Amazon.com: Earth's Biggest Wine Cellar?

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Amazon.com: Earth's Biggest Wine Cellar?

Posted by timothy on Thursday November 15, 2012 @01:48AM from the herzliche-glueckwunsch dept.

theodp writes "Ever get carded by your FedEx guy? You will. Several writers at GeekWire had just unboxed, uncorked and polished off their first bottle of Amazon wine, only to have their buzz killed by the need to cover Steven Sinofsky's unexpected exit from Microsoft. With the caveat that per-order shipping charges will discourage those watching their pennies from ordering single bottles of inexpensive wine, GeekWire gave the overall Amazon wine buying experience a thumbs-up." Since Amazon-owned Woot's been selling wine for a while, it may be a stretch to call it new for Amazon, but their main site is known to many more people.

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Seriously? by gazbo · 2012-11-15 01:52 · Score: 1

Seriously?!
1. Re:Seriously? by Tator+Tot · 2012-11-15 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously?!
  He is serious, and don't call him Shir- whoops. I might have jumped the gun on that one.
  
  --
  To all you virgins: Thanks for nothing.
2. Re:Seriously? by Tarlus · 2012-11-15 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  Ya srsly.
  
  --
  /* No Comment */
3. Re:Seriously? by AlamedaStone · 2012-11-15 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, consider this: Amazon may be setting itself up to be the legit Silk Road for recreational cannabis. Think about it! Home growers could have a retail channel that includes the entire US, dragging the industry into legitimacy. Talk about a grass-roots movement... With the new laws in Colorado and Washington, there will be a market starting in January.
  Now, no one at Amazon has even suggested such a thing (as far as I know), but I found it an interesting coincidence that this wine-selling program started to make headlines in a big way immediately on the heels of the election. Even if it isn't intentional, this would be (or rather, WILL be) a massive revenue stream for the first company to offer such a service, and Amazon will have this wine business experience to work out the kinks in state-by-state deliveries.
  I'm hopeful.
  
  --
  "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
4. Re:Seriously? by geoffball · 2012-11-15 07:50 · Score: 1
  
  You put your weed in it.
5. Re:Seriously? by tehcyder · 2012-11-15 23:37 · Score: 1
  
  Now, no one at Amazon has even suggested such a thing (as far as I know), but I found it an interesting coincidence that this wine-selling program started to make headlines in a big way immediately on the heels of the election. Even if it isn't intentional, this would be (or rather, WILL be) a massive revenue stream for the first company to offer such a service, and Amazon will have this wine business experience to work out the kinks in state-by-state deliveries.
  So you don't think that Amazons' s massive worldwide book delivery service will have given them quite a good idea about loistics and distribution already?
  
  There's nothing magical about shipping pot: if it's only legal in States A and B then you only ship it to states A and B.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 01:54 · Score: 3, Informative

Alcohol is a state run for profit monopoly here. Buy it from the state or not at all. They even have special state run stores here. Shipping alcohol can get you jail time.
1. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:00 · Score: -1
  
  Thank you captain obvious.
2. Re:Not in Alabama by jythie · 2012-11-15 02:00 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Pennsylvania is the same way. Every election cycle they talk about privatizing.. and every time it quietly gets shelves for, publicly, some moralistic reason.. but privately I suspect they just really do not want to give up the power, and the PA liqueur institution is pretty powerful (not to mention corrupt).
3. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:25 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  You're welcome, Major Asshole.
4. Re:Not in Alabama by desertrat_it · 2012-11-15 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  Alcohol is a state run for profit monopoly here. Buy it from the state or not at all. They even have special state run stores here. Shipping alcohol can get you jail time.
  you're right and you're wrong.
  Alabama, like a lot of states, is a 3 tier alcohol state - producer, wholesaler, retailer. Direct shipping of alcoholic beverages is prohibited by law.
  *Liquor* is a state run monopoly. Fermented beverages are not part of this monopoly.
5. Re:Not in Alabama by Gunnut1124 · 2012-11-15 02:37 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Last time we let you people transport alcohol you invented NASCAR and we are NOT going to let that happen again.
  
  --
  America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt, 1936
6. Re:Not in Alabama by darjen · 2012-11-15 02:49 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I am from Ohio and I visit friends in PA ocasionally. I used to buy a case of Yuengling and bring it back with me. Although we have our own dumb alcohol laws here, I think PA really does take the cake as far as ridiculous regulation goes.
7. Re:Not in Alabama by Sulphur · 2012-11-15 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  Last time we let you people transport alcohol you invented NASCAR and we are NOT going to let that happen again.
  America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt, 1936
  The Germans invented amphetamines in time for WWII, but I didn't know about Eleanor.
8. Re:Not in Alabama by darjen · 2012-11-15 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  I think Alabama has an absurdly low abv limit for beer, if I remember correctly. something like 5 or 6 %.
9. Re:Not in Alabama by desertrat_it · 2012-11-15 03:00 · Score: 1
  
