A high-priced basket

I have one word to describe alcohol regulation in Canada: bizarre. I hear that it's a bit less bizarre now than it was 20 years ago, but nonetheless, it's quite different than how alcohol sales are regulated in the US. You can't just go into any gas station or grocery store and buy booze; you have to go to designated publicly or privately-owned liquor store or cold beer and wine store and get it there. Private establishments have to purchase the alcohol from the Liquor Control Board, run by the Canadian government. Thus, the government has absolute power to set the price of alcohol, and, needless to say, these prices are astronomical in comparison with US prices. For example, one can buy a 6-pack of Bud Light in Kentucky for $5.49 (very precise, I know), whereas a 6-pack of Bud Light in British Columbia is $11.99. Since Canada brews its Bud locally, you can't even blame the high price on the beer being an import. So yes, as an avid Bud Light connoisseur, I'm screwed.

Going into a government-owned liquor store is quite the experience. Jeff and I went into one the other day, and it was HUGE! One can get just about anything. Just in case you want to try a lot of different things, this particular store had these cute little grocery basket-carts so that you don't feel like you're buying a lot of booze even though you may be. Genius.


As you can see, the high-priced booze didn't deter us from buying. I'm sure we're not alone. I've been told that the government controls alcohol sales for the mere fact that, by doing so, it generates ginormous revenues. That's it. No sort of safety-like "stop binge drinking or drunk driving" type of excuse. It's all about the money. At least they're honest.