Is it just me or does this sound like BS?

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A union group (which has a conflict of interest) made a YouTube video in defense of the Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits stores. They are run by the state and many of the stores are horrible. The video suggested that run-down liquor stores in other states somehow lead to crime. How the HELL does a store (by being run down cosmetically) cause crime? Also, the video claimed the PA stores are maintained to "very high standards"... excuse me? A PA Wine & Spirits is only as nice as the neighborhood it's in. The ones in the ghetto are tiny, filthy, and decrepit, but the ones in better areas are spacious, clean, and bright. A union activist group led protests against the CVS drugstore chain because a lot of their stores in black cities are held to lower standards of cleanliness and selection than ones in white areas. Why has nobody noticed this about the Wine & Spirits stores?

Last edited by rastaking on 11 Sep 2012, 10:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I don't trust unions either, but have no experience with either Pennsylvania's alcohol sales system nor the larger private sector system as I do not drink.

I'm not familiar with Pennsylvania, but the union is almost certainly deliberately choosing to ignore that fact in order to further their agenda. They want the stores to remain public because being a unionized public sector employee nearly always leads to higher pay, benefits, etc. then private sector jobs.

You have liquor stores owned and run by the state?
That sound rather odd....

I don't think it's that unusual? All the liquor stores here are government owned too

This is a state by state thing in the USA. The liquor laws vary widely by state. Some states are very controlled, like Pennsylvania, while others, like Wisconsin where I live, allow beer to be sold in gas stations and beer/wine/liquor to be sold in drug and grocery stores. Still other "dry states" don't allow alcohol sales on Sundays. This makes traveling interesting.

As a generalization, many stores in run down neighborhoods are, well, run down; while many stores in more affluent neighborhoods are well maintained. But this is not always the case.

Yes, Ontario has the same system... and both it and PA used to put all the drinks behind a counter! You had to look through a catalog and place an order to buy anything! That changed in both places in 1969.

Also, I was in California a few weeks ago and I felt a strange sense of freedom to find all three types of alcohol at Safeway and CVS! Louisiana is the same way. Most Southern states though sell beer and wine at grocery stores, but spirits have to be at their own stores (which also may sell beer and wine). Texas is that way. Virginia also has a state-owned "ABC" store system to sell spirits as well as wines made in the state, because the state wants to keep money from VA wines in VA. Grocery stores have beer and wine, but there also are some HUGE beer/wine stores which are privately owned. It's ironic how how the Northeastern states have stricter alcohol laws than the Southern states, which tend to be more religious and have laws stopping alcohol sales on Sundays in many places! New Jersey and Delaware both are destinations for Pennsylvanians who illegally buy alcohol out of state, and all three types are sold in these stores in both NJ and DE. But any booze is forbidden in grocery stores. In PA it makes sense because the unions profit off wine and spirits, but not in NJ and DE. Also I don't get why they can't at least sell beer at most PA grocery stores. Some have special licenses and exceptions though. Also, Maryland is very relaxed... you can find big jugs of Malibu rum at gas station shops!