After 78 years of state socialism, the voters of Washington last November attacked the evils of government by voting to abolish the state monopoly on sales of hard liquor. (An earlier initiative failed, but this time Costco brought out the big guns and big bucks to get it passed.)
Yesterday, the shining sun of capitalism arose in all its glory over the State of Washington. The state has auctioned off, or is in the process of auctioning off, all of its state liquor store locations. Over 1,600 stores have applied for liquor licenses. My own Safeway has been crowding its floor space to make room for more shelves -- shelves resplendent with liquor bottles.
Price comparisons at Safeway for purchase of a bottle of Jack Daniels showed that it now cost about one dollar more than it did yesterday from the state. That's with a "Safeway Club" card. Otherwise, about five dollars more.
One Safeway shopper estimated that most bottles of liquor cost four to five dollars more. Unlike the state stores, private stores mark prices before addition of the state liquor tax. The tax is not applied until you go through check-out, which makes it difficult to compare before and after prices.
Grocers said the easier access to liquor -- sitting there right next to your bread and milk -- should make up for the higher prices. That claim assumes that easier access to liquor, and contemplation by shoppers (and their kids) of shelves and shelves of liquor bottles, is a benefit to society. Sorry if I sound puritanical. It's not as though I never drink. I just never considered a visit to the conveniently located and nicely organized state stores to be a burden that I needed to escape.
"It's exciting -- just the option of being able to get liquor at my favorite Costco," said Kellie Landry, 37, of Covington.--Today's Seattle Times.
"Exciting"?
Whatever.
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