  I think Alabama has an absurdly low abv limit for beer, if I remember correctly. something like 5 or 6 %.
  nope. 13.9%.
10. Re:Not in Alabama by jythie · 2012-11-15 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  We actually have cops that sit in NJ watching stores on the boarder for PA license plates, and follow you back across the bridges.. so at least on the eastern side they do not even let you patronize other state's stores if they can stop you.
11. Re:Not in Alabama by sargon666777 · 2012-11-15 03:13 · Score: 2
  
  Couldnt agree with you more.. try getting a bottle of Everclear here... (From Wikipedia) Consumers may legally purchase Everclear in Pennsylvania but must first obtain a permit for it and agree that it shall not be consumed as beverage alcohol and shall not be furnished for any reason to another person
  
  --
  Am I lying when I tell you that im telling the truth? Or am I telling the truth when I say that Im lying?
12. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 03:48 · Score: 0
  
  One of the amusing consequences of Bush siccing Ashcroft on the state of California over the medical marijuana issue, is that the Republican party was taking a stand on their interpretation of the constitution: domestic cultivation and sales were subject to the feds under interstate commerce. Fuck states rights; states don't have the authority to regulate things like that.
  They got SCOTUS to agree with them.
  That was for literal intrastate commerce, which they argued influenced interstate commerce, therefore is was "necessary and proper" for them to use force against the states' and peoples' will on the matter.
  This is a case where something literally comes from out-of-state. If push ever comes to shove, there's little doubt that Republicans would have to reluctantly admit that the people of Alabama should be forcefully denied the right to regulate out-of-state alcohol sales. There is merely a more simple case of Republicans' much broader agenda of liberalization and expansion of federal power.
  Don't push on this, Alabama. Last I heard, you people actually have Republicans in your own midst.
  And that's the so-called conservative party! Guess which way their chief rival party will go, the one alleged to be further to the left. You have approximately 0% of Congress and 0% of SCOTUS and 0% of the White House on your side if you fight this.
13. Re:Not in Alabama by T5 · 2012-11-15 04:05 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Not in Tennessee either. We have a rich history of insane alcohol laws and political opposition. For example, a former Speaker of the House, Ned Ray McWherter, who owned a beer distributorship at the time, cleverly crafted the tax schedules for keg beer to exclude, for example, Guinness, which came in an odd-sized keg compared to the domestics which McWherter's distributorship sold. No tax schedule for that size meant that it was not legal to sell here. IIRC it was about a decade after his tenure before the tax schedules were amended to allow for other sizes of kegs.
  Even today a liquor license is required to sell beer > 6% ABV. This, of course, applies to wine as well. This means that we get nothing but the low gravity beers in our grocery stores and no wine at all. And the prices at the liquor stores for high gravity beer (what little you can find) and wine are much higher as a result than, for example, in Georgia. Grocery chains like Trader Joe's and Publix are just now making inroads into our great state, largely because of the lunacy of restricted alcohol sales.
14. Re:Not in Alabama by kiwimate · 2012-11-15 04:25 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Pennsylvania is insane. I moved here 12 years ago from New Zealand and even today it still amazes me that we have these silly and anachronistic laws.
  PA wines and spirits shops sell from the same catalog. It means it's all the same price. (Many years ago, before I knew better, I went into a shop and asked about a case discount. The shop clerk didn't understand what I meant.)
  That price, by the way, includes an 18% tax known as the Johnstown Flood Tax. (Short version: a city of 30,000 was wiped out in 1936 by a flood. 76 years later, every time you buy a bottle of wine or scotch or gin in Pennsylvania, you're still paying for Johnstown to be rebuilt.)
  Recently, an amazingly innovative push in the Liquor Control Board has allowed some supermarkets to sell wine. (This is sarcasm.) They are still wine and spirits shops, so you go into a separate room and check out separately from the assistants who ring up your groceries. One wonders why they even bothered.
  A wine and liquor store cannot sell beer. A beer distributor sells beer by the case. You must buy a complete case. If you go to a specialized store (e.g. a deli that is licensed), you can buy by the six-pack - but only two. My wife and I once went to a local deli to buy three six-packs. The clerk rang us up and told my wife to walk out with one six-pack, then for me to follow her five seconds later with the other two. If we walked out together with all three six-packs, we'd be breaking the law.
  It's incredibly backwards. There was a case some time ago (2010? 2011?) which claimed that the law against shipping wine into PA (and for some other states) was discriminatory and the state had to treat PA wine makers & external wine makes with the same regulations. I forget what the outcome was - I think you now can order directly from the winery, but only if they've been approved by the state.
15. Re:Not in Alabama by pwizard2 · 2012-11-15 04:58 · Score: 2
  
  It used to, before the Free the Hops people got involved.
  
