RICHMOND -
Blaise Burry never shies away from a good bargain, especially when it comes to his liquor.
The Virginia man says he'd rather grab a bottle across state lines than pony up his cash to the ABC. "The ABC," remarked Burry, "they're like the gestapo."
Every case of brandy, every box of vodka and every crate of tequila gets whisked through an ABC warehouse before landing in one of Virginia's 334 stores. The department's chief financial officer, Craig Vanderland, says the agency puts a premium on efficiency.
"We view ourselves much like a private business," explained Vanderland. But private businesses have one thing on the brain: generating profits.
Created in 1934 following the repeal of Prohibition, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has a different prerogative: "We boil down our mission to control, service and revenue, in that order," offered Betty Gettings, the agency's director of public affairs.
The numbers suggest ABC has delivered on its mission: curbing consumption. According to the Beverage Information Group's 2008 Liquor Handbook, Virginians drink liquor at a rate 20 percent lower than the national average. Beer and wine consumption- which isn't regulated by the state- is right on par with countrywide trends.
Many shoppers want to know why controlling liquor sale and distribution still occupies such a high priority for the state. "I can't think of any good it does," complained Burry, who prefers to buy his alcohol in neighboring Maryland. "It restricts people, that's not good. It causes the prices to be higher, that's not good."
Do Virginians really shell out more cash for their booze?
CBS 6 crossed the Potomac River for an experiment, comparing Virginia prices to randomly-selected stores in Maryland, where liquor stores are privately-owned. Popular brands like Smirnoff Vodka, Seagram's Gin and Firefly Sweet Tea- all were significantly cheaper in Maryland. But the discounts, in some cases, were deep.
Jose Cuervo priced $4 less for a 750 milliliter bottle, Grey Goose Vodka was a bargain at $6 cheaper, and Alize Liquer checked out at a whopping $10 less in Maryland.
Here are the totals for all ten brands that we tested (750 ml):
VABC Maryland
Smirnoff Vodka $14.95 $9.99 Firefly Sweet Tea $21.90 $18.99 Tanqueray $24.90 $17.99 Ketel One $26.95 $22.99 Grey Goose $33.90 $27.99 Seagram's Gin $12.90 $12.99 Captain Morgan $18.90 $11.99 Bacardi Limon $17.95 $12.99 Jose Cuervo Gold $19.95 $15.99 Alize Liquer $29.95 $19.99
Savvy shoppers are taking advantage of the better deals- by the caseload- purchasing their liquor in bulk out-of-state. "The prices are too high in Virginia," said Sonny King, explaining why he drives across the river to load up. "You can save a lot of money coming here and getting it."
Amber Sherbrook, visiting from Wisconsin, pronounced "I'm going where it's gonna be cheap and a better deal for me, plain and simple."
So why aren't we getting a better deal?
Availability has a lot to do with it: Maryland has more than 1,000 liquor stores, versus about 300 in Virginia. Moreover, our population is larger by a few million people.
"Competition is always good," declared George Peyton, vice president of government relations for the Virginia Retail Federation. Peyton believes letting private companies duke it out for business will ultimately drive down costs for consumers, and create a more vibrant retail sector in the Commonwealth.
But that scenario likely means more stores.
"The one thing I don't think Virginia is ready for is we're going to open this thing up totally to have an ABC store on every street corner in Virginia," Peyton observed, like you might find in Washington D.C. or Maryland.
So in effect, it's still a control issue- but is it the industry, or our wallets, that need to be held in check? Newly-elected Governor Bob McDonnell has suggested selling ABC licenses to private businesses to raise money for transportation.
The issue could very well come to a head in January, when the General Assembly reconvenes.
The Virginia man says he'd rather grab a bottle across state lines than pony up his cash to the ABC. "The ABC," remarked Burry, "they're like the gestapo."
Every case of brandy, every box of vodka and every crate of tequila gets whisked through an ABC warehouse before landing in one of Virginia's 334 stores. The department's chief financial officer, Craig Vanderland, says the agency puts a premium on efficiency.
"We view ourselves much like a private business," explained Vanderland. But private businesses have one thing on the brain: generating profits.
Created in 1934 following the repeal of Prohibition, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has a different prerogative: "We boil down our mission to control, service and revenue, in that order," offered Betty Gettings, the agency's director of public affairs.
The numbers suggest ABC has delivered on its mission: curbing consumption. According to the Beverage Information Group's 2008 Liquor Handbook, Virginians drink liquor at a rate 20 percent lower than the national average. Beer and wine consumption- which isn't regulated by the state- is right on par with countrywide trends.
Many shoppers want to know why controlling liquor sale and distribution still occupies such a high priority for the state. "I can't think of any good it does," complained Burry, who prefers to buy his alcohol in neighboring Maryland. "It restricts people, that's not good. It causes the prices to be higher, that's not good."
Do Virginians really shell out more cash for their booze?
CBS 6 crossed the Potomac River for an experiment, comparing Virginia prices to randomly-selected stores in Maryland, where liquor stores are privately-owned. Popular brands like Smirnoff Vodka, Seagram's Gin and Firefly Sweet Tea- all were significantly cheaper in Maryland. But the discounts, in some cases, were deep.
Jose Cuervo priced $4 less for a 750 milliliter bottle, Grey Goose Vodka was a bargain at $6 cheaper, and Alize Liquer checked out at a whopping $10 less in Maryland.
Here are the totals for all ten brands that we tested (750 ml):
VABC Maryland
Smirnoff Vodka $14.95 $9.99 Firefly Sweet Tea $21.90 $18.99 Tanqueray $24.90 $17.99 Ketel One $26.95 $22.99 Grey Goose $33.90 $27.99 Seagram's Gin $12.90 $12.99 Captain Morgan $18.90 $11.99 Bacardi Limon $17.95 $12.99 Jose Cuervo Gold $19.95 $15.99 Alize Liquer $29.95 $19.99
Savvy shoppers are taking advantage of the better deals- by the caseload- purchasing their liquor in bulk out-of-state. "The prices are too high in Virginia," said Sonny King, explaining why he drives across the river to load up. "You can save a lot of money coming here and getting it."
Amber Sherbrook, visiting from Wisconsin, pronounced "I'm going where it's gonna be cheap and a better deal for me, plain and simple."
So why aren't we getting a better deal?
Availability has a lot to do with it: Maryland has more than 1,000 liquor stores, versus about 300 in Virginia. Moreover, our population is larger by a few million people.
"Competition is always good," declared George Peyton, vice president of government relations for the Virginia Retail Federation. Peyton believes letting private companies duke it out for business will ultimately drive down costs for consumers, and create a more vibrant retail sector in the Commonwealth.
But that scenario likely means more stores.
"The one thing I don't think Virginia is ready for is we're going to open this thing up totally to have an ABC store on every street corner in Virginia," Peyton observed, like you might find in Washington D.C. or Maryland.
So in effect, it's still a control issue- but is it the industry, or our wallets, that need to be held in check? Newly-elected Governor Bob McDonnell has suggested selling ABC licenses to private businesses to raise money for transportation.
The issue could very well come to a head in January, when the General Assembly reconvenes.
