By ALEX COSTELLO
In addition to charging grocery stores franchising fees for the right to sell wine, the proposal would increase the excise tax on wine from 18.9 cents per gallon to 51 cents. The measure could produce $150 million in revenue for the state over the next three years, according to Paterson.
"I think it's - because of the gravity of the deficit - it's a done deal," said Nick Poulos, owner of Pop's Wines and Spirits in Island Park. "It's going to happen."
While the convenience of being able to buy wine in a grocery store might be attractive for consumers, it is a major concern for wine and liquor store owners, who contend that it could put them out of business. "For the smaller stores, it'll be devastating," Poulos said. "It'll just be the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"It's already a sick industry, in the sense that people are working hard and making very little money," he added.
Poulos said that his store is one of the state's largest wine and liquor stores, and because he carries more than 7,000 different products, the proposal would not have a huge impact on his business. But other local wine and liquor store owners aren't as optimistic.
"I feel that it's going to seriously affect my business because it's basically just allowing the grocery stores to sell wine and not other types of liquor," said Susan Bamman, owner of Vino 100 in Oceanside. "And my store in particular, although I do sell some liquor, it's mostly a wine store.
"I understand the convenience for the customers - if they can just pick up wine while they're in the grocery store, that a lot of people are going to do that," Bamman added. "So I'm sure it'll cut into my
business."
Bamman's sentiment has been echoed in reports across the state. Many wine store owners are predicting that they will see fewer customers if supermarkets are allowed to sell wine, despite the lack of personalized service. And while wine connoisseurs might not take to searching the shelves of a supermarket, wine sellers are afraid that the average customer will have no such qualms.
"I'm sure there are some customers that still want the personalized service and the special wines that I carry," Bamman said. "But I definitely think there's enough people that would just go to the grocery store and pick up the mass-produced brand because it's easier." She said she fears that, if the proposal is passed, it could force her out of business.
Owners of wine and liquor stores also complain that allowing wine to hit grocery store shelves will make it more readily available to underage drinkers. "I definitely don't sell to children in my store, and I think there's more control with it being in a separate store where the owner is going to be looking out for who they're selling to, as opposed to young cashiers in a grocery store," Bamman said. "So that's definitely a concern."
Poulos agreed, saying that most sales to minors are for beer, which is readily available in supermarkets.
According to Bill Prowley, a spokesman for the New York State Liquor Authority, however, the number of sales to minors in supermarkets dropped by almost half from 2004 to 2008. In 2004, the liquor authority recorded 973 sales to minors statewide. In 2008, there were 501.
"There's about 16,000 grocery stores," Prowley said. "So just by sheer number, we'd expect to see more. We don't want to see any sales to minors, but we are pleased with the progress that the stores have made."
For now, wine store owners are waiting to see if Paterson's proposal successfully makes it way through the state Assembly. If it does, they say, they are hoping that the higher level of customer service they offer will be enough to keep their customers coming back. "Most of the customers that come into my store, I personally help them select the bottles of wine that they're buying based on their tastes because I know my wines," said Bamman. "I've tasted all my wines and know about them and can definitely sell them properly.
"And I don't think you'll get that same level of service in a grocery store," she added. "It's just going to be sitting on a shelf the same way cereal is."
Comments about this story? ACostello@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
