A Beer-only LCBO?

[cannondale]

Governmental control of its people and squandering of tax dollars are important things to worry about.

True, but they've got their hands in everything. Agreed?

We've been getting it in the ass in so many ways I've lost all feeling.........................

That's what Big Brother is counting on. They put it in so very slow you almost don't know then - BAMM - they totally fuck you.

I believe that is a certain South American's description of what is happening in Canada, because we're such sheep, there is never a public outrage to cause the rule-makers to shit in fear the way they should...

If you feel so damn strongly, why don't try doing something that might actually make a substantive difference, instead of just preaching to the choir over and over and over again. Start a petition, lobby, run for office.. I'll vote for you.

[Spab]

I doubt the Beer Store could do anything but whine, and the LCBO could re-brand these locations....

That the LCBO might not want to set up these sort of stores has been surveyed above in this thread, but I wonder if BRI wouldn't at least threaten to take action against this. The General Regulation under the Liquor Control Act says, "Government stores for the sale of beer only may be established by the Brewers’ Retail Inc. in any location approved by the Board and a manufacturer of beer licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario may store and sell beer in those stores under the control and supervision of the Board." BRI might argue then that only they can open "beer only" stores and the LCBO stores need to be for the sale of "liquor" (i.e. spirits, wine and beer).

I still suspect the bigger impediment is the lack of an real (read: economic) incentive for the LCBO to establish 'beer only' stores, but the fact that it could lead to a fight with BRI over their ability to do so is probably just icing on the cake. They both have it pretty good as is - why do anything to risk upsetting the gravy train?

[Belgian]

If you feel so damn strongly, why don't try doing something that might actually make a substantive difference, instead of just preaching to the choir over and over and over again. Start a petition, lobby, run for office.. I'll vote for you.

That pre-supposes the purpose of all critical conversation on the www is to charge off like Don Quioxte & devote one's life to waking up sheep. It's not. Disseminating viral information, thought and opinion on the web is a more subtle tool of subversion than inciting public revolts & uprisings (common and effective means of persuasion in South America, but not yet here.)

So then, to counter your very good question, what's your point in complaining censoriously about others' posts - especially given that I had just quoted the views of a South American, and HE in so many words said said we all here should be outraged? That's a pretty interesting 'outsider' view, probably one worth critical discussion and getting onto as many people's minds as possible, so we one day begin to think less like sheep. You would aim to suppress it?

I mean just try tearing a herd of snoozing sheep away from their lattes long enough for a revolt here - fat chance.

Just as bureaucracy is by design unassailable via formal means of communication, it is the exact opposite, our sharing of information, that informally disempowers bureaucracy in people's minds - yes even one by one, in person or on a web page. To deny this is 'action' on basis of formal method or numbers is kind of a fallacy. A drip of water, over time, wears through even stone.

Good chatting as always!

[cannondale]

If you feel so damn strongly, why don't try doing something that might actually make a substantive difference, instead of just preaching to the choir over and over and over again. Start a petition, lobby, run for office.. I'll vote for you.

That pre-supposes the purpose of all critical conversation on the www is to charge off like Don Quioxte & devote one's life to waking up sheep. It's not. Disseminating viral information, thought and opinion on the web is a more subtle tool of subversion than inciting public revolts & uprisings (common and effective means of persuasion in South America, but not yet here.)

So then, to counter your very good question, what's your point in complaining censoriously about others' posts - especially given that I had just quoted the views of a South American, and HE in so many words said said we all here should be outraged? That's a pretty interesting 'outsider' view, probably one worth critical discussion and getting onto as many people's minds as possible, so we one day begin to think less like sheep. You would aim to suppress it?

I mean just try tearing a herd of snoozing sheep away from their lattes long enough for a revolt here - fat chance.

Just as bureaucracy is by design unassailable via formal means of communication, it is the exact opposite, our sharing of information, that informally disempowers bureaucracy in people's minds - yes even one by one, in person or on a web page. To deny this is 'action' on basis of formal method or numbers is kind of a fallacy. A drip of water, over time, wears through even stone.

Good chatting as always!

Implicit in your posts is frustration with a perceived excess of government control in general, and a desire for actual change. You’re clearly a passionate and occasionally well-spoken individual, have you considered that perhaps your method of subversion might enjoy greater efficacy if employed in a forum accessed by a greater number of people? In the relative obscurity of a beer themed forum, your misplaced angst just comes off as whining because you can't have your beer, and in fact a little silly to be frank.

Nevertheless, I do generally appreciate your contributions to the forum, and by no means intend to censor you or anyone else for that matter.

All chatting is good chatting, and that's precisely what these things are for.

[Belgian]

OK. I think I'll move along and talk with some of the other people here!

[viggo]

If you feel so damn strongly, why don't try doing something that might actually make a substantive difference, instead of just preaching to the choir over and over and over again. Start a petition, lobby, run for office.. I'll vote for you.

That pre-supposes the purpose of all critical conversation on the www is to charge off like Don Quioxte & devote one's life to waking up sheep. It's not. Disseminating viral information, thought and opinion on the web is a more subtle tool of subversion than inciting public revolts & uprisings (common and effective means of persuasion in South America, but not yet here.)

