packages are available with three bottles each: the 20 year, 12 year, and 10 year. The price for each three-bottle package is $999.99; $570 MORE than the individual bottles. There are six packages of four bottles each: the 20 year, 15 year, 12 year, and 10 year. The price for each four-bottle package is $1,199.99: $620 MORE than the individual bottles. And four lucky Pennsylvanians will get the opportunity to buy packages that include each of the six 2016 bottlings, at price of $1,999.99. Only $860 MORE than the individual bottles. Such a deal!!

Tell us again how this is good for the consumer, Chairman Holden? 

This is just one prominent example. Is there any doubt that the PLCB is going to make that extra money by taking it out of your pocket, either surreptitiously or through outright price increases? I hope you're ready Pennsylvania, because you are about to get screwed.

Privatization is the only way to get the PLCB out of sales and into regulation, where it belongs.


All quotes from Chairman Holden are 100% real, and taken from here