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Walmart Stores Get CCTV-Enabled, Breathalyzin' Wine Vending Machines
Select Pennsylvania Walmarts have found a way to work around the law prohibiting alcohol sales in grocery stores. It turns out the shortsighted legislature forgot to make it illegal to sell wine from a vending machine: "as long as the user is asked to take a breathalyzer test, swipe their state issued ID or Driver License, and then show their mug to a state official sitting somewhere in Harrisburg, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings via CCTV." I'm surprised nobody thought of this sooner.
I'm surprised nobody thought of this sooner.
In Japan they do something like this already.
Sorry Dave. I can't let you drink that.
That liquor control board's antiquated database can be accessed only using an old IE6 client. So that little terminal shown on the right is actually Linux machine running IE6 under WINE :-)
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Turns out, Kirin wasn't a cola - it's a beer. Big signs, written in Japanese, said something to the effect "If you are under 21, please don't buy from this machine." No cameras, no ID swipe. Trust. Apparently, they could trust a 16-year-old to not buy something that was not allowed to them, or at least not to be stupid about it.
I'm from Pennsylvania. Sales of wine and liquor are highly regulated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The places in the state that can sell liquor are state-run stores. Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania can't sell beer, same thing with convenience stores. The idea to sell wine from vending machines in grocery stores is not a really new idea, nor was it the idea of the retailers. The state actually approved of the wine vending machines, in response to many consumers wishing that they could at least purchase some wine while buying food. This isn't really a forward-thinking idea, actually. If we were really in the 21st century, Pennsylvanians would be able to buy wine and beer right at Wal-Mart and other places right off the shelves, and the cashiers can check IDs. I've seen the wine vending machines, they actually came out a few months ago in some other grocery stores. I don't like them because the machine only stocks a few varieties of the most popular wine. Not nearly the selection one would find at a "state store" or the even bigger selection one would find if he felt so inclined as to cross the border. As a side note, I live close to the border. In my town, due to the state's arcane laws, there is no place to buy beer after 8:00 PM - unless one goes to the bar and buys carryout by the six packs. So we've been known to make beer runs to a neighboring state, where there is a convenience store that sells by the case, just a few miles from the state line. I haven't actually used the new wine vending machines, but I know some who have, and they complain that it's not that fun, sometimes there are some issues, and last I knew, there was only one employee at the remote location that verifies the IDs. So, there is some waiting, and sometimes some issues with reading the cards. YMMV. Anyways, even though it seems cool, and *OMG YAY technology!* It isn't really a step in the right direction, as far as my state's arcane laws are concerned.
A little 101 on alcohol sales in Pennsylvania. The first thing you must realize about alcohol sales in PA is that it's one step above prohibition.
The rules go a little like this...
The reason they need a breathalyzer in the store is to ensure a "properly trained" state employee is approving the sale, not some punk at a register.
This isn't surprising for a state with such asinine liquor laws such that regulate where you can purchase (previously mentioned), until recently had no sales on Sunday or on election days.
...it's called New Jersey.
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to sell alcohol to a VIP (visibly intoxicated person). If you fail the breathalyser test then sale is denied.
Liquor laws are written by the distributors themselves. They want things this ridiculous to keep out competition. The city of chicago has 1, count them, 1 distributer for the entire city. It is virtually impossible to get a distribution license in the city, and is why Chicago has such pour variety in beers despite being so close to Wisconsin.
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to sell alcohol to a VIP (visibly intoxicated person). If you fail the breathalyser test then sale is denied.
Wouldn't the fact that the state employee is looking at them via a CCTV verify if they are VISIBLY intoxicated?
Normally, state liquor cashiers can test your BAC using their eyes. It was deemed to creepy for them to take a whiff of the customers so they trained them to test with their eyes, hence the "visible" part. However, many residents insist that the employees are robots and test intoxication through a special sensor near the eyes. Being an android would also explain the fact that the cashiers have the worst manners I've ever seen and the stores have extremely low customer satisfaction.
Yes, it can spur innovation, but not USEFUL innovation. The Suburu Brat was created due to government regulation -- the 2 plastic chairs in the truck bed allowed it to be classified as a passenger car instead of a pickup truck, and thus subject to lower tariffs, despite the fact that most people simply took the seats out and threw them away. "Innovation" to work around government regulation provides no value to the consumer that couldn't be achieved by simply deregulating!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Wait, this was supposed to be anti-Walmart?
My first thought was 'nifty' and my second thought was that this probably enforces the laws better than 90% of places that sell alcohol do.
You check ID's against the state DB (generally a skipped step in most stores), you have one trained guy dedicated to making sure the ID matches the shopper (as opposed to an 18 year old kid who couldn't care less), and a breathalyzer to get some kind of bearing on if they're drunk or not (as opposed to the 'is he stumbling around, slurring speech, and glassy eyed?' test).
It turns out the shortsighted legislature forgot to make it illegal to sell wine from a vending machine: "as long as the user is asked to take a breathalyzer test, swipe their state issued ID or Driver License, and then show their mug to a state official sitting somewhere in Harrisburg, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings via CCTV." I'm surprised nobody thought of this sooner.
The system was developed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, who runs the "State Store" system. The machines are run by the LCB. This isn't some magic end-around the law, it was developed by the exact people the legislature has designated to decide how to sell wine in the state.
Also, Wal-Mart is not the first to have the machines. There has been one in my local grocery store (Giant Eagle) outside of Pittsburgh, PA for a while now. They've also had single bottles and 6-packs of beer available for even longer. (Beer sales are generally limited to "distributors" who can only sell full cases, or bars/restaurants/delis who can sell single bottles or 6-packs. Giant Eagle sells ready-to-eat food in that part of the store, so they were able to get a deli-style license for beer sales.)
The wine vending machines are stupid. The selection is very limited, and the machines only operate during the same hours that the state-run Liquor/Wine stores are open anyway. Given that I have to drive past a state Liquor store to get to the store with the wine vending machine, it's pointless. I just make the extra stop.
The beer section is decent, but single bottles/6-packs are overpriced. I just go to a beer store and buy a case.
At least all of this is a step in the right direction. Maybe someday they will actually allow grocery stores to really sell alcohol like other states. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I can't believe I am apparently the only commenter (??? at least thus far) who is shocked that people don't think about that they are not being "carded", they are being RECORDED. It is not at all like being carded, where someone LOOKS at your ID to make sure you are of age and then you can purchase anonymously. Instead, there will be PROOF POSITIVE of who you are (name, address, etc), your magic number, your photograph, where you were and what date/time, and even your blood alcohol... tied to what you are buying. Plus, one could swap the guts of the machine in the "breathalyser" and test for anything else they care to look for. And all this data is being stored in a database.... one that, no doubt, we will have no idea what it is being used for now or in the future. Computers don't "forget". I think this is a HORRIBLE blow to privacy and civil liberties and if accepted, will open the door to more and more such stuff.
Wel, if yer buyin' fancy store-bought likker, mebbe
-- My Weblog.
No kidding! I live in PA and it is a real PITA for a responsible adult to pick up an adult beverage. Now let's look at the bigger picture, has it done anything to curb underage drinking, or drinking in excess? From my own personal experiences in the past that would be a big resounding NO! All the policies that are in place only serve to inconvenience those who seek to legally obtain alcohol. Hell, when I was 16 it was easier to get booze. All you had to do was show up at that one certain friend's house.... everyone had one of those friends.