In Illinois, booze is inside of the supermarket! That actually pissed me off about Florida, and I think my brother lived near you in Sanford/Lake mary area. We went to Kroger I think, and they had the booze in a separate part of the building, so it's not a one stop shop from what I recall. Here, most liquor stores (7-11 included) sell until 2 am. Some grocery stores stop at midnight. Bars are open til 2 am all week, and there's a whole lot of bars. Some are open until 4 am, some until 5. The booze can get a bit pricey, but I've learned that a quick six pack or 12er of cheap swill is best purchased at a liquor store or 7-11 type establishment out of convenience. However, if you're looking to buy in bulk, go to a grocery store. They will have, what I assume, the lowest markup on beer on sale. 12.99 for a 30 rack of Busch or Natty, and under 15 for Miller/Bud/Coors. Bottles are a good 20-30% cheaper as well. Now cigarettes...wooo. Not a good town to be a smoker. Pack of parliament lights will run you between $9.50 and $11. On the bright side, one could eat dinner and get really drunk for under $15 M-Th.
Another thing that I just remembered: when we moved here back in 2000, it was still legal to have an open container in your vehicle (though it was illegal for the driver to be drinking). In the state that is headquarters to MADD. But then, you can get fined up to $250 for not wearing your seatbelt, but motorcyclists are not required to wear a helmet.
Pretty much, be happy you live in the states. Yeah, not every country is as strict, but pretty much, in the US, if you want to get booze, you'll get booze. I lived overseas for a long time and, let me tell you, be glad we separate church and state. Some countries don't. Norway, for example, regulates the sale of liquor. That is, only the government run "Wine Monopoly" may sell wine and liquor. Every town has a store literally called "The Wine Monopoly". Only they sale wine and liquor. And, if memory serves, they close at 6pm on weekdays. And they're closed all weekend. Maybe they're open Saturday's til 3 or something. I can't remember exactly. But I do remember that every wine monopoly has a line that can stretch out the door and onto the sidewalk every Friday afternoon. Supermarkets sell beer, but cannot sell it after 6pm, no matter how late the store is open. Oh, and Supermarkets are closed on Sundays. In fact, everything but cafes, restaurants, and pubs are open on Sundays. Thankfully, you are allowed to order alcohol at these places, but the mark up is astronomic. About $10 for a regular glass of beer. So, next time you find yourself whining about the liquor store closing at midnight, or the patio closing at 11, just be thankful you live in the US of A.
In Minnesota you can buy till 10pm every day but Sunday, can't buy on Sunday. It doesn't bother me at all, I always have enough alcohol on hand for whatever I need. It was nice working at a liquor store also, never had to work too late and was always guaranteed 1 day off. If I could change one thing it would be to allow gas stations and super markets to sell alcohol, it would save a stop or two when you're going somewhere.
In Ontario... Beer: Carried by the liquor store and the beer store, and nowhere else. Wine: Carried by the liquor store and the "Wine Rack", which is a shitty venture that sells wine from three Ontario wineries. I honestly don't know why. Liquor: Carried by the liquor store and nowhere else. And all of the above for exorbitant prices. Which is odd because the LCBO must be the largest single purchaser of alcohol in the world and that whole "economy of scale" thing has done nothing for us. I, for one, hate the fuck out of it. It's an organization which openly declares that it will not sell alcohol at a discount because it would be socially irresponsible. Thank you for telling me that I'm too irresponsible with my own money and need to have my pocket gouged to make sure I don't do anything stupid with alcohol. They only sell beer by the six-pack and unlike the beer store, won't sell beer cheaper if you buy it by the case. The selection isn't very good, either - go to an American source of wine reviews (a magazine or something like that) and try to find any of those bottles at the LCBO. You won't. The beer selection has gotten much better in the last few years, thankfully, but still leaves a lot to be desired. The liquor selection is pretty good, unless you're in a small store hoping to find certain brands of scotch/brandy or you want something pretty obscure. The problem, of course, is that the LCBO has a high customer satisfaction rate because people don't realize how much better it could be. My favourite liquor laws are, of course, from Germany. You can drink anywhere it's legal to eat, i.e., anywhere but the subway. Which is funny, because you can drink on the S-bahn, a ticket for which gains you admission to the U-bahn. You can drink in public, you can buy beer and wine and liquor from anywhere for dirt cheap (85 euro cents for a half-litre of Germany's finest beer? Don't mind if I do!). I find it rather odd that in many respects the laws over there treat the individual more like a responsible adult despite the accusations of nanny-state socialism, and people live up to those expectations. In North America, if someone is drinking on public transportation, it's either a homeless guy or a loud group of people on the way to the bar anticipating becoming blackout drunk; if people drink on the train in Germany, they're just having a beer, and if they're being loud it's because of a soccer game and not liquor. Even though it's legal to drink in public there, you'd see far less beer bottles littering the streets, and rarely was there ever a broken one lying around.
