Sobeys opens a private liquor store in Saskatoon

[BFW]

why should gov't be in business??

[SASKFARMER3]

Rather simple mustard the govt owns the right to the booze so all comes sask liqueur were the supplier!

[rockpile]

Mustard, if Sask is following the Alberta model, the Govt hasn't given up anything except retailing. They still control wholesale and taxes, the private vendors compete for market share. What the Govt gave up was paying unionized store employees and maintenance on retail locations. After the dust settled, it worked out pretty good. My town has 13,000 people and there are 6 retail stores. And if you get thirsty late at night, well, a couple of them stay open until 2:00 AM seven nights a week.

[fjlip]

All Gov liquor stores have top do is sell LARGER bottles and LARGER cases of beer MUCH cheaper per unit than smaller sizes. That's what the US has, and it works great. Here, a 24 case is sometimes MORE per can than 18,WTF? 1.75L bottles are more per OZ than 750, WTF?
And discount non premium beer, Boxer,& Brewhouse Pilsner is less than $1 per can in AB.
30 Miller High life in ND was $22 CAN. 1.75L Karkov vodka, $12 CAN.

[Klause]

Hey I'll say one thing... sask's Public system is way better than Manitoba. Cheaper and way more selection.

[cottonpicken]

The government could own and sell everything give us all gravy jobs and we could all be rich.

[ALLFARMER]

One should not make to many assumptions about the people who work slinging booze is Saskatchewan. My cousin works there and has for a long long time. She has seniority (very flexible hours), good pay, hangs out with her girlfriends there, gets a little exercise moving product (sense of accomplishment)

I stopped into see her last summer and she was kind of embarrassed to show me where she works.....older run down building.

She is college educated. She has land her dad left her, she farms some and rents some out. She's worth at least 7 million.

[ALLFARMER]

O ya and when its slow she hangs out on facebook all day lol

[blackpowder]

Our town is about 800 pop.
We had one ALCB store.
Now the bar has a store and the old govt. building is one as well.
The entrepreneur that owns the old ALCB store is open twice the hours often working himself. Two part time help. Bringing stock people want. U want cheaper nonunion or foreign beer? No problem.
He's also paying his own pension etc.
It's just booze. Raise the taxes if u want or walk on by, I don't get the problem.!??

[mbdog]

Government getting out of the business of this business is a good thing. Optics aside, govt should be the regulator here. Think cotton nailed it to.

[mustardman]

Alberta according to CD Howe institute lost 1.5 Billion in revenue since liquor stores were privatized in 1993

So if we as taxpayers have to pay for all the Social and health Issues from Alcohol,why would you let private industry reap the profits at the stores.

[ColevilleH2S]

$1.5B left in the pockets of the people of Alberta! Such a shame.

How much of that would have been sent to Quebec in the form of transfer payments?