  --
  "It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity."
16. Re:Not in Alabama by tlhIngan · 2012-11-15 05:08 · Score: 1
  
  Alcohol is a state run for profit monopoly here. Buy it from the state or not at all. They even have special state run stores here. Shipping alcohol can get you jail time.
  Funny enough, in BC the government WANTED to privatize alcohol distribution. They wanted to get out of the liquor distribution business and sell the warehouses and stores.
  Problem? The other province that did (Alberta) experienced HIGHER prices from the privatized distribution and lower selection.
  Naturally, everyone complained about that and it seems plans to privatize it were shelved. Everyone's afraid of their beer being more expensive and all that over being able to buy it anywhere.
  (Interestingly, the same applies to public car insurance - everyone complains that they "can get it cheaper" privately, yet they complained when said private insurers jacked up rates 40% a year (the public ones only raised it 15% or so), then complain when the public ones raise it 2%. Government also put out a proposal asking for private insurers to take over the public system - not one wanted to, even though they're guaranteed 100% participating in basic insurance. Because to achieve that meant they had to follow the law which states the only way to determine the rate (everyone pays) is based on driving history (more accidents, more $$$), the car (obviously), and type of use (to/from work, leisure, storage, etc). Age can't be a factor to ensure fairness, and yes, there are numbers of people who learn to drive when they're older.)
17. Re:Not in Alabama by Scarred+Intellect · 2012-11-15 05:11 · Score: 1
  
  Washington was like that. We voted, and after three times (not sure why it took three votes, but I'm happy it did finally pass) and got rid of it. Now I can buy Liquor at Wal*Mart and the corner pharmacy!
  Nothing like curing a headache with a fifth of Jack! I think it ultimately costs more due to new taxes and whatnot, but it's worth it for me to be able to buy it wherever (and state stores (around me) weren't open on Sunday! Now I can buy 7 days a week) and whenever.
18. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 05:13 · Score: 0
  
  The 21st Amendent which repealed national Prohibition specifically empowered the States to regulate alcohol sales and prohibits the violation of those State laws. The actual text is: "The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited."
  In other words, Commerce Clause jurisprudence should have little to no bearing on laws regarding mail-order/Internet alcohol sales.
19. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 07:10 · Score: 0
  
  There was a case some time ago (2010? 2011?) which claimed that the law against shipping wine into PA (and for some other states) was discriminatory and the state had to treat PA wine makers & external wine makes with the same regulations. I forget what the outcome was - I think you now can order directly from the winery, but only if they've been approved by the state.
  NY was the main state that case was brought against since NY has a lot more in-state wineries and so was more explicitly using the shipping laws as discriminatory tariffs. NY allowed residents to order from out of state wineries but only if the wines shipped to an in-state distributor who could "verify Id" and coincidentally charge a fee to cover the profit they would have made if you'd bought from the distributor. SCOTUS ruled that states can regulate direct to consumer alcohol shipments but only if they impose identical regulations on in-state wineries.
  Evilly smart states like Maryland seized the opportunity and require wineries to pay for permission to ship direct to consumers. So far only 11 wineries have ponied up.
20. Re:Not in Alabama by JoeRobe · 2012-11-15 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  I'm originally from PA, and I couldn't agree with you more. I'm proud of a lot of things about PA (like Yuengling), but it has some really antiquated laws. I went to college in Pittsburgh, and every time we had a party on Saturday night, at 11:45p we would run out to the beer distributor and get another half-barrel, because once the clock struck 12, they couldn't sell any more.
  I currently live in CT, and when I moved here I was completely floored by the fact that the supermarket had a whole aisle for beer! Quite a contrast to PA where you get carded just for walking into a liquor store.
  Many more states in the country don't allow beer to be sold on Sundays. In some states (including PA), every once in awhile a politician floats the idea that they should start selling on Sundays, and supposedly local liquor/beer stores don't like it, because it means they'd have to pay staff to stay open one more day per week.
  The Johnstown Flood Tax is such a joke, especially considering that, after a half dozen floods to hit the town (1936 was just one of them), Johnstown has been steadily shedding population (it's currently at a third of what it was during the 1930's).
  
  --
  The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
21. Re:Not in Alabama by Russ1642 · 2012-11-15 07:30 · Score: 1
  
  We have huge selection in Alberta, and our drinking age is only 18. We've got a few liquor stores in Edmonton and Sherwood Park that are absolutely huge (like a small WalMart). There's a great beer store in Edmonton, Sherbrooke Liquor, that's got the largest selection of beer you'll ever see. Costco, for example, has liquor stores attached to their normal stores. There are liquor stores on every street corner and they're open all the time so you don't have to worry about not being able to get drunk on a holiday. For being the most conservative province in the country they at least we have the liquor laws right.
22. Re:Not in Alabama by NJRoadfan · 2012-11-15 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  NJ has its own fair share of quirkiness. Chain stores are only allowed to have 2 locations in the state that can sell alcohol (I think this only applies to things like supermarkets, not dedicated liquor store chains). So places like C-Stores and Supermarkets are usually dry. There are at least two 7-Elevens and Trader Joes in the state that do sell alcohol though. There aren't any restrictions otherwise, a liquor store can sell anything including 190 proof Everclear. Municipalities control the number of liquor licenses in towns and its a money maker for them. There are a few select towns that are dry.
23. Re:Not in Alabama by JoeRobe · 2012-11-15 08:31 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah I vaguely remember when I was a kid going to Ocean City in the summers and hearing my dad complain about OC being a dry town. He always had to run to the next town over to go pick up beer.
  