In Pennsylvania, they can sell beer and wine coolers in certain supermarkets (Wegman's has started already, Sheetz is trying to get the license), otherwise You have to buy liquor at a state store and beer at an outlet. You can't sell beer and liquor in the same place. As far as what days you can sell, the stores aren't open as late on Sundays, but you can still buy alcohol any day of the week.
I lived in New Brunswick (eastern province) my entire life and just recently moved to Montreal. Wow. I still get misty talking about the difference in liquor laws. In New Brunswick the mark up on beer is similar to Washington as discussed earlier. 24 beer for almost $45 and all provincial run liquor stores close at 10:00pm (5:00pm on Sunday)? Ridiculous Now comparing that to where I am now, with a convenience store a short 10 minute walk from my apartment, open all day/night, which sells beer for half the price as New Brunswick. Quebec truly is like a different country.
This is an extreme understatement. Wegmans read the laws, which said that any restaurant with sit down eating can sell Six Packs. Since Wegmans has a restaurant portion, they started selling Six Packs. Legislators and Hand Wringers state wide entered into a frenzied panic. They acted like Wegmans was handing out Porn Mags and Doobies right to Kindergartners. Couple a bunch of lawsuits together, and luckily Wegmans came out the other side the victor. While a bunch of markets are grandfathered in (Wegmans to name one), I believe they've already changed that law. Though Pennsylvania has its quirks like strict operating hours and having separate stores to sell 6-Packs, Cases and Kegs, and Liquor, it does have some upsides. The Beer places are privately owned, but heavily regulated. The Liquor Stores are state stores and a little bit expensive. With the stores having strict things they can sell, there is an extreme diversity of choice. In my experiences with other states that have a 1 stop booze store, they never have nearly as much as the 3 diverse PA stores have. If you're not supposed to guzzle it like water, it's hard to find it in the single stores.
In Ohio, beer is sold at gas stations, supermarkets, drive thru's, state liquor stores, everyday from 5am to 1 am. For any kind of booze, have to go to a state liquor store, and they have no Sunday sales, and usually close at like 9 or 10. Bars close at 2:30 am.
Oregon only allows beer and wine to be sold in supermarkets. Anything that qualifies as a spirit must be sold in a liquor store. No open containers, and if you have a bottle in the car it must be a. unopened and b. inaccessible from the driver's seat. I imagine that means the trunk, but I like to think it also means that little spot between the passenger seat and passenger door where your phone inevitably falls while you're driving. God knows that is inaccessible. Most of the liquor stores around the Portland area close 6 to 8pm. There is one place that closes at 9pm that is a true haven of evening liquor runs, but it is far. At least they're open seven days a week.
This could not have come at a better time as Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control sees it fit that every 3 years we sit through 4 hours of class to get a title 4 training certificate to make sure I am current on liquor laws and that class was last night. As of August 1st, 2010 alchohol can be sold from 6am to 2am 7 days a week 365 days a year. You can purchase beer/liquor any where from Circle K to Grocery stores and gas stations. There used to be a law that said on election day you could not sell until after the polls were closed, that was reversed in 1991 and our state has gotten better since. You can legally carry a concealed weapon (handgun) into a bar unless the bar has a state authorized sign. Entertainers hired by bars are allowed to drink while working unless they are a topless entertainers in which case they are not allowed to. Also at any establishment that serves alchohol the entertainers may not show their anus or genitals but simulated sex acts are legal provided they are not electronically reproduced.
The Missouri laws in the Wiki article seem to be pretty accurate with what I have encountered. Gotta love buying booze as late as 1:30am some nights of the week, or as early as 10:00am on Sundays. One interesting thing to add (although, this is only RUMORED)... A friend told me of a sort of "speakeasy" in a trendy part of St. Louis where they have a normal 3:00am liquor license. However, if you are referred by a member, you can pay an annual membership fee to have access to the bar well past their normal hours. The membership fee is intended to cover any fines issues by liquor patrol. We can only dream.
You guys complain about your liquor hours? S.A.'s are similar to what jrusselmikkelsen described about Norway's booze-procurement hours. - There is NOWHERE open to purchase booze before 8am during the week. Nowhere open on Sundays (supermarkets STILL will not sell on Sundays, despite the law banning alcohol sales on Sundays being repealed in 2006), and no bars are open before 10am on Sundays, unless there is a notable sporting event taking place. Most liquor stores (where you can purchase spirits, beers and/or wine) close by 6pm during the week, or 5pm on Saturdays - also not open Sundays. This includes the alcohol-specific vendors like Ultra Liquors, Liberty Liquors, etc. (where all they sell is booze and mixers) - Supermarkets can ONLY sell wine. No beer or spirits. You can only purchase spirits at the large alcohol-specific vendors (e.g. Ultra Liquors) or at local liquor stores or at Makro (kinda like Wal-Mart, but better quality). - Bars only open at 9am during the week. Most are closed by 11pm - midnight. Most of the clubs close around 3am - that's the only place you can go to get booze after midnight, and you may not carry it out with you. Awesome. - You will NOT find microbrews at a bar, but only at the large alcohol vendors. You'll only find SAB and Namibia Breweries products and occasionally some imports like Guinness (at 100% markup).
