On one hand, I applaud the free market approach to all things for sale. On the other, I do worry that the small business owners will be forced out.

Maybe it is time for NY State to make some changes when it comes to alcohol sales. Maybe prices will come down as a result. Maybe the hoped-for increase in tax revenues will push this ahead. Or maybe, there will be more alcohol related negative impacts as a result of easier access to the products.

I don't see why the law needs to change. Why does anyone need to get liquor or wine from the grocery store? It is not a necessity so I see no issue with this. Why does alcohol need to be in more places? I also like that locally owned, small liquor stores can operate and not have to compete with Wegmans or Tops here. When I was in NC and Montana they had government owned liquor stores. Does anyone know more about this? How and why it started?

As a consumer, I would love to be able to buy wine at the grocery store or anywhere else for that matter as a matter of convenience. Why shouldn't I be able to buy wine at a grocery or convenience store? I think it should be the consumer's decision to support wine and liquor stores, it shouldn't be forced upon us.

This is the first state I have lived in where I cannot buy a bottle of wine at the same place I am buying the ingredients for the meal that said bottle of wine will be accompanying, and occasionally wine IS one of the ingredients. It would be one thing if grocery stores could not sell any alcohol, but for them to be able to sell one kind (i.e., beer) and not others is nonsensical. Same goes for liquor stores not being able to sell beer. I just don't understand the logic behind that.

As for small business liquor stores, we still frequented those stores quite often while living in previous locations. Staff are more knowledgeable than at the grocery store, and where I am from the liquor stores often offered wine classes (different from the tastings you find here) and other events to help you in your quest to be a more knowledgeable consumer. Additionally the variety and supply was much larger at the liquor store. As such, while both places were selling the same type of product, where you chose to buy from depended on a variety of factors, convenience not being the only one.

What makes absolute no sense at all is that you can't buy beer in a liquor store. And there has been no talk of allowing this. The best solution is to let supermarkets sell wine, but not hard liquor, and allow liquor stores to sell beer, cigarettes, lottery tickets and logical liquor related items like corkscrews and soda pop/mixers.

The restrictions result in higher prices and less selection for consumers. Barring liquor stores from selling beer results in less competition for supermarkets and results in higher prices. The same is true for the ban on supermarkets selling wine and liquor.

This is little more than lobbyists working to maintain quasi-monopolies for their clients. They win, you lose.

Unfortunately, people are conditioned to associating the sale of liquor and beer with some sort of moral breakdown, so they go along with these pointless laws, even though they cost them money.

I'm from Buffalo, and frequently visit. When I do, I always stop at at least one of the Premier Group liquor stores. They are about as good as it gets. On the other hand, I now live in Florida, where wine can be sold in supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. We do have chain stores, although I don't think any of them are as good as Premier. But we also have many, many independent liquor stores. At least one in my area is close to Premier in choice and pricing.

Within a mile or two of my house I can buy wine from two chain liquor stores, four independent liquor stores, plus several grocery stores and a few convenience stores.

My conclusion is that the doomsday predictions about the death of the independent if grocery stores can sell wine are way overblown.

I think wine should be sold in supermarkets, and likewise, beer and food items should be available in wine/liquor stores. It is time for NYS to change it's archaic ways, and while at it, get rid of the distributer system also.
The small stores will still make money (maybe not as much) but I don't see them going under. Many other states currently allow wine sales in supermarkets, and I find the wine available is typically more the "popular" names and mass market brands, with a few other more premium selections thrown in. For better wines, or less common ones, there are still small stores, and someone still has to sell the hard stuff. Maybe moving the mass market wines to the supermarkets will open up shelf space for wine and liquor stores to market some of the wines from wineries too small to be of interest to the distributers - thus actually increasing the selection of wines available. In most liquor stores now, I see more space given to the Barefoot wines (a decent wine for the low price) than I do to the WNY wines..... Maybe this is an opportunity for the small stores and the small wineries, and not the end of all things liquor!

I moved here from another state a few years ago -- a state with liquor laws that allow wine and spirits to be sold in grocery stores. Guess what -- there were PLENTY of independent stores! Supermarkets focused on mostly top-sellers and cheaper brands, while liquor stores had more microbrews and specialty products. Both types of stores were bustling and did good business.

I was at Premier last weekend and refused to sign the petition they had to band the sale of wine and spirits in grocery stores. NYS needs to get with the times.

My experiences working in a small liqour store in Williamsville NY have lead me to the conclude that it is DEFINITELY time for a change. The argument presented for keeping wine out of grocery stores is simply the bickering and complaining of Greedy store owners who are not capable of adapting and who feel a sense of entitlement. ELaine said:"I also like that locally owned, small liquor stores can operate and not have to compete." My only response to that is????What??? How is that a good thing?? Mr. Baker and JJ make very good points! Simple economics, more competition = lower price and MORE SELECTION! Small store owners are frustrated that they will loose out on their cash crop of BAREFOOT, yellow tail and BOXED wines. This is their true fear. So for them to plead that this move will result in less selection is FALSE!. In reality it will forces smaller "wine" stores to make good on their claims of better selection. As far as service is concerned I AM CERTAIN that Wegmans and the like will have a much more professional and educated staff than the small stores. I can tell you that the so called wine specialist and phony sommeliers are nothing more than pretentious jerks who think their opinion is gold. Furthermore they work on a sales commission!!! Sell the wine with a higher markup by telling the consumer it is good!! THis is what the owner of one store pushes on his WINE EXPERTs!! What a Joke!!! The truth is that an uneducated consumer will believe whatever they are told by some pompous ass who describes wines with words like Fabulous and Sexy. Is that what you want Elaine??? The real crooks are not the supermarkets for wanting to sell more, But the GREEDY STORE OWNERS who underpay their staff while flaunting extravagances in the faces of their HARD WORKING employees who truely run the stores top to bottom.

Jake which small wine stores work on commission? I can tell you it certainly isn't at any of the larger stores in Buffalo. Wine sales people don't make large sums of money selling $500 bottles of Bordeaux. Neither do the stores that sell them. There is less of a markup on high end wines than there is on the mass produced stuff. That is where wine stores that sell the full spectrum of product make the majority of their profits. I don't think Wegmans is necessarily going to put any of these stores out of business, but it certainly may put enough of a dent in their bottom line that they stop shelling out the extra money to get experienced employees (the ones you call pompous) to work there. I don't believe that Wegmans will hire people of the same caliber to sell their wines. Call me crazy but Wegmans is full of people who know fuck all about what they are selling. I can't even get a straight answer about cheese from people who work at the cheese counter there. It's certainly nothing against Wegmans. I shop there all the time but I don't consider them when I am looking for hard to find products. I find it hard to believe that Wegmans will carry anything that they can't sell quickly for maximum markup.