# post a picture your city's booze shop



## yin_yang (May 29, 2006)

our flagship store










a regular store


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## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

Good man good man:cheers:...But I can't say I have any pictures of the local liquor store on hand.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

He he... I would love to do that but we don't have any... here you can buy all things alcohol in all shops and supermarkets....


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

yingyang, the flagship store is now up at Summerhill.. the so called Temple of Booze. 8000 square meters of fun in a renovated century old train station.



it is the biggest liquour/wine shop in Canada.


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## cphdude (Apr 18, 2004)

Mr_Denmark said:


> He he... I would love to do that but we don't have any... here you can buy all things alcohol in all shops and supermarkets....


True. But in adition to that there are a few good wine and liquor shops like Højbro Vin or Gammel Strand Øl og Vin....Both worth a try...


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## rocky (Apr 20, 2005)




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## Estopa (Jul 18, 2006)

heres a pic I found online:










"For those from Roxboro, ABC Stores are not educational supply stores, but rather they are liquor stores run exclusively by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. See, Virginia is one of those more conservative states in which the state regulates the sale of hard liquor. Virginia permits the sale of wine and beer in grocery stores, but anything else is sold at the ABC Store."


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## yin_yang (May 29, 2006)

Estopa said:


> heres a pic I found online:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


it's pretty moot over here...i think groceries aren't allowed to sell them, but supermarkets are? but only some, maybe they have to buy rights from the province...very weird and suspicious


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## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

I love how only Canadians and Europeans have replied to this, when Americans can buy booze at seven eleven


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## eusebius (Jan 5, 2004)

Gosh, perhaps we're heavy boozers out here but my town (18k) has 9 wine and liquor stores plus 6 supermarkets that sell beer and wines. www.wijnmuseum.nl is the Wine Museum in neighbouring Arnhem, also the royal supplier of wines. The wine cellars are beneath the street!








Can't find a picture of the exterior, very strange, it's a grand neo-classical building.


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## carfentanyl (May 14, 2003)

zachus22 said:


> I love how only Canadians and Europeans have replied to this, when Americans can buy booze at seven eleven


I can remember when I was in Canada (Hamilton), I wanted to buy a bottle of whisky after 6 in the evening and it was impossible. Then we just went for beer and went to a pretty big supermarket, but when I asked for beer they looked at me like if I was stupid. 

We couldn't get any alcohol! I thought the prohibition was going on again. We thought that was very strange...


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

You came overseas to Hamilton? What an unusual destination!
Your hosts were a bit negligent as they should have showed you
where to go to buy your booze. LOL!


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

> I thought the prohibition was going on again.



I actually prefer the LCBO monopoly on booze in Ontario. It might be less convenient, but makes for a more responsible industry, as well as better product and service. It also doesn't hurt to be the world's largest buyer of booze...(in my next life, I want to come back as a buyer for the LCBO...red carpet treatment wherever you go in the world).

If they sold booze in every corner store, it would be of no use to me anyway, as without a doubt, the small selection they woud carry, would be the worst mainstream crap. Would I be able to pick up a bottle of Macallan 18 ? Blanche de Chambly? Patron Silver? Mondavi? No...and I'm not about to start drinking Miller Light and Jack Daniels.



Not only that, a trip to Summerhill is not a chore...it's a treat...I can spend an hour there easily. Can't say the FREE SAMPLES hurt either. LOL



KGB


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## DiggerD21 (Apr 22, 2004)

In most european countries you can buy alcohol in regular supermarkets and elsewhere. You can even buy alcohol at petrol stations. I've been once to an american-style diner at an Autobahn which had a cocktail-bar (serving mainly alcoholic cocktails).
Only a few countries here have special laws: AFAIK in Slovenia you can't buy any alcohol during certain daytimes. Besides this restriction alcohol is also there widely available.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I had a friend visit once from Frankfurt. He was shocked he couldn't buy alcohol all night long, and equally shocked he *could* buy groceries 24 hours per day here. At home if he wanted a chocolate bar after leaving a dance club, he had to buy it from a vending machine. Each country had different ways of regulating things. You get used to the different controls, and you make sure you buy your liquour before 10 or 11pm at night. It is not the end of the world when you get used to it! For me I rarely have a need for a bottle of Scotch at 3am. LOL!


