The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in an effort to protect its employees and the public, closed its state run liquor stores a few weeks ago.
Since the closure was announced ahead of time, it created a panic run which resulted in long lines with people close together in small stores, creating a potentially unsafe situation.
Not willing to pay $20 for online deliveries from private sellers, the States online website crashed.
So Pennsylvanians have started crossing state lines to purchase their wares in crowded border stores in neighboring states, including viral hotspots like New Jersey and New York, possibly spreading more infections into Pennsylvania:
With Pennsylvanians putting themselves in danger, especially alcoholics with endangered immune systems, and the state losing millions in revenue, and thousands of employees out on the street, the head of the Liquor Control Board is begging the Governor for funding to improve its website and to allow curbside pickup.
Also, this could potentially spell the end of the antiquated “state store” system if the Republicans have their druthers. In short, it’s a clusterfuck.
What other well-intentioned COVID-19 guidelines seem to have backfired?
I’m not quite convinced that PA really closed the liquor stores “because coronavirus”. When your wikipedia article starts out with “The alcohol laws of Pennsylvania contain many peculiarities not found in other states, and are considered some of the strictest regulations in the United States” you have to wonder if maybe, just maybe, they’re just being assholes looking for an excuse to crack down on drinking.
I find that doubtful. Those laws in PA are very old and they’ve never attempted to crack down on drinking since Prohibition that I know of. Most of those peculiar laws are about limiting liquor sales to the state owned stores, and as a result Pennsylvanians have long crossed the borders to buy liquor for less. When I lived there in the 70s it was common for someone to make a liquor run to New Jersey or Maryland to pick up liquor for much lower prices.
My local Costco:
You get your shopping cart from a corral in the parking lot and return it to the same corral when done.
Before you enter, a Costco employee wipes the handle down for you.
However, no one is wiping the carts down before they go back into the corral.
So anyone can wander all over Costco covering the cart in viruses and then put it back fully infected. But don’t worry, someone will wipe the virus particles off of it after you’ve already touched it!
Well, no restrictions or shortage to alc here after 3 weeks of hard lockdown. But still. I started to learn how to brew some prison style hooch just in case. I’d rate it grape, apple, pineapple and orange, respectfully.
I’m really surprised to hear that about the liquor stores in PA. When everything closed here in OK, they were deemed essential businesses, since cold-turkey alcoholics can easily take up a hospital bed.
Announcing it ahead of time is just the decent way to do it. What is the alternative? Suddenly it’s closed?
I have to admit, the liquor store model in Pa sounds quite unique, and it’s not what I’m used to. Here in Illinois liquor stores are essential, because let’s be honest, liquor stores are essential. Part of keeping this situation from becoming a total freakout is allowing the people to freely self medicate at home. That means having a place to score the necessary alcohol.
I’m really surprised that liquor stores are considered essential in Illinois, considering that you can always buy your hooch at the grocery store, or even at Walgreen’s.
Yeah, but it’s nice to be able to avoid the grocery store. In my town, it’s a small liquor store, and not everyone else goes there. While the grocery store is a place where everybody and their mother goes.
Indiana used to have the most antiquated liquor laws anywhere, but we are catching up with the rest of the country. Last year we legalized Sunday sales. They can’t start until noon, and stop at 8pm (y’know, fer church services), but in between church, you can get buzzed.
I don’t see how is it the fault of the states if people can’t wrap what passes for their minds around “keep your distance”. In Spain, stores are setting up maximum occupancy levels and you see lines outside, with people standing six-eight feet away. And this is in a culture whose traditional notion of “queue” is “get into the melee and ask ‘who’s last?’”.
Tobacco shops aren’t essential, at least in Illinois, so that’s a strike against the tax-revenue theory. And as to lottery tickets, I don’t know anyplace where they’re sold stand-alone. I see them sold in groceries, gasoline stations, and convenience stores, all of which are on the essential list. If Walgreens can sell me a tshirt or ballcap because they’re open to sell food and medicine, IMHO it would be strange to not let 7-Eleven sell lottery tickets.
Some stores (supermarkets, for instance) have had policies of not allowing more than X number of people inside their stores. Judging from what I’ve seen on TV, this has led to even greater numbers of people standing in long lines outside, and I doubt they’re standing six feet apart.
That’s probably a well-meaning social distancing guideline that seems to have backfired.