  --
  The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
24. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 09:13 · Score: 0
  
  And why don't you anymore? I've lived in PA for more than 10 years and visited many states. For those that dont know - here is a quick rundown of the laws:
  Beer can only be purchased by the case from a distributor
  -Bars, some eateries, and a few select groceries offer 6 & 12 packs
  Wine/Spirits can only be purchased from a PALCB store
  -some groceries now also offer bottled wine
  My problem with most other states is that I can not conveniently buy full cases of anything other than Miller or Bud. If I want a case of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or Magic Hat #9 in PA, there are 5 places to choose from within 15 minutes from where I live (and by no means am I in a densly populated area). Sure, I can't get these at a gas station or grocery store, but I can still get them conveniently.
  PA LCB stores are cool because they publish a centralized monthly price list. A bottle of Jack costs the same here as it does on the other part of the state (unless there are store-specific promotions going on).
  My problem with PA laws are the corruption. The pie is now being shared by govornment and big corp. Being able to buy a bottle of wine only at a PALCB store or select Giant Eagles doesnt seem very fair.
25. Re:Not in Alabama by painandgreed · 2012-11-15 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  Pennsylvania is the same way. Every election cycle they talk about privatizing.. and every time it quietly gets shelves for, publicly, some moralistic reason.. but privately I suspect they just really do not want to give up the power, and the PA liqueur institution is pretty powerful (not to mention corrupt).
  Enjoy it while it lasts. Washington had state sales and they went private. The prices the private stores charge you is the same the state stores do on most liquors (bottom and mid shelf) and that is before the additional taxes. If you like the good stuff, you can expect the private stores to charge you two to three times what the state stores did before the additional 30% taxes (20% liquor + ~10% sales), but that's only if you can find them in the stores as most don't have any sort of selection.
26. Re:Not in Alabama by tehcyder · 2012-11-15 23:41 · Score: 1
  
  Couldnt agree with you more.. try getting a bottle of Everclear here... (From Wikipedia) Consumers may legally purchase Everclear in Pennsylvania but must first obtain a permit for it and agree that it shall not be consumed as beverage alcohol and shall not be furnished for any reason to another person
  In Britain, people who are that fucking desperate just drink meths or white spirit.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
27. Re:Not in Alabama by tehcyder · 2012-11-15 23:51 · Score: 1
  
  I think Alabama has an absurdly low abv limit for beer, if I remember correctly. something like 5 or 6 %.
  nope. 13.9%.
  There is no sensible beer that is 13.9% ABV. Even Carlsberg Special Brew is only 9%. Or do you have a different system for measuring in the US?
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
28. Re:Not in Alabama by desertrat_it · 2012-11-16 02:33 · Score: 1
  
  I think Alabama has an absurdly low abv limit for beer, if I remember correctly. something like 5 or 6 %.
  nope. 13.9%.
  There is no sensible beer that is 13.9% ABV. Even Carlsberg Special Brew is only 9%. Or do you have a different system for measuring in the US?
  there's plenty craft breweries producing double digit ABV beers. Heck, Samichlaus from Austria is 14%. Barleywines routinely hit nearly 11%, Imperial Stouts run from 8% to nearly 20%. Sam Adams Utopias is 27%. Brewdog hit 51% with their "End of History" Icebock.
  So, yes - there are plenty of "sensible" beers (i.e. not malt liquor, stuff which is actually worth drinking) in double digit ABV.
29. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 05:35 · Score: 0
  
  I am from Wisconsin, you can buy any alcoholic beverage you want from gas stations:)
30. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 12:05 · Score: 0
  
  At least Tennessee allows for delivery of wine purchased out of state. I remember how pre-Amazon Woot! was active in passing that legislation a few years back.
31. Re:Not in Alabama by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 22:04 · Score: 0
  
  Most supermarkets that sell liquor here create a subsidiary for the liquor business (it has to be a self contained store within the store anyhow--it has its own cash register and everything) which allows them to have more than 2 "stores" with a license. It's a a pain to maintain--you have to run two separate businesses, staff and everything, which is why most large chains don't do it. But there are franchised chains/cooperatives where the franchise owners will do it (the ShopRite in my area does).
  There is legislation that is in the works that will make it easier for supermarkets and big-box stores (Costco, Sam's Club, etc.) to sell liquor, but the "NJ Liquor Store Alliance" has been fighting it for obvious reasons.
Legal marijuana by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 01:56 · Score: 0

Can they ship to Colorado and Washington?
What about putting it in a wine bottle and shipping it to Texas?
1. Re:Legal marijuana by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 03:45 · Score: 0
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace)
Ad? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 01:57 · Score: 3, Informative

... is there a story here? Or is this just an ad for something?
1. Re:Ad? by tgd · 2012-11-15 02:05 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  ... is there a story here? Or is this just an ad for something?
  Everything on Slashdot is either an ad, an anti-something rantfest designed to whip up their base to view more ads, or (in a more meta sense) an ad designed to whip up their base to complain about ads (like this) all while seeing ads.
  That's Slashdot. The key is to tune out the noise to get the occasional interesting signal. Or to play the "lets go trolling and see if we can be subtle enough to get modded up for it!" game.
2. Re:Ad? by arth1 · 2012-11-15 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  It's certainly not news. I've had to show picture ID for years now, for my packages containing Swedish snus.
  They are not allowed to leave them with anyone under the age of 21.
  This seems like someone just stumbled onto existing laws from the wrong end of the bottle, so to speak, and vented their surprise. And, as usual, the editors (and I use the term loosely) here didn't bother to check.
3. Re:Ad? by NatasRevol · 2012-11-15 03:40 · Score: 1
  
