State looking to unload thousands of bottles of booze
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SEATTLE -- You might see 99 bottles of beer at the grocery store, but the state has at least 90,000 bottles of booze it's trying to unload.
The state Liquor Control Board is auctioning off its inventory on Thursday, and pallets upon pallets of alcohol will go to the highest bidders.
"We have Louis V Cognac for $1,500 a bottle, all the way down to the mini bottles you see at the airport or liquor store, and everything in between," said Mikhail Carpenter of the Liquor Control Board.
When it was in the booze business, the board bought the alcohol for more than $1.25 million, and now it has 15,000 cases to get rid of.
While the idea of stocking up on some good vodka and whiskey probably sounds good to a lot of people, Carpenter said the public shouldn't get too excited about this week's auction.
"Unfortunately, you're gonna have to have a liquor license to participate," he said.
The state expects to sell the surplus to restaurants and people who bought the old state stores.
"We hear they are struggling," Carpenter said of the liquor store owners. "It is a very competitive market."
The curtain has already closed on several liquor stores since privatization, and there's growing competition from big box stores and supermarkets. On Tuesday, BevMo announced the opening of four more retail sights from Bellingham to Ballard.
Before I-1183 passed, there were 328 outlets in Washington licensed to sell spirits. Today, Carpenter said there are more than five times that number.
"The sheer amount of outlets increased in size, so a lot of people out there are playing this game," he said.
Liquor isn't the only thing the state is auctioning off, either. An entire distribution center will be on the block, and Carpenter said it's appraised at more than $30 million.
Bidders who show up at Thursday's auction need to have a $5,000 cashier's check on hand for a deposit.
The state Liquor Control Board is auctioning off its inventory on Thursday, and pallets upon pallets of alcohol will go to the highest bidders.
"We have Louis V Cognac for $1,500 a bottle, all the way down to the mini bottles you see at the airport or liquor store, and everything in between," said Mikhail Carpenter of the Liquor Control Board.
When it was in the booze business, the board bought the alcohol for more than $1.25 million, and now it has 15,000 cases to get rid of.
While the idea of stocking up on some good vodka and whiskey probably sounds good to a lot of people, Carpenter said the public shouldn't get too excited about this week's auction.
"Unfortunately, you're gonna have to have a liquor license to participate," he said.
The state expects to sell the surplus to restaurants and people who bought the old state stores.
"We hear they are struggling," Carpenter said of the liquor store owners. "It is a very competitive market."
The curtain has already closed on several liquor stores since privatization, and there's growing competition from big box stores and supermarkets. On Tuesday, BevMo announced the opening of four more retail sights from Bellingham to Ballard.
Before I-1183 passed, there were 328 outlets in Washington licensed to sell spirits. Today, Carpenter said there are more than five times that number.
"The sheer amount of outlets increased in size, so a lot of people out there are playing this game," he said.
Liquor isn't the only thing the state is auctioning off, either. An entire distribution center will be on the block, and Carpenter said it's appraised at more than $30 million.
Bidders who show up at Thursday's auction need to have a $5,000 cashier's check on hand for a deposit.
I live in West Seattle at the Alaska Junction, there is a former state run "premium" store at that location there. I never see anyone in it anymore; the QFC above it, Safeway across the street, and Trader Joes down the street all sell hard stuff.
The state can control how many liquor licenses are sold. To compare how many stores they had to how many they now have in the state isn't even an issue. Those liquor licenses are expensive and it's probably just one more way the state is raking in every dime it can get. I think the biggest victory here is that the people got Wa. State out of business, something they never should have been doing to begin with. Business should be private enterprise.
I think they should throw a party.
We paid for this little stash of booze with our taxes, but now only those with a liquor license and enough bucks to buy the lot can bid on it, just so the consumer can buy it, again, at the highest possible prices so the state can make a killing on the added taxes. I still remember that vile commenter who insisted that only idiots would think prices would go up and availability would go down with privatization. We don't hear much from her these days.
