Nov 22, 2018 2 min read

Few people can be unaware that the food stores, many of them at least, have embarked upon a campaign to make it legal for them to sell beer in their stores. The man who runs down to the corner bar for a six-pack or to the distributor for a case would be able to buy it in either amount at his neighborhood grocery store.

It occurred to us to wonder just where the grocers would arrange the beer displays if they are permitted to sell it.

They might have to make a choice, for example, of placing it near the door where the customers enter or near the door where the customers leave. If the former, the idea would be to sell the beer before the customer spends all of his money on food. If the latter, it would probably be to make sure the customer didn’t leave with too much change after buying his food.

It might be a practical idea to include the beer display in the proper grouping, like placing all the forms of soap in the same aisle. Beer would probably be grouped with the cheese and crackers and the potato chips and pretzels. That would require a major realignment in most stores.

Surely the stores would establish a better system for repaying deposits on previous purchases than they presently do with pop bottles and not require customers to lug empty bottles through the entire shopping route or wait in the line for the refund as most of them do now.

Possibly the worst mistake would be to place the beer near the baby foods. Older buyers wouldn’t wander near and those intent upon buying baby food would certainly suffer a stroke of conscience if forced to make a financial choice between the welfare of the baby and a 12-ounce nightcap.

These might be vital concerns of some, but things being as they are, the ultimate thought that could push grocery store beer sales into either reality or oblivion is whether the beer buyer is eligible for trading stamps.