  Depends on if Amazon can ship to all 50 states.
  My parents would go to wineries, order a few cases, have them shipped to my house, then I would bring the cases to them next time I saw them, because no winery could ship to South Carolina.
  Maybe now, old Republicans can get drunk even quicker.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
4. Re:Ad? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 03:42 · Score: 0
  
  Not only a way to get neckbeards to beat their chests about how damn stupid the alcohol laws are but it was also another chance for one of them to get in another cheap shot on Microsoft's internal problems.
  
  Slashdot may well be the first tabloid geek site.
5. Re:Ad? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 04:12 · Score: 0
  
  Windoze should come with a shot of blue agave tequila to help you through Billy Gee's blue screens you'll be staring at. *snort cough* ooh a cheeto *chomp lick burp*
6. Re:Ad? by beeudoublez · 2012-11-15 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I'd say the real story here is that Amazon decided to enter the alcohol sales business (starting with wine). This is big because of the byzantine laws around each state regarding alcohol, not to mention the three tier system in place (producer, distributors, retailers). Other big companies haven't touched this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-tier_(alcohol_distribution)
  
  Amazon has tried three times now to do this, each time has met resistance from lobbyists, or have failed to get the shipping infrastructure in place (they aren't using their own system). Here is more information here: http://seekingalpha.com/article/904821-in-vino-veritas-third-time-not-the-charm-for-amazon
  Wineries want this in place because they currently have to hire someone to figure out all the shipping compliance rules for them. Then they have to setup an ecommerce site, process the orders.....and do all the shipping. This sounds common to a tech audience but most small wineries aren't setup for this.
7. Re:Ad? by ameoba · 2012-11-15 07:58 · Score: 1
  
  I'm sort of surprised that the $10/bottle shipping cost didn't trigger a rantfest.
  
  --
  my sig's at the bottom of the page.
More Beer Please by connect4 · 2012-11-15 01:57 · Score: 0

more beer more bee more beer more beer,
more beer mre b3er m0re ber
more beer ore beer more beer more beer,
m0re beermore beer more b3er!
carded by your FedEx guy? by Joe_Dragon · 2012-11-15 02:03 · Score: 1

most of the time they just drop and run with out waiting for any one they are independent contractors payed per package.
1. Re:carded by your FedEx guy? by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 02:12 · Score: 1
  
  I wouldn't expect that in this case. FedEx knows who delivers what. They could be liable for providing alcohol to minors, if that particular package gets in the wrong hands. Not to mention the possibility of lawsuits, etc.
2. Re:carded by your FedEx guy? by Deltaspectre · 2012-11-15 02:24 · Score: 1
  
  There's a particular nasty level of service you can expect from major delivery companies... Signature From Adult Required
  
  --
  My UID is prime... is yours?
3. Re:carded by your FedEx guy? by RobertLTux · 2012-11-15 06:46 · Score: 1
  
  quoting from the FEDEX website
  "Shipment facts section:
  The Shipment Facts section will display important information about your shipment such as service type, signature services, pieces, weight, reference information, etc. For detailed FedEx Services information and delivery commitments, refer to the FedEx Service Guide at fedex.com. If the shipper requires a delivery signature, the signature type will display here, including:..
  Adult Signature Required: FedEx obtains a signature from someone at least 21 years old (and possessing the required government-issued photo ID) at the delivery address. If no eligible recipient is at the address, we reattempt delivery."
  in fact it shows up as a alert on the fed ex dudes pad thing when they pull up that stop. if they just dump and run they can be liable for anything that happens to that package (especially since ASR is a subset of Signature Required).
  
  --
  Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
Why is this surprising? by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 02:05 · Score: 2

You have to be 21 to buy alcohol. Why wouldn't you get carded?
1. Re:Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:48 · Score: 0
  
  Well, mainly because I'm not American:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age
2. Re:Why is this surprising? by Sulphur · 2012-11-15 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  You have to be 21 to buy alcohol. Why wouldn't you get carded?
  A convenience store requires ID for alcohol, tobacco and lottery purchases with no exceptions. People come from miles around just to get carded.
3. Re:Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 07:07 · Score: 1
  
  And yet you can get married at 16. You people have your priorities so arse backwards it's amazing you survive.
4. Re:Why is this surprising? by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 13:32 · Score: 1
  
  Regardless of what the legal drinking age is in your country, why wouldn't you expect that to be verified?
5. Re:Why is this surprising? by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 13:38 · Score: 2
  
  And yet you can get married at 16. You people have your priorities so arse backwards it's amazing you survive.
  In most jurisdictions in the U.S., marriage under the age of 18 requires parental consent. The marrying age being lower than the drinking age has at least one benefit: You're less likely to show up drunk for your wedding. ;)
  
