Why Some Grocery Stores Sell Alcohol And Others Don't

You're late for a party in another state and realize you've forgotten to pick up a bottle of wine for the host. As a simple solution, you plan to pop by the nearest grocery store and quickly grab a bottle there. But after a few minutes of wandering around the store, you ask customer service where you can find the wine and beer aisle. You get a blank stare and are then told the store does not carry alcohol, nor does any other grocery store in the state. What gives?

Ever since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, laws governing where, when, how, and what you can sell regarding alcohol have been controlled by the individual states. This has created a patchwork of regulations throughout the country. Some rules tend to be similar to neighboring states, but if you want to buy alcohol on Thanksgiving or Christmas day in Connecticut or Massachusetts, you'll have to drive to New Hampshire to do so. The different rules can be confusing. Many states including California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico allow sales of all alcohol in grocery stores, with some restrictions. And four states do not permit the sale of alcohol in supermarkets: Minnesota, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Alaska. There are some exceptions for beer with less than 3.2% ABV (alcohol by volume) but beer lovers would generally call that "near beer," well under the more common 5 to 6% ABV for brew sold in the U.S. market.

For states like New York —where you can buy beer at the grocery store but have to go the liquor store for wine and hard alcohol — you might have to do your alcohol shopping at different places. In Florida and several other Southeastern states, you can get beer and wine in the supermarket, but you'll need to go to the liquor store for the hard stuff. Utah, which has a unique set of rules regarding alcohol sales in general, only began permitting grocery store sales of beer with up to 4% alcohol in 2019. In Indiana, you can buy beer, but just don't expect it to be cold.

In New Jersey, you may see one of your favorite supermarkets selling wine, but you might not be able to find it at every location. That's because each grocery store chain in New Jersey is only allowed a total of two liquor licenses. You can buy alcohol at a chain like Aldi, but you'll need to check on whether a specific location sells it first. Big box stores are often regulated similarly to grocery chains so, for example, Costco won't sell you alcohol in some states like Pennsylvania and Maryland. And while there are states where Costco sells alcohol to non-members — like Arizona, California, and Kentucky — in others, you still need to be a member to buy it. So, before rushing out to the store for a quick wine purchase, better do your research first.