wow:
Interesting bit of trivia, that!
Virginia kept very tight control on sales of wine and distilled spirits for many years, and still controls spirits. The control was so tight that every ABC store in the state was exactly the same, right down to the size of the store (to the nearest inch!). I know personally of a storefront that was built in a shopping center that was two inches too wide and the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) refused to sign the lease. The landlord was able to move the walls in an inch on each side (it was not acceptable to move one wall in two inches, but if it had been an inch to narrow they would have had a really large problem!)
Each store had two entry doors, at the front corners, with glass blocks instead of window up to about eye level between the doors. Inside, there were two price lists, one on each side wall, then a counter with one walkthrough, which had to be on the left, with a gate top which had to have the hinge on the left. The store clerk took your order then went to the shelves in the back of the store and retrieved your selection. It was so regimented that each brand and size of booze had a specific place on the shelving. Clerks could not move the more popular stuff up front because the rules told them where to store it and they risked firing if they deviated.
I worked several Christmases at one during the late 60s, so I know this is all true.
Now, wine sales are deregulated to a great extent, but the monopoly on hard liquor sales remains to this day so far as I know. Most of the stores have been converted to self-service, though, so you no longer have a clerk running to get your pint of Jim Beam.
But those laws and regs are nothing compared to Utah. The liquor rules there are REALLY strange. So strange in fact that one store I went into had a sign: If you think your liquor laws are strange you should see our underware!
Ted