  I think it's much more of a scandal that the driving age is lower than the drinking age. I would rather kids get some experience with alcohol's effects (moreso than just sneaking alcohol from their parents' liquor cabinet) before they started driving. It seems like a bad idea to me to have kids driving around without experience of how alcohol can affect them if they decide to get behind the wheel.
6. Re:Why is this surprising? by heefeneet · 2012-11-15 21:47 · Score: 1
  
  And yet you can get married at 16. You people have your priorities so arse backwards it's amazing you survive.
  In most jurisdictions in the U.S., marriage under the age of 18 requires parental consent. The marrying age being lower than the drinking age has at least one benefit: You're less likely to show up drunk for your wedding. ;) I think it's much more of a scandal that the driving age is lower than the drinking age. I would rather kids get some experience with alcohol's effects (moreso than just sneaking alcohol from their parents' liquor cabinet) before they started driving. It seems like a bad idea to me to have kids driving around without experience of how alcohol can affect them if they decide to get behind the wheel.
  How old do you have to be to buy and carry a handgun in the US?
7. Re:Why is this surprising? by tehcyder · 2012-11-16 00:10 · Score: 1
  
  How old do you have to be to buy and carry a handgun in the US?
  3
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
8. Re:Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 13:44 · Score: 0
  
  I think that varies by state.
Woot!, not Woot's by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:05 · Score: 0

You illiterate clod.
Please by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:06 · Score: 0

Name a state that doesn't have it set up this way. +1 if you manage to find a state that has things fun to do besides drink.
1. Re:Please by JustOK · 2012-11-15 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  Nevada has blackjack and hookers
  
  --
  rewriting history since 2109
2. Re:Please by ewieling · 2012-11-15 02:38 · Score: 1
  
  You can by beer, wine, hard liquor, even Everclear at private stores, including Walmart in many parts of Louisiana.
  
  --
  I really shouldn't have used someone else's email address for this account.
3. Re:Please by alexander_686 · 2012-11-15 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  Minnesota allows you to do this. And we have winter and wolves. What could be more fun than wolf hunting in the snow?
4. Re:Please by houghi · 2012-11-15 02:56 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  You can buy anything ate any supermarket here. We even have beer tastings in the supermarkets. Yes, I live in a state and I have seen the same happening in other states.
  The states I am talking about? Flanders, Bavaria among many others.
  
  --
  Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
5. Re:Please by punman · 2012-11-15 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Wisconsin. We have cheese, too. And lakes, most notably one rather large one bordering the state to the east. And lots of forests, where you can drink, and shoot guns.
6. Re:Please by punman · 2012-11-15 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  Minnesota allows you to do this. And we have winter and wolves. What could be more fun than wolf hunting in the snow?
  Wolf hunting, in the snow, with your beer you purchased from a private store!
7. Re:Please by thomasw_lrd · 2012-11-15 03:14 · Score: 1
  
  You can buy a margarita through a drive through in LA.
  
  --
  21st Century Renaissance Man
8. Re:Please by quetwo · 2012-11-15 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  In Michigan, you can buy just about everything from local grocers, liquor stores or even bars. Heck, there used to be an old drive-thru liquor store (before that, it was a car-wash). You could buy a cup with ice for $1.
  As far as fun things to do... we got lots of outdoors, more lakeshore than any other state, hunt, fish, bike, oh, and drive places... since we do cars too.
9. Re:Please by littlebigbot · 2012-11-15 03:37 · Score: 1
  
  New York. It has New York.
10. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 04:22 · Score: 0
  
  Yup, Louisiana has fairly liberal alcohol laws at the state level. Some localities are more restrictive, mainly in North and Central LA, and require liquor to be sold in dedicated Liquor Stores, have restrictions on Sunday sales, stop sales at certain hours, etc. New Orleans is probably the most liberal with it, even allowing open containers in the streets as long as it isn't glass; most bars will provide you with a plastic, "go cup," to take your beverage with you.
11. Re:Please by paiute · 2012-11-15 04:43 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Minnesota allows you to do this. And we have winter and wolves. What could be more fun than wolf hunting in the snow?
  Making the wolves write your name in the snow at gunpoint.
  
  --
  If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
12. Re:Please by wed128 · 2012-11-15 05:28 · Score: 1
  
  Where liquor costs twice as much as it does 10 miles west, in Jersey.
13. Re:Please by tuck182 · 2012-11-15 05:35 · Score: 1
  
  Name a state that doesn't have it set up this way. +1 if you manage to find a state that has things fun to do besides drink.
  Washington abolished the state-run liquor monopoly during last year's election; you can buy any kind of alcohol at stores here, although they have to be larger than some arbitrary square footage. We also just legalized marijuana for recreational use.
  Do I get my +1?
14. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 05:57 · Score: 0
  
  Thank you Belgium for so many delicious beers!
  -From your northern neighbour
15. Re:Please by demonlapin · 2012-11-15 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  In industrial/suburban/10-miles-west-of-the-action Jersey.
  
