Comments on The Denver Insider's Blog: End of Colorado Blue Laws: Sunday booze sales may ...

I recently moved back to Colorado from Chicago, wh...

2008-04-20T09:49:00.000-06:00

I recently moved back to Colorado from Chicago, where liquor is available even in 7/11 (any day, any hour), and I can say none of the liquor stores were hurting. They're everywhere, and their flourishing (be that good or bad, depends on your taste).

I found this blog because I was interested to know why I saw Jack Daniels bottles in Target on Colorado Blvd. Not that I care so much, but I was a bit surprised. Had to pinch myself to remind me I wasn't in Chicago anymore.

Anyway, profit should come second to people's rights. You can drink on Sunday, and you can go to the bar on Sunday, but gosh darn it, you can't purchase anything above 3.2 from a store on Sunday! Seems pretty asinine to me.

I think both main blue laws--banning liquor sales ...

2008-02-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

I think both main blue laws--banning liquor sales on Sundays and prohibiting grocery stores from selling--should be overturned. They are pointless relics; nothing useful comes from keeping them around.

I disagree with the assertions that opening up sales to grocery stores will destroy the diverse selection of alcohol currently available. It is an interesting theory, but there is no evidence to support it. Michigan has no such blue laws. You can buy beer and liquor at any grocery or drug store. Some of them just have the basics. Others have selections far more diverse than most liquor stores in Denver. There are also liquor stores in Michigan, indicating that, even if the grocery can sell something more worthwhile than 3.2 beer, the market can still sustain independent liquor stores, with all the expertise contained therein (I'm with Ken, I've never been overwhelmed by the vast knowledge or recommendations of any liquor store clerk).

Finally, people in Denver love their microbrews, so retailers will continue to sell them, be it a liquor store, grocery store, drug store, or gas station.

Brandon
jonesydog.blogspot.com

I wasn't aware the liquor store industry had chang...

2008-01-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

I wasn't aware the liquor store industry had changed its mind. This is good news indeed -- it might finally become a reality.

Although having real liquor in a grocery store isn't a real high priority for me, I have to disagree. While there are some boutique liquor stores, like Mondo Vino, that have great selections and helpful staff, I haven't found the average neighborhood liquor store to be any better than the Target on Colorado Blvd -- most of them have only your basic brands of wine and a few standard microbrews. Getting Great Divide, which is brewed right here, isn't easy in Colorado liquor stores.

And I did once go to the Littleton Safeway with a liquor license. They had a pretty decent selection and a helpful staff person to show you around.