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## mdiederi (Jun 15, 2006)

I remember one old store here on Charleston Blvd, just west of Valley View, it's gone now, but the sign out front was real simple and just said "Guns, Drugs, Booze". You could get anything there. :cheers:

On the other end of the spectrum is this 42 foot tall wine tower with over 10,000 bottles of wine. The list of wines you select from is on a PC.


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## The misanthropist (May 25, 2006)

KGB said:


> I actually prefer the LCBO monopoly on booze in Ontario. It might be less convenient, but makes for a more responsible industry, as well as better product and service. It also doesn't hurt to be the world's largest buyer of booze...(in my next life, I want to come back as a buyer for the LCBO...red carpet treatment wherever you go in the world).
> 
> If they sold booze in every corner store, it would be of no use to me anyway, as without a doubt, the small selection they woud carry, would be the worst mainstream crap. Would I be able to pick up a bottle of Macallan 18 ? Blanche de Chambly? Patron Silver? Mondavi? No...and I'm not about to start drinking Miller Light and Jack Daniels.
> 
> ...


Following that rationale, why not a monopoly on clothes so you can have access to all the brands. You can have variety without monopoly. You can find all kinds of booze in countries where there is no monpoly. 

By the way, that flagship store looks like a converted railway station. Is that what it is?


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Most people probably buy booze at the local supermarket, convenience store off licence (specialist booze store) or petrol station. You can now buy any booze 24/7 in many supermarkets.

My favourite though is the town wine merchant, Tanners, hundreds of quality wines (and some beers and spirits) from all over the world and a nice old atmospheric shop with great service and knowledgeable staff.

http://www.tanners-wines.co.uk/TannersSite/cm/Branches.htm


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The misanthropist said:


> By the way, that flagship store looks like a converted railway station. Is that what it is?


Yes, it was the old CPR railway station. The renovation was beautifully done, and it is such a pleasure wandering around the multitude of rooms. Nice way to spend an hour or so on a weekend afternoon! :cheers:

I would personally prefer if the government monopoly of spirits was completely dismantled, but as for
the provincial alcohol boards, the Ontario one has done by far the best job in the past 15 years of improving its services. The stores are actually quite beautiful, and the liquor/wine selections are good
to extremely good. Beer stores in Ontario are completely separate from the LCBO, and each one carries a stock of hundreds of different beers.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

In HK it's the friendly neighbourhood


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

The best liquor store in Minneapolis in terms of selection is Surdyk's but I can't find a picture of it online, it claims to be the largest liquor store in the Midwest.

http://www.surdyks.com/

The best in terms of value is Hennepin-Lake Liquors which doesn't have a website (I am a chef so I know what the wholesale prices are).

In Minnesota real alcohol is only sold through liquor stores and in a way I think it really works to the consumer's advantage in terms of variety of selection. The problem with supermarkets is that they usually buy in large quantities and work with larger producers and as a result the interesting obscure stuff gets left off the shelf. This is especially the case with wine and craft beer. Because the liquor stores around here don't have to compete with the supermarkets we have tons of specialty shops and fierce price competion. I know a couple of wine shops that sell everything for significantly less than list price and they are selling good things that come out in small batches (red Burgundy, Bordeaux, Amarone, lots of stuff from California and the northwest, etc).


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Taller said:


> I had a friend visit once from Frankfurt. He was shocked he couldn't buy alcohol all night long, and equally shocked he *could* buy groceries 24 hours per day here. At home if he wanted a chocolate bar after leaving a dance club, he had to buy it from a vending machine. Each country had different ways of regulating things. You get used to the different controls, and you make sure you buy your liquour before 10 or 11pm at night. It is not the end of the world when you get used to it! For me I rarely have a need for a bottle of Scotch at 3am. LOL!


In Germany, pretty much any shop can sell booze. If you have a trading licence, you can sell the stuff. So, oddly you can buy drinks at some unusual shops. I know a toy shop here that sells drinks. Obviously for the adults that may pop in to buy models etc. 

This means that of cause logical places like supermarkets, gas stations or local corner shops are ideal for stocking up on booze. But it also means that if they are closed, you can still buy bottles from café’s to take away, or fast food outlets. Of cause, they are more expensive than a supermarket, but a popular choice when there are no alternatives. Some petrol stations of cause are open 24 hours, so you can always buy alcohol in Frankfurt, whatever the time of day or night.