  If you just want to get drunk cheaply, I suggest Louisiana. Even at a bar, you can put yourself onto another planet for less than $20. (Tropical Isle Hand Grenades, anyone?)
16. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 06:17 · Score: 0
  
  I also heard, a parent can buy his 18 year old kid a beer in Lousianna. The 18 year old can not order it in the bar, but the parent can order it and slide it over to his son/daughter, and the law has not been broken as long as his parent gave him that beer. Not sure if true, but the locals I talked to working behind the bar said it was.
  Frankly, I think the 21 is a ridicoulos approved age. 18 is an adult after all. I understand that some 18yo are still in HS and they are trying to keep the alcohol from the youngins, but still not right to me.
17. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 07:04 · Score: 0
  
  I went to college in New Orleans. Really, the parent buying the kid a beer isn't even necessary. The bars all card for 18. The law is that there is a very minimal fine to the person drinking and none to the bar, and never did I see anyone get arrested.
  True story: I was 18 the first time I set foot in a bar in New Orleans. After nervously ordering a drink, someone comes over to me and says, "That cop over there wants to talk to you." Oh, I am so busted I am thinking. So, get over there and the cop says, "Hey Sugar, how you doin'????" Yes, he was hitting on the 18 year old in the bar.
  So, really, not a problem.
  It's very common to see teenagers in bars in the summertime when the college students are out of town. A lot of the bars will kick them out after college starts back so they don't get labelled a teen bar, which isn't as profitable for the bars.
18. Re:Please by Patent+Lover · 2012-11-15 09:00 · Score: 1
  
  Whole Foods in Virginia now have an actual bar inside the store. Helps with the sticker shock.
19. Re:Please by littlebigbot · 2012-11-15 09:19 · Score: 1
  
  Which is the price I'm willing to pay to not be in Jersey.
20. Re:Please by tehcyder · 2012-11-15 23:46 · Score: 1
  
  What could be more fun than wolf hunting in the snow?
  Almost anything, I would imagine, including sawing off your own legs with a rusty hacksaw.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
21. Re:Please by tehcyder · 2012-11-15 23:47 · Score: 1
  
  And lots of forests, where you can drink, and shoot guns.
  What could possibly go wrong?
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Power? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:07 · Score: 3, Insightful

I think it's more about revenue.
There's nothing more appealing to a politician that a revenue stream to buy votes - either with entitlements, subsidies (business or otherwise) or tax cuts.
1. Re:Power? by jythie · 2012-11-15 02:24 · Score: 1
  
  Eh, all the proposals that have been floated were pretty revenue neutral or would have even resulted in a greater net income for the state. Taxes and license fees are an easy way to get the same income stream, but with less overhead and risk for the state.
2. Re:Power? by NatasRevol · 2012-11-15 03:27 · Score: 1
  
  I think that's what he meant by corrupt.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
3. Re:Power? by jythie · 2012-11-15 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  On the personal level yeah.. though that is less 'revenue' and more 'perks and kickbacks'. There is a small group tasked with deciding which items get stocked in PA and which do not, so if you want into the massive market you have to convince these people your brand deserves it....
AT&T by suso · 2012-11-15 02:10 · Score: 1

"Ever get carded by your FedEx guy? You will."
And the company that will do it for you is AT&T.
But Amazon only ships it to 3 states by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:13 · Score: 0

Too bad there are many states with antiquated laws about wine/liquor purchases online. For instance, Kentucky has dry and wet counties, where you can only buy alcohol in the wet ones. No online wine retailer in their right mind would ship there because of having to keep up with changing wet/dry county status. Even worse, the liquor/wine lobbyists get legislation pushed through which continues bans/regulations on state-to-state alcohol sales.
1. Re:But Amazon only ships it to 3 states by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 02:20 · Score: 1
  
  I just checked. There are 12 states and DC that Amazon has on the "Ship To" list.
2. Re:But Amazon only ships it to 3 states by oh-dark-thirty · 2012-11-15 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  I live in RI, where the law is so vaguely written that most online liquor sellers won't ship there, but I managed to find a couple that will...my wine shipments from wtso.com are always sent FedEx, and I always have to sign for them. Since I'm never home to sign, I have them held for pickup at a Kinkos that's on the way home from work. Works great for me; I get wines I can't get locally, and feel like a boss for subverting the dumbass law.
3. Re:But Amazon only ships it to 3 states by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 10:13 · Score: 0
  
  One of my first jobs in IT was to setup stuff for attorney general's office to conduct investigations to find online retailers willing to ship alcohol or tobacco across state lines---this story on amazon is pretty damn amazing if they manage to do this legally, even if it is for a select few places (every state has its own weird laws on this).
Steamed Wine by Sponge+Bath · 2012-11-15 02:19 · Score: 1

How will the wine taste after spending time in the searing heat of a truck in a Texas summer?
1. Re:Steamed Wine by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 02:21 · Score: 1
  
  Shouldn't be an issue, because they don't ship to Texas. :)
2. Re:Steamed Wine by need4mospd · 2012-11-15 02:48 · Score: 1
  
  Woot! has no problem doing it, I don't see why Amazon wouldn't be able to do the same.
  Woot! Summertime Shipping
3. Re:Steamed Wine by PolygamousRanchKid+ · 2012-11-15 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  While visiting scenic Austin, Texas, we left a corked bottle of bourbon (gift wrapped) on the back seat of a rental car in a parking lot on scenic Burnet Road. When we came out later, the cork had been blown off, the bottle was half empty, and the rental car smelled like, well, you know.
  We started driving with the air conditioner on, but had to open the windows, because we were getting buzzed. It would have been a hoot and a half, if we had gotten stopped by a cop: "Have you guys been drinking . . . ?" Luckily, the other guy had to drop off the car at Hertz.
  So, do not underestimate that Texan heat.
  