So then, to counter your very good question, what's your point in complaining censoriously about others' posts - especially given that I had just quoted the views of a South American, and HE in so many words said said we all here should be outraged? That's a pretty interesting 'outsider' view, probably one worth critical discussion and getting onto as many people's minds as possible, so we one day begin to think less like sheep. You would aim to suppress it?

I mean just try tearing a herd of snoozing sheep away from their lattes long enough for a revolt here - fat chance.

Just as bureaucracy is by design unassailable via formal means of communication, it is the exact opposite, our sharing of information, that informally disempowers bureaucracy in people's minds - yes even one by one, in person or on a web page. To deny this is 'action' on basis of formal method or numbers is kind of a fallacy. A drip of water, over time, wears through even stone.

Good chatting as always!

Implicit in your posts is frustration with a perceived excess of government control in general, and a desire for actual change. You’re clearly a passionate and occasionally well-spoken individual, have you considered that perhaps your method of subversion might enjoy greater efficacy if employed in a forum accessed by a greater number of people? In the relative obscurity of a beer themed forum, your misplaced angst just comes off as whining because you can't have your beer, and in fact a little silly to be frank.

Nevertheless, I do generally appreciate your contributions to the forum, and by no means intend to censor you or anyone else for that matter.

All chatting is good chatting, and that's precisely what these things are for.

Bitch got told!

[El Pinguino]

Ah, I figured something would stir up from this concept.

I see the whole mentality form the LCBO that "we dont have to do anything different...why bother?" sure....ok, we're used to that.

So out in rural parts of Ontario there are LCBO "agency" stores...what about some sort of partnership / agreement with something like the OCB or a Beer Importers Alliance a privately held company or something not totally "government" that is given freer reign over imports, labelling, testing for products in this "beer barn" environment.

So the LCBO is essentially offering buying power and takes some kind of extra cut and the partner takes care of marketing, pricing, etc.......

Perhaps a step too far from Gov't Control....but nothing really to lose for the LCBO in such a situation.

[TJ]

I'd be just as happy if one of, if not all of their flagship stores carried their entire line of beers so that I wouldn't have to visit four or five different LCBOs just to get any given beer I'm after. There's certainly room in Summerhill to do this. They could even do it in-keeping with their seeming obsession to group beers by country rather than style. Although they may have to bust out a wall to accommodate all the generic Euro lagers.

[carguy]

That is a huge gripe for me too TJ. We are constantly bombarded by both Beer Store and LCBO propaganda telling us how great their selection is. But, like you said, you have to go from store to store, in town to town, just to get that variety. I am fortunate that between Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo, I can usually get everything in one seasonal release, and they aren't more than half an hour drive for me, but even then I sometimes have to wait until the wife and I go visit her sister in Ajax so I can get what I've missed at the Pickering store (which actually has the best beer selections of any LCBO I've ever been in).

We should all write our MPP's and ask them to pass a law forbiding all government monopolies to waste taxpayer money advertizing. Places like the LCBO and OLG should be forced to take their entire advertizing and marketing budget and dump it directily into healthcare. Or roads. Or parks. Or reduce the sales tax another percent.

[kmallett]

We should all write our MPP's and ask them to pass a law forbiding all government monopolies to waste taxpayer money advertizing. Places like the LCBO and OLG should be forced to take their entire advertizing and marketing budget and dump it directily into healthcare. Or roads. Or parks. Or reduce the sales tax another percent.

I don't understand why a monopoly even has to advertise... where else is the consumer going to buy the stuff? Makes absolutely no sense to me. "Come to the LCBO to buy your wine/spirits/etc" well where else am I going to buy it??

[SteelbackGuy]

We should all write our MPP's and ask them to pass a law forbiding all government monopolies to waste taxpayer money advertizing. Places like the LCBO and OLG should be forced to take their entire advertizing and marketing budget and dump it directily into healthcare. Or roads. Or parks. Or reduce the sales tax another percent.

I don't understand why a monopoly even has to advertise... where else is the consumer going to buy the stuff? Makes absolutely no sense to me. "Come to the LCBO to buy your wine/spirits/etc" well where else am I going to buy it??

I think a lot of the ads we see are created by the product producers, and as a result of not having anywhere else to sell the stuff, they thrown in the "Available at your LCBO" schtick.

[Kel Varnsen]

We should all write our MPP's and ask them to pass a law forbiding all government monopolies to waste taxpayer money advertizing. Places like the LCBO and OLG should be forced to take their entire advertizing and marketing budget and dump it directily into healthcare. Or roads. Or parks. Or reduce the sales tax another percent.

I don't understand why a monopoly even has to advertise... where else is the consumer going to buy the stuff? Makes absolutely no sense to me. "Come to the LCBO to buy your wine/spirits/etc" well where else am I going to buy it??

Well if you look at it as people having an alcohol only budget then yes they probably shouldn't have to advertise. But they are basically competing with every other kind of thing you could buy with disposible income. I mean yes there are no other places to buy vodka or beer. But if someone has $50 at the end of the week how do you get them to spend it on liquor rather than say going to the movies or going out for dinner without advertising?