There was even a time when you could buy beer with a Big Mac, but for some odd reason this is less common now in Germany.


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## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

Justme said:


> In Germany, pretty much any shop can sell booze. If you have a trading licence, you can sell the stuff. So, oddly you can buy drinks at some unusual shops. I know a toy shop here that sells drinks. Obviously for the adults that may pop in to buy models etc.
> 
> This means that of cause logical places like supermarkets, gas stations or local corner shops are ideal for stocking up on booze. But it also means that if they are closed, you can still buy bottles from café’s to take away, or fast food outlets. Of cause, they are more expensive than a supermarket, but a popular choice when there are no alternatives. Some petrol stations of cause are open 24 hours, so you can always buy alcohol in Frankfurt, whatever the time of day or night.
> 
> There was even a time when you could buy beer with a Big Mac, but for some odd reason this is less common now in Germany.


My friend said if you have a permit you can open up a stand and sell beer on the streets.


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

zachus22 said:


> My friend said if you have a permit you can open up a stand and sell beer on the streets.


As long as you can sell on the street yes. You do see this quite often. During street fairs, every place that sells food generally sells drinks as well. And even places that have say a bouncy castle for the kids during a street fair would set up a bar for the parents watching over.

Despite all this, there is very little crime at these street events. Every summer weekend, somewhere in Frankfurt's metro area there is a street festival like this. The smaller ones may attract 10,000 people or so over the weekend, an average larger one maybe 300,000 and the biggest on the river has been known to attract 3.5million over the weekend. Yet, despite endless tents or stalls selling drinks and food, there is hardly any police presence or problems.

One of the things I love about living here in Germany. It is so hard to go to an English speaking country, especially Australia, NZ or North America and see how controlled everything is when associated with alcohol.


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## yin_yang (May 29, 2006)

i think we are used to it here...good enough for me to go to a patio in the summer, nothing beats that.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Justme said:


> In Germany, pretty much any shop can sell booze. If you have a trading licence, you can sell the stuff. So, oddly you can buy drinks at some unusual shops. I know a toy shop here that sells drinks. Obviously for the adults that may pop in to buy models etc.
> 
> This means that of cause logical places like supermarkets, gas stations or local corner shops are ideal for stocking up on booze. But it also means that if they are closed, you can still buy bottles from café’s to take away, or fast food outlets. Of cause, they are more expensive than a supermarket, but a popular choice when there are no alternatives. Some petrol stations of cause are open 24 hours, so you can always buy alcohol in Frankfurt, whatever the time of day or night.
> 
> There was even a time when you could buy beer with a Big Mac, but for some odd reason this is less common now in Germany.



Petrol stations may be open 24 hours per day, but shops/stores and supermarkets close very early in Germany, do they not? Something like early in the evening? Here pretty much anything other than a booze shop can stay open 24 hours per day if it chooses. So really you can buy alcohol 24 hours per day in Frankfurt, but it the choice at a petrol station is going to be a bit limited, would it not? The latest you can buy hard alcohol or beer to take home in Ontario and Quebec is 11pm. By that time most people have made their home drinking arrangements, or are at a bar! Each country has differing laws regarding closure hours that seem very strange to outsiders! .:cheers:


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Taller said:


> Petrol stations may be open 24 hours per day, but shops/stores and supermarkets close very early in Germany, do they not? Something like early in the evening? Here pretty much anything other than a booze shop can stay open 24 hours per day if it chooses. So really you can buy alcohol 24 hours per day in Frankfurt, but it the choice at a petrol station is going to be a bit limited, would it not? The latest you can buy hard alcohol or beer to take home in Ontario and Quebec is 11pm. By that time most people have made their home drinking arrangements, or are at a bar! Each country has differing laws regarding closure hours that seem very strange to outsiders! .:cheers:


Yes, unfortunately most normal shops close quite early here. We have no 24hour supermarkets in Frankfurt (unless the small one at the airport is open those hours). Most close between 8pm and 10pm these days.