 @johnbe I've noticed all the grocery stores near me have the anti-theft 'black caps' on the bottle. It's another cost they have to pass on to us
 @Xirxious  @johnbe Those little black caps cost less than having the bottle walk out without being paid for. I would guess that the security cap is saving the consumer money.
@rockguy @Xirxious @johnbe The grocery stores are doing it all wrong. Go to any store in Arizona, and the liquor inventory is up near the front of the store, well lit and plainly visible. Go to the QFC on Alaska out in West Seattle, and the hard liquor is in the back of the store, dimly lit and hidden from view.
 @johnbe There is a 2 year middle man clause, as soon as that is over prices will drop.
No problem, it will soon be shoplifted from a grocery store near you.Â
I cannot vouch for any of the old/new liquor stores but the Total Wine and More stores on the couple of occasions I have been in there have been packed with people and they all seem to be buying. As for the argument about pricing. Booze is a totally optional purchase that people should not be getting unless they have the spare cash. Therefore to me the high taxes are not a big deal. Granted a bottle of Vodka could last me years as I do not drink much. If I drank a lot I might have a different opinion.
That one sentence that says the new bottle shops are struggling is a laugh. The damn fools jack the prices to the moon and then wonder why people won't by their product. I for one would never buy booze in this state. Oregon is too close and way cheaper so why waste my money. These store owners need to get their heads out of their backsides and bring the prices down to what the state was charging before and then business might pick up.
@LongBeachBum its mostly the liquor tax in this state that makes it so expensive.
 @LongBeachBum It is a laugh. Remember all those "smart" license bidders all out bidding each other cause they going to get rich, lol.
@CrankyPanky@LongBeachBum
For a New York minute, the prospect of those getting a liquor license was the belle of the ball for immigration attorneys and their visa seeking clients.
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Fortunately, USCIS was less enthusiastic about that plan.
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While I am pro legal immigration, I am against the Visa petition schemes that undermine the quality of life within our communities. The last thing we need is more liquor and/or tobacco stores selling drug paraphernalia.
It was a stupid idea  to privatize liquor stores. Some grocery stores now  look like liquor stores now. I hate going into a grocery store at night in WA because people are buying their booze and dog food for a night of getting drunk with the dog. It is better when no alcohol is sold in grocery stores.
@david davey Lucky for you, they dont sell booze in church still, so you can spend more time there and not be harrassed by scary people buying booze and dog food
 @david davey in other states there are separate liquor stores. It's not in the grocery stores. That is how it should have been done.Â
@Northend @david davey It was already that way here. Now Washington is like other states; sold in grocery stores and in seperate liquor stores.
 @david davey A night of getting drunk with the dog?
 @david davey It was a stupid idea but not for that reason.
 @david davey usually if a store is selling something i don't like, i don't buy it.  thats my method, anyway.  and if i couldn't handle going in a night because someone has jack daniels and puppy chow in their cart, i'd probably need to either go at a different time or rethink my views on life.
 @david davey You can always avoid the alcohol section if it bothers you.
 @3rase  @david davey There is no "alchohol section". Some stores display the booze at their end of the aisle displays and elsewhere, anywhere it catches the eye.
 @stratoonist  @3rase  @david davey Sure there is, most grocery stores I've been in have a beer and wine section that was expanded to include the new alcohol, a lot of people refer to that as the alcohol section.Â
But then he couldnt complain about it...LOL
HANG ON! Iâll take them, Iâm cleaning out the garage right nowâ¦â¦â¦.
Retail "sites".....
 @Michael Merry Good catch.Â
So glad the state's finally out of that business. But don't be too surprised if they go into the marijuana business.
@Magic 8 Ball If the state goes into the marijuana business I would imagine there will be a lot of illegal marijuana hanging around if they treat it anything like they do tobacco. They will tax it to the point of rediculous.
Makes me want to puke just thinking about it .
The heck with a sale, how about a public party instead? Ok, maybe not.... Something tells me that wouldn't be as mellow as Hempfest.
 @Shelly some should really hold their spirits high, no debbie downers please, that does tend to light fires.
I hear Nelson...