  --
  Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by theodp · 2012-11-15 02:24 · Score: 3, Interesting

Special Delivery Instructions
1. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by bhartman34 · 2012-11-15 02:28 · Score: 1
  
  Yep. Looks like they're covering all their bases. :)
2. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by Hatta · 2012-11-15 02:35 · Score: 1
  
  Do they really expect delivery drivers to check ID? Half the time you can't even get them to knock on your door.
  
  --
  Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
3. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 02:39 · Score: 0
  
  "Great timing! I ordered this last week in anticipation of the next drink I'd need right now! *hic*"
4. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by alexander_686 · 2012-11-15 02:45 · Score: 1
  
  Yes – they will check. My wife signed us up for a month of the wine club once – both of us work at locations that did not accept deliveries – so we had to trek out to the warehouse to pick up the wine. We did not sign up again.
5. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by jittles · 2012-11-15 07:28 · Score: 1
  
  Yes – they will check. My wife signed us up for a month of the wine club once &ndash
  Sounds like you're still enjoying that wine of the month ;)
6. Re:"Do Not Deliver to an Intoxicated Peson" by theycallmeB · 2012-11-15 13:40 · Score: 1
  
  With alcohol, they will indeed wait at your door for you to show some ID, and they have billed the shipper accordingly. UPS at least will make three attempts, waiting each time, and absolutely ignoring any notes saying 'please leave with my neighbor' because that is a know vector for kids trying to get some booze.
  
  About the only thing that was controlled more strictly than wine were the thousands of envelopes known to contain tickets to a big college football bowl game.
Nothing by psholty2 · 2012-11-15 02:50 · Score: 0

Nothing tastes like Chardonnay from plastic cup
1. Re:Nothing by VortexCortex · 2012-11-15 05:35 · Score: 1
  
  Nothing tastes like Chardonnay from plastic cup
  Obviously, you've never tasted Chardonnay from a cardboard box.
2. Re:Nothing by tehcyder · 2012-11-16 00:02 · Score: 2
  
  Nothing tastes like Chardonnay from plastic cup
  Obviously, you've never tasted Chardonnay from a cardboard box.
  A cardboard box? We used to dream of drinking Chardonnay from a cardboard box. When I were young we drank our Chardonnay from a hole in the road. And we were grateful.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Not blocked by corporate firewall by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 04:12 · Score: 0

At work, I can't go to alcohol related sites, but I can go to Amazon's wine section and search there without restrictions. I haven't found something I want in their database but it's nice to browse from work.
It will be American wine to American drinkers by SmallFurryCreature · 2012-11-15 04:16 · Score: -1, Troll

It will be American wine to American drinkers in Texas. I can't see how taste matters at all.
American wine has no taste, Americans have no taste and living in Texas is tasteless.
Do people really worry what wine goes well with hamburgers?

--

MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
1. Re:It will be American wine to American drinkers by pwizard2 · 2012-11-15 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  A lot of the California wines are nothing to laugh at. You can get cheap swill to world-class and everything in-between.
  
  --
  "It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity."
2. Re:It will be American wine to American drinkers by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 05:22 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Malbec.
  Malbec is what goes with hamburgers.
3. Re:It will be American wine to American drinkers by Tarlus · 2012-11-15 05:32 · Score: 1
  
  Do people really worry what wine goes well with hamburgers?
  Actually, yes.
  
  --
  /* No Comment */
4. Re:It will be American wine to American drinkers by dwpro · 2012-11-15 05:39 · Score: 1
  
  That's a useful criticism, glad you took time to write. I'm sure your superiour vintages cannot be matched by our Texas swill, please continue to lambast from afar.
  For those who could be convinced otherwise, meet me here and we can discuss some finer points.
  
  --
  Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
5. Re:It will be American wine to American drinkers by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 07:24 · Score: 0
  
  Faggot.
You mean... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 05:52 · Score: 0

...making the wolf your bitch?
ATF by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-15 06:43 · Score: 0

I see an ATF raid coming soon.
Utah by ppz003 · 2012-11-15 06:54 · Score: 1

Utah is probably the worst in the US

ABV > 4.0+% sold in state-controlled stores only. State-controlled stores close on Sundays and cease operations no later than 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Restaurants must buy from the state-controlled store (no delivery) at retail prices. No alcohol may be served on Election Day until 8 p.m. No alcohol is served in restaurants without purchase of food. A ban on 4.0% or below beer available on tap was repealed in March 2009. Sales of kegs prohibited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state