But remember, even a kabab shop open until the wee hours of the morning can still sell booze, and those gas stations do have a good selection. Unless you are after a particular special bottle of wine that is hard to find, you should find all your beer and spirit needs around the clock.

Germans have their priorities. You can't buy groceries on a Sunday afternoon, but you can stock up on booze and cigarettes at any time.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

But actual liquor and wine shops (aside from bars and petrol stations) in Germany close very early, the same time as other shops, correct? What about a Sunday afternoon.. are the full service liquor and wine shops open then?
Laws are different in all countries, and you just get used to them and work around them. I imagine if you are planning a dinner party in Frankfurt you just do your shopping for food and booze before 6pm, and make sure you get everything because you are not going to find the proper ingredients or a decent selection of wine or hard liquor at a petrol station. Here, you make sure you get your bottles of Scotch before the liquor stores close down at 10 or 11pm at the latest. If you screw up, you just have to go to a bar and drink!

My ideal situation would be to have no closing hours for any type of retail shop or bars. Everything could stay open 24 hours a day if it wants to. It is like that here for everything except liquor related services.


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Taller said:


> But actual liquor and wine shops (aside from bars and petrol stations) in Germany close very early, the same time as other shops, correct? What about a Sunday afternoon.. are the full service liquor and wine shops open then?


I can't speak for the rest of Germany, but I assume it's not too different to Frankfurt. Basically, because of the freedoms of buying alcohol in this country, we really don’t have liquor shops like you do in the US or Canada. They exist in your country because there is a need, but since alcohol is so easily available here, almost everywhere there are simply no (or few) of these shops. The exceptions are specialist wine or whiskey shops. These are not bulk buy booze shops, but more upmarket shops that sell hard to find brands and bottles. These of cause close at normal times and are not generally open on Sundays. But people would go there to buy that special bottle of wine rather than some tinnies for the BBQ or a standard dinner wine.



Taller said:


> Laws are different in all countries, and you just get used to them and work around them. I imagine if you are planning a dinner party in Frankfurt you just do your shopping for food and booze before 6pm, and make sure you get everything because you are not going to find the proper ingredients or a decent selection of wine or hard liquor at a petrol station.


Not quite. Most people would buy their average beer, wine or spirits from the local supermarket. They are on sale in the isles along with your butter, olive oil and other everyday shopping. These supermarkets are not open as late as many other countries, but in the cities they generally close at 10pm (at least in my state of Hessen, I believe opening hours vary from state to state). Remember, people drink more here, more often and as part of a normal social evening than in North America. So buying wine with the groceries at the local supermarket is pretty standard.

After 10pm, many people would pop into their local Kiosk. The closest equivalent to a US or Canadian store maybe the corner grocery or milkbar (I can’t remember what you call them there, but basically your suburban corner store open late that’s small and sells soft drinks, small choice of groceries etc). These usually open quite late, in some areas into the morning hours. They all sell alcohol and often people drink there as well. Many are just a hole in the wall and people drink at bistro tables outside, or at the outside counter (these are usually the town drunks though). It’s still considered a take away place mainly.

Outside of this, the other place that has the most range, and sometimes open 24hours is your local gas station. Generally though, people would only use these and Kiosks on Sundays or late at night. The average drinks purchases are done at supermarkets which stay open to 10pm. Also, in an emergency, you can always pop into your local kebab, hamburger joint, cafe or whatever, and ask to buy some beer or whatever else they have to just take away. I've done this when I was too lazy to walk to the nearest gas station or kiosk.



Taller said:


> Here, you make sure you get your bottles of Scotch before the liquor stores close down at 10 or 11pm at the latest. If you screw up, you just have to go to a bar and drink!


Then the advantage is certainly here. 10pm for supermarkets which would be the equivilent, and after that there are plenty of options still available without having to drink in a bar.



Taller said:


> My ideal situation would be to have no closing hours for any type of retail shop or bars. Everything could stay open 24 hours a day if it wants to. It is like that here for everything except liquor related services.


I agree with you. What we lack here is proper trading hours for all normal shops. Having them closed Sunday’s is ridiculous. The hours have improved quite a lot since I’ve been here, but for some reason they are very reserved about opening on Sundays. Odd really, when they don’t mind anything else open on Sundays.

