Grape Irony
So, I got this email from Premier Wines/Prime Wines/Prestige Wines begging me to help it keep wine out of supermarkets with what has to be the weakest, most self-serving arguments ever:
Don’t let “Big Box Greed” endanger your friends and family.
• Wine in 16,000 more outlets means more traffic fatalities
• Five times more stores will be selling a product three to four times stronger than beer
• New York wineries overwhelmingly oppose wine in supermarkets
• Help us keep our communities safe and prosperous
Come on, Premier, give me a break! Let’s break down these arguments:
- Saying that more wine sales results in more fatalities means you admit that the product you’re selling causes deaths. So, when are you closing all your stores?
- Who cares how many stores sell what percentage of alcohol? I’m willing to bet that far more people get drunk on beer than wine.
- Wineries oppose the idea? According to Wine Spectator state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker “believes it will increase wine sales and specifically New York wine sales,” Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation said, “If you put more wine in front of consumers, consumers will buy it,” and one vineyard owner quoted in the article was “cautiously optimistic.”
- How does grocery stores selling wine have any impact on a community being “safe and prosperous”? Again, the implication is that selling the product negatively impacts those things, so again I ask when Premier is closing it’s doors?
The really stupid thing about this email is that it tries to Premier Wines/Prime Wines/Prestige Wines is trying to play into the anti-big-box sentiment that some people have. Really? Premier IS the big box of alcohol stores! How disingenuous is that argument?
Shameful, Premier. Just shameful.
That is a really poor sell. Premier must be between P.R. directors.
They should have argued that they simply want a level playing field. State law prohibits liquor stores from buying in bulk by combining purchases even for same owner stores. The state also prohibits liquor stores from forming buying co-ops.
The layers of arbitrary laws have perverted our business playing field. We shouldn’t have to be concerned with limiting competition as a means to compensate for some preexisting unfairness. That is a red flag in itself that there is a serious underlying problem. The state should deregulate booze and let business owners find the most efficient way to distribute goods. That is what they do best. May the best man win.
NYS, you want to know how to help? Don’t.