The only really interesting thing about liquor sales in Hawaii is the "Cabaret" License. Normally bars are required to stop selling liquor at 2 am, but basically if a place has a dance floor or some form of entertainment it can get the Cabaret License and serve until 4. So as long as you're dancing you can keep drinking? Basically it means Waikiki can party until 4 am, that's all.
Vermont is a horrible horrible state to live in if you are in your 20's for the most part, however the booze laws are pretty simple and not too shabby Mon-Sun: Noon-Midnight You can buy beer and Liquor at the same place grocery store, gas station, liquor stores you name it. My county in Maryland is annoying in the fact that all beer and liquor must be bought at a liquor store and to make matters worse they are dry on sunday's. I can't count the amount of times I have been gone to my parents and walked up and down the grocery store looking for beer on a sunday before the football game and realize how fucked I was.
I live in Denver, CO. Up until a few years ago, liquor stores were closed on Sunday & you could only buy 3.2% beer/ coolers at the grocery on that shitty day. Now, liquor stores are open 7 days a week as are bars, bars always have been. You can only buy full-strength & booze at liquor stores, the big grocery chains fight it every year and lose, and that's ok with me as there are more liquor stores here than there are people. Bars let out at 2am 7 days a week. You can drink in public if the container is in a bag (think hobo). The bars have decent deals as there is no anti-happy hour law here. This is a drinkin' town, so there are a shit-ton of and a wide variety of bars here. Many bars have multiple happy hours through out the day, usually 2 for 1 or $2 draft, wine, wells. Stay away from the trendy/ tourist areas (LoDO by the baseball stadium) and you'll have fun. E Colfax Ave & S Broadway are cool and you won't get stabbed by some fucking Crip @ 2am like in LoDo. Oh yeah, and 45 minutes away is awesome skiing or hiking/ camping.
The worst part about the LCBO in Onterrible is that in 2006 they commissioned a report from Deloitte and Touche which told them they were paying too much for their employees. Their response was that they weren't going to do anything about that. Good for the people who work there, bad for the booze consuming public.
I grew up in CA, and it still weirds me out when I go back to see my parents that they can get liquor at the grocery store. I currently live in VA, and while liquor is only sold in the ABC stores, it's reasonably priced and open seven days a week. Beer and wine is at prettty much every grocery store. I was in PA for a concert last month and getting alcohol there was a clusterfuck. I didn't know about these draconian laws, so the wife and I figured that we'd stop at Wegman's and get beer and wine. First we found the beer, which had to be purchased, separately from everything else, in the special restaurant checkout section. This we did, put a sticker on the six packs, and went back in search of wine. The wine was essentially a big vending machine. There was a guy from the state alcohol board there with a list of what was available, prices, etc. It was a very short list. With very high prices. When you are ready to purchase, you walk up to an electronic touch screen, and make your selection. Once that is done, you place your drivers license into the reader. Finally, the last step before you get to actually place your hands on your not-available-cold bottle of wine, is to blow into a breathalizer. Oh, and it's zero tolerance...you blow a .01, and you're not getting any wine, drunky. But my favorite part? There is a camera trained on you with a guy who is paid by the state to make sure that the same person is taking the breathalizer test that is buying the wine.
I live in Israel, and love the liquor laws here. You can drink at 18, bars stay open until the last customer leaves, and supermarkets/convenience stores sell alcohol 24-hours a day. Also, there's no open container laws. Not only can you walk around the street drinking a beer or what have you, you can also bring a drink on to busses or into taxis.* Passengers in a private car are also allowed to drink freely. There are some downsides, however. Beer and especially liquors can get pretty expensive, because the vast majority of them are imported. Well, at least that's what people have told me, but since I'm underage in the States and therefore haven't purchased much alcohol there, I'm not the most qualified person to make a comparison. It makes sense though, since pretty much everything here is more expensive. The only beers that are cheap are for the most part a couple of Danish beers (Tuborg, Carlsberg) that are available almost everywhere and easiest on your wallet, plus the two major local Israeli brews (Goldstar, Maccabee). As for liquor, unless you want to drink arak, a potent Middle-Eastern liquor, or cheap Russian vodka, you're going to be paying expensive tariff prices. Even though the laws might seem lax, especially by American standards, the rules that are in place are well enforced. Especially drunk driving. At almost any major bar/club you will see police outside, standing amongst themselves, keeping the peace and watching people as they pull out of the parking lot. Whenever they see someone who might be drunk, they stop him before he can even get to the main road and give him a breathalyzer. As far as drinking goes, except for the prices, everything in Israel is both very convenient and reasonable. *I'm not 100% sure about the busses because the last time I got on one with a beer the driver made me throw it out because he said it's illegal to be on the bus with it, but that was the only time that's happened and I'm pretty sure he was wrong.
In the long run probably worth it, seeing as LCBO workers are unionized and a strike at the only liquor provider in the province would suck immensely