The alcohol trading laws in Germany though is something I love, and would really find it odd to live again in a restricted country. You can buy alcohol everywhere here. Go to the cinema, beer and popcorn. Watch over your kids on the bouncy castle, order a beer from the ticket guy. Wanna buy the trainset at the local toyshop for your sons birthday? Why not grab a bottle of whiskey for yourself at the same time.

Quite civilized really. Wow, sorry for the long post, damn I can rave on a bit when I'm bored.


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

> The alcohol trading laws in Germany though is something I love, and would really find it odd to live again in a restricted country. You can buy alcohol everywhere here. Go to the cinema, beer and popcorn. Watch over your kids on the bouncy castle, order a beer from the ticket guy. Wanna buy the trainset at the local toyshop for your sons birthday? Why not grab a bottle of whiskey for yourself at the same time.
> 
> Quite civilized really.


So what are we...uncivilized???

As you have already mentioned, you have your restrictions as to days and hours opened...so it's really just a case of different social norms between different cultures, rather than one being more "civilized" than another.

But you have to remember, our current liquor laws are an evolution from our old victorian values, where booze was not seen as just a glass of wine at the family meal to aid digestion, but a cause of social problems from "drinking".

One of the advantages of the LCBO in Ontario (and you have to remember, North America varies wildly on this subject...you can't really lump it all together), is that with booze only sold through properly trained employees at LCBO or Beer Store outlets, you have more responsible control and regulation of its sale....underage kids and drunks just can't walk in and buy booze....you can't trust the owner of a small independent store to be this responsible.





KGB


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

KGB said:


> So what are we...uncivilized???


No need to be so sensitive here ;O) 



KGB said:


> As you have already mentioned, you have your restrictions as to days and hours opened...so it's really just a case of different social norms between different cultures, rather than one being more "civilized" than another.


Yes, I did mention it. One should always look at both sides of the story to understand the true situation. It is quite odd the way Germans see shopping hours. When discussing with many of them why the shopping hours are so restrictive, they usually indicate that it would be unfair to force the employee's to work during the night or Sunday's. Yet they have no problems with any other industry working these hours, Cinema's, Porn shops, Cafe's, bars, Petrol Stations, Bus drivers, etc etc. It's something I simply can't understand - much like I can't understand the alcohol restrictions in your country.



KGB said:


> But you have to remember, our current liquor laws are an evolution from our old victorian values, where booze was not seen as just a glass of wine at the family meal to aid digestion, but a cause of social problems from "drinking".
> 
> One of the advantages of the LCBO in Ontario (and you have to remember, North America varies wildly on this subject...you can't really lump it all together), is that with booze only sold through properly trained employees at LCBO or Beer Store outlets, you have more responsible control and regulation of its sale....underage kids and drunks just can't walk in and buy booze....you can't trust the owner of a small independent store to be this responsible.


You would be very surprised to see the way this is handled here. When I first came I went with a friend to one of the endless summer street festivals held here through the warmer months. Not a big one this time, but about 30,000 people over the weekend. We turned up at 7pm and I asked my friend how come there were so many kids drinking from the many street bars opened up. He said it's normal. The kids ask their parents if they can half a couple of beers at the festival and it's no worries as long as they're back home by 9:30 or so. Sure enough, before 10pm all the kids had gone home after enjoying a drink or two and then only adults were drinking for the rest of the night.

Now that is civilized.


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## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

Justme said:


> One of the things I love about living here in Germany. It is so hard to go to an English speaking country, especially Australia, NZ or North America and see how controlled everything is when associated with alcohol.


Well I said it because my friend's sister's boyfriend (catch that?) went to Germany this past March, and he's quite the beer enthusiast, so he loved it there. He's a 19 year old Canadian who can speak German, he loves beer, and he loves Germany. How great could it have been for him?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Justme said:


> The alcohol trading laws in Germany though is something I love, and would really find it odd to live again in a restricted country. You can buy alcohol everywhere here. Go to the cinema, beer and popcorn. Watch over your kids on the bouncy castle, order a beer from the ticket guy. Wanna buy the trainset at the local toyshop for your sons birthday? Why not grab a bottle of whiskey for yourself at the same time.
> 
> Quite civilized really. Wow, sorry for the long post, damn I can rave on a bit when I'm bored.




