Cutting out the middle man
When everything from books to lingerie is available in a mouse-click or two, it seems positively anachronistic that Pennsylvania consumers who wish to purchase wine from an out-of-state retailer or winery can’t order it themselves and have it shipped directly to their homes.
No, they have to order it through one of the state’s wine and liquor outlets. And, even then, those bottles of delectable vino won’t arrive at their doorsteps – the buyer has to trudge back to the store to pick them up.
Considering how musty and outmoded the state’s system of selling alcohol is, this probably shouldn’t come as a shock. While almost every other state in the union allows the private sale of alcohol, Pennsylvania has doggedly maintained its post-Prohibition stranglehold on the product. And while the state’s House of Representatives signed off on a bill in the spring to privatize liquor and wine sales, and it remains a cardinal item on Gov. Tom Corbett’s agenda, the state Senate walked away from Harrisburg last month without bringing a corresponding bill to a vote. It’s widely believed that whatever does emerge from the upper chamber will be less sweeping and comprehensive than the House version.
There is some hope, at the very least, that the frustrating constraints on consumers who wish to order wine or spirits from elsewhere will soon be lifted. The House passed a bill late last month allowing the direct shipment of wine to individual customers – in essence, cutting out the middle man. They are following in the footsteps of the Senate, which approved a similar measure last year, but will have to refashion it and vote on it again.
“This is what consumers have been asking for,” Stacy Kriedman, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If they are out in California and they find something they love, it would be a real benefit for them to get that shipped to their home.”
We hope the state Senate is similarly mindful of what consumers want and moves forward with full privatization.