Liquor store owners speak out against allowing wine sales in grocery stores

Local wine and liquor store owners fear a bill in the New York State Senate that would allow wine sales in grocery stores would put them out of business.

Co-owner of Georgetown Square Wine and Liquor Steve Glamuzina shared some of his many frustrations with this proposed bill.

“Imagine your business giving 30-40% of your revenue to somebody else, how long are you going to be around? Not much longer,” Glamuzina said. “The playing field is tilted so much in their favor that there’s no way we would be able to survive.”

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This bill would allow full-service grocery stores that are primarily engaged in the sale of food (greater than 65% of sales) and already sell beer for off their premises use to also sell wine.

The bill excludes national big box retailers and smaller convenience stores.

However, it would allow many local grocery store chains, like Tops and Wegmans to have wine on their shelves.

The bill is still in committee and has not yet been voted on by the State Senate.

Sponsor of the bill, State Senator, Liz Krueger (D) writes in her sponsorship memo that “while many laws have been updated to reflect modern times, consumers are still stuck making multiple trips to different stores for groceries and wine.”

Owner of Paradise Wine in Buffalo, Paula Paradise doesn’t see how this adds any convenience for local shoppers.

“There is a lot of misinformation that it is a real benefit for the consumer,” Paradise said.

“Wine shops and liquor stores are located in or near grocers,” Glamuzina said.

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Senator Krueger also wrote that "traditional liquor stores will also likely continue to offer wines beyond what a supermarket can dedicate floor space to."

However, If the bill is passed, Paradise sees a future where wine stores close because they can’t support themselves, and we lose our wide selections of wines.

“Grocery stores can’t buy from small producers,” Paradise said.

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If this bill takes away his wine sales, Brian Wojcinski at Main Liquor in Dunkirk feels a huge chunk of his family’s business would be gone.

“It would take 25% of our business away,” Wojcinski said.

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Meanwhile, Glamuzina feels this would eventually lead to countless stores like his own going out of business.

“This [store] would become a vacant space, no doubt about it,” Glamuzina said. “It’s frustrating, it’s our own government doing it to you, trying to put you out of business.”