I like the sound of being able to buy spirits anywhere during the day, but I'd say if you could get rid of the 5 or 6pm closing hour for most supermarkets and proper wine/spirits shops, and make 24 hour supermarkets instead of the very latest being a quite-early 10 pm, and drop the no-opening hours for Sundays, then that would be more "unrestricted".. I know technically if you get in the car and go look for a petrol station that you can find a limited selection of booze around the clock. I'm a bit fussy about the type of wine I drink and would still probably plan ahead and buy it in the specialty shops that close at 6pm. In cities like New Orleans (in the USA), the whole thing is 24 hours a day, with cocktail/beer sales on the sidewalk. In most South American cities or Caribbean places I've been they sell , and you can drink, anywhere and everywhere. That is the kind of "unrestricted" that I would like! I have no problem making kids wait til they are 18 to drink in public, though.. letting them have a bevvie at home when they are younger is one thing, but starting the social drinking culture at 16 is a bit much. I have never seen children drinking in South America in public, despite the wide availability of alcohol. :cheers:

for me personally, I am past the age where I would want to drink past 2am at the bars, or buy booze at 5am, sadly!! Those days are but a mere memory now, because I am in my bed by then! There was a time when I was not above popping into one of the illegal "booze can" bars that stay open all night long :lol:

By the way, Justme, are supermarkets open on Sundays, or do you have to buy booze at a petrol station all day on Sunday? That would be inconvenient if you are planning a dinner party. I would really hate the early closing hours of normal shops and supermarkets. I finish work around 1pm or midnight, and do much of my shopping after work. Even sometimes when you are watching a movie in the wee hours of the morning, it is nice to run down to the corner shop and buy some "munchies"!


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Taller said:


> By the way, Justme, are supermarkets open on Sundays, or do you have to buy booze at a petrol station all day on Sunday? That would be inconvenient if you are planning a dinner party. I would really hate the early closing hours of normal shops and supermarkets. I finish work around 1pm or midnight, and do much of my shopping after work. Even sometimes when you are watching a movie in the wee hours of the morning, it is nice to run down to the corner shop and buy some "munchies"!


Sadly, all supermarkets are closed on Sunday's, with the exception of the airport and central station ones (though the central station "supermarkets" are really tiny and very expensive)

Yes, this is a problem. Most Germans don't seem bothered because they know nothing else (unless they have travelled abroad). But growing up with 7 day shopping I still have not got used to this. Essentially, you have to buy everything before the Sunday, so you can't really have a spontaneous dinner party on Sunday unless you have everything stocked up. You can of cause get essential foods at the gas stations or kiosks, but it is very basic.

Those Germans living close to the borders can always pop into another country to buy groceries - and that is not as hard as it sounds, as ´there are many cities that straddle national borders and with no border posts in the Schengen EU and the single currency it's just like popping down the road anywhere else. But most Germans have to grit their teeth and plan ahead.

Remember though, that Kiosks here are a bit like your Corner Store in North America which are located everywhere and open 7 days. You can buy all your "munchie" needs there.

For booze though, the options on Sundays is still pretty good. It is no less convenient going to a gas station or kiosk on a Sunday here than it would be for you to go to your normal drink shop. You also have the various cafe's, take aways etc where you usually also buy alcoholic drinks for take away.

I wish we would get Sunday shopping here. There is always talk about it, but talk is as far as it goes. Instead they have opened up shopping hours for the rest of the week which is at least a good step, but at the end of the day, I would prefer Sunday shopping. It really is the easiest day to shop in the week, and the most enjoyable.


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## KGB (Sep 12, 2002)

> Sure enough, before 10pm all the kids had gone home after enjoying a drink or two and then only adults were drinking for the rest of the night.
> 
> Now that is civilized.



Well, that's a lovely little anictdote, but it almost sounds like you are trying to convince me that they don't have alcohol related issues in germany. My personal antictdotes and stats tell me differently. Germany has serious alcohol problems...and I don't care what country you are in...alcohol and teenagers never mix well.





KGB


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

KGB said:


> Well, that's a lovely little anictdote, but it almost sounds like you are trying to convince me that they don't have alcohol related issues in germany. My personal antictdotes and stats tell me differently. Germany has serious alcohol problems...and I don't care what country you are in...alcohol and teenagers never mix well.
> 
> KGB


Every country has alochol related problems with their youth. But Germany is certainly not any larger than Canada, yet they are more relaxed in their alcohol laws.

