# Is it illegal to put beer on sale (big discount)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458 "2012-10-11T21:18:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/21 "2012-10-12T01:45:53Z")
Even in places where it’s legally permissible, beer doesn’t make a very good loss leader because most beer gets bought during single-purpose beer runs. In fact, that’s part of why beer is generally somewhat more expensive in big grocery stores. They want to offer it for the convenience of their grocery customers, but dealing with moving large volumes of beer and wine is a hassle so they don’t really want to price it low enough that they’ll get a bunch of beer-only customers. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/22 "2012-10-12T02:02:12Z")
Wisconsin has a minimum markup law for alcoholic beverages. There is a defined minimum legal markup from wholesaler to retailer and then again retailer to customer. There are limited options to get around this such as discontinuing an item, so no loss leader on a popular item. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/23 "2012-10-12T03:19:40Z")
Generally the cheapest beer where I live in the midwest runs $15-16 for a 30 pack. Pabst blue ribbon, Keystone, Natural Ice, Old Milwaukee, etc. However recently Kroger has been selling 30 packs of Hamms beer (something I’ve never seen before) for $9.99. So figuring the cheapest beer I can find can’t possibly backfire I bought a case. It isn’t that bad tasting. I have no idea why they are selling it for about 40% less than other 30 packs. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/24 "2012-10-12T03:20:58Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > You would have to ask a Scottish doper to tell you the exact rules, I only know what I read in the paper and then ignore because it’s not going to affect me 😃 Not Scottish, but… It will be a minimum price per unit of alcohol (50 pence per unit), increasing the price of cheap high-strength beers and ciders (favoured by underage drinkers and poor alcoholics). I’m pretty sure the Westminster govt will introduce something similar, too, for the rest of the UK. Reducing excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health issue for a country with socialised health care. There are not enough organ donors to keep up with the current demand for livers, let alone in 5-10 years when current and recent past binge drinkers start having failing livers (we had a recent case when a 20 year old died of alcoholic cirrhosis, and specialists are complaining of growing numbers of cases where the sufferer is in their late 20s/early 30s). Si ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/25 "2012-10-12T03:37:43Z")
I agree it depends on where you live. But I’m chiming in because this makes me think of some of the odd beer anomalies in places I’ve lived. When I lived in Albuquerque, bars could not sell a pitcher of beer to a solo drinker. So if you were sitting alone, it was not uncommon to receive a request to split a pitcher from someone you did not know. I remember one afternoon in a favorite bar when I received one such request. My fellow drinker then went on to brag to the bartender about all the times he managed to get served there while underage. (He’d just turned legal age a few months before.) This did not endear him with the bartender, or me with the bartender as he was suspicious that we were friends. In Honolulu, one bar near the UH campus – Anna Banana’s – would give you a free pitcher if it was your birthday. Then a law was passed saying beer could not be given away for free, so Anna’s changed the policy to a pitcher for 25 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/26 "2012-10-12T06:00:27Z")
As far as hard liquor goes, Virginia has a state monopoly on sales and hence has no incentive to offer discounts. Beer and wine can be sold in supermarkets, where I see occasional markdowns on beer, and frequent discounts on wine. ---
**Author:** ![ClevelandProud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ClevelandProud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClevelandProud)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/27 "2012-10-12T06:19:03Z")
Here, in the great state of Ohio … You will see the term “at state minimum” when some beer is advertised on sale. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/28 "2012-10-12T09:07:04Z")
It’s seen as somewhat of a problem around here, that beer is cheaper than bottled water. They still have sales (up to) 50% off regularly though. ETA in the Netherlands btw ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458/29 "2012-10-14T18:52:52Z")
It’s definitely legal in California. I don’t usually buy beer but recently bought a couple of twelve-packs\* on two separate occasions. Surprisingly, I found Warsteiner Oktoberfest and Stella Artois to be deeply discounted to a prices well below those of decent American brews. If it makes any difference these discounts were on the stores’ loyalty card programs. \*The Stella actually came in a 10-pack but the cans are bigger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-put-beer-on-sale-big-discount/637458.md?page=1)