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The $3.5 million dollar question on the ballot this November is if supermarkets will be allowed to sell wine in their stores. Currently weird restrictions remain for grocery stores selling wines. Chains are only allowed to sell wine in no more than three their stores. For instance, Trader Joe's is only allowed to sell wine in their Brookline, Cambridge, and Boston locations. It forces Back Bay 'Joe consumers to take a ride on the Green Line to grab some Chuck at the Coolidge Corner location – Western Mass residents need to take a $2.85 trip down the pike to stock up on the wonderful deal that is a $2.99 bottle of wine. In California the "Two Buck Chuck" is actually two bucks ($1.99), but Massachusetts has a different regulation that requires each bottle to be sold for at least $2.99 (hence our love for the Three Buck Chuck). The question #1 ballot initiative will allow for cities and towns across the Commonwealth to issue licenses to grocery stores to sell wine without the current restrictions on the chains.
If the yes vote on #1 goes through it might spell bad news for the local packie, wine could be picked up when you stop in for some milk. Bostonist likes the idea of being able to get our drink on as easy as possible – and if that means picking it up at any Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Shaw's, Stop and Shop, or the many others, we're certainly down to support the change in the law (this could be our first endorsement of a political campaign. Ever.) Supporters of the "yes on #1" campaign are mostly grocery stores themselves, they've so far committed $2.8 million to support the cause, and that comes from only 11 stores. As the Globe reports, a cool mil comes from Stop & Shop alone. The "no on #1" group, consisting of the package store consortium and (we're guessing) Mitt Romney, has only managed to raise $800,000+ dollars to work their angle. The question won't come up for a vote until November, so going to the polls on September 19, will only allow you to vote in the primary race for governor. Primary day does happen to fall on International Talk Like a Pirate Day – we hope this is good news for Trader Joe's and Charles Shaw come Election Day.
Flickr user paul goyette shows us what could possibly aisle 11 at the local store.
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Guess what...package stores have only raised $800,000 because all the money is coming from small, privetly owned package stores unlike these huge chains tryin once again to put the little guy out of business. Just remember...every state that has allowed wine in grocery stores...drunk driving accidents have gone up 127%. Why don't you write an article telling the other side of the story?
P.S. This is coming from an 18 year old college student who knows first hand that kids will do anything to get their hands on alcohol...what a good idea to allow it to be more available for them???