Which certainly does suggest that restricting alcohol to teenagers certainly doesn't help the solution.

Then again, I see far less drinking problems in Germany than I did back in Australia, New Zealand and the UK which have stricter laws. The summer festivals here held every weekend can number between 300,000 over a weekend to 3million, and there is very little crime and almost no police presence. 

Germany does have a big problem with alcohol driving related deaths though. This is generally attributed to drunk drivers on the autobahn with no speed limits.


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## Rapid (May 31, 2004)

The early closing time of our state-owned liquor shop in Canada is a killer. It ruins everything for people who want to have fun at the last minute without cleaning out their wallet.


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## Saigoneseguy (Mar 6, 2005)




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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

KGB said:


> One of the advantages of the LCBO in Ontario (and you have to remember, North America varies wildly on this subject...you can't really lump it all together), is that with booze only sold through properly trained employees at LCBO or Beer Store outlets, you have more responsible control and regulation of its sale....underage kids and drunks just can't walk in and buy booze....you can't trust the owner of a small independent store to be this responsible.
> 
> KGB


The sale of liquor in Ontario may be more responsible, but it doesn't acheive the desired result of protecting youth and substance abusers from themselves. I'm not suggesting making it easier to buy, but the reality is the following:

Ask any high school student what substances they take. The answers are pot, mushrooms, cocaine, meth, and ecstasy. Why? That is a no-brainer: liquor and beer are expensive and harder to get, so they do other drugs instead. Why try and score booze when you can buy 10 pills down the hall? Cheaper, and it will last longer. 

The Beer Store monopoly in Ontario is right out of the Soviet Union. It is so bizarre when you go in there the first time that you almost want to preserve it as a source of amusement. 

You tell the cashier what beer you want, and it rolls down a conveyor belt. You can't physically pick up the beer yourself. 

You can not buy beer at the corner store, and they are always closed. Almost every Ontarian under 35 has a telephone number for an illegal bootlegger.


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## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

isaidso said:


> The sale of liquor in Ontario may be more responsible, but it doesn't acheive the desired result of protecting youth and substance abusers from themselves. I'm not suggesting making it easier to buy, but the reality is the following:
> 
> Ask any high school student what substances they take. The answers are pot, mushrooms, cocaine, meth, and ecstasy. Why? That is a no-brainer: liquor and beer are expensive and harder to get, so they do other drugs instead. Why try and score booze when you can buy 10 pills down the hall? Cheaper, and it will last longer.
> 
> ...


Where the hell are you living, friggin suburban Miami? 

Saying drugs like crystal meth and ecstasy are easier to get than booze is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.

Why even bother asking kids who 'take' substances? They probably can't even talk anyway. Saying they do shit like that because they can't get booze is trash. They do garbage like that because either they're rich and have too much money, they're bored, depressed, or just plain messed up. The majority of high school kids have common sense, and will not make a conservative decision to do freaking cocaine simply because they can't get booze. 

Absolute bullshit, I'm sorry.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

As much as I am opposed to government distribution, or monopoly private distribution of alcohol and beer, it would be unfair to compare the beer stores here to Stalinist ones. Beer stores here are in every neighbourhood, and they carry around *350 brands of beer* from Ontario/Canada and the world. This is a HUGE selection, and not something you are going to find in a supermarket or a convenience store elsewhere. In my neighbourhood store there is a self service cooler for about 20 brands, and the rest are stored in the back which is a huge refrigerated space. It would not be possible to let everyone go back into the warehouse themselves to hunt for 350 brands of beer that are piled all over the place, so a guy in the back puts the order on a
rolling conveyor and that brings it to the front of the store for you to pick up. 
These beer stores are privately owned, not government owned. I have photos of the amazing display of beers offered, but I am not sure if I can post pictures from inside their business. Also, as much as I am not crazy about the 
Government liquor stores, they are amazing, quite beautiful inside, and they source the world for a very broad selection of low to ultra high end liquor and wine. For my own wine I usually go to the wine shops that are owned by Ontario wineries as I support our own wine industry.


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