Job Discussion Forums

[nomadder]

Just wondering what is the situation with alcohol sales and prices where you are or have been.

I've travelled a fair bit but I cannot remember being anywhere where it was so government controlled as here in the land of the maple leaf. It is only allowed to be sold in government shops-one plus is that where I live most are attached to supermarkets which is a step forward but they have this ridiculous budget and are always raising prices to make it up.(Quebec and Newfoundland sell in corner stores, etc.)

Meanwhile they pay the unionized chimpanzees who man the cash registers, double what the average check out person makes with all the union perks. Needless to say prices in their fancy, shmancy shops, renovated to the hilt, are through the roof and go up 2 or 3 times a year at least.

The cheapest beer(500 ml) now is $2.50(Cdn. dollar is now .95 to the American) and it is for European imports. For wine you must pay about $10 to start. Given the lack of salary increases and overall low salaries it hardly seems fair that the average Joe can't enjoy a few beer after work without breaking the bank.

It seems that most of the world sells alcohol in convenience stores and supermarkets, don't they? Does the government still take such a huge cut? I think the bulk of our prices are taxes.

I'm guessing Scandinavian countries are similar to worse but is anywhere else so bad?

[jonniboy]

In Belfast, shops need a special license to sell booze which means that convenience stores don't. It threw me a bit - a kind of reverse culture shock - when I went to the nearby shop to buy it and realised instead that I would need to walk 15 minutes extra to the nearest off license. A bit of a farce really.

Bar closing times in England were ridiculously early, I remember being in a jam packed bar in Fulham, West London on a Friday only for it to close just after 2300. Everyone had to either go home, catch a cab to central London or pay the admission for a night club. Believe it's been liberalised a bit in recent years though.

In all the EU as far as I know, alcohol off sales can only take place between 0700 (or maybe 0800) and 2200. Doesn't stop the odd shop here selling it under the counter after 2200.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[tedkarma]

You can always do what we all did in Saudi when I was there - make your own.

I made a d*mn good vodka for about US$0.50 a liter . . .

That with a little orange juice - a good bubble bath and a good book - well . . . life can get mellow . . . as it should.

[Ahchoo]

Here in China there are probably some regulations but I've no idea what they are.
Every corner store (and there are about 3 on every corner) sells wine beer and spirits, every drinks fridge has coke iced tea and beer in it.
Too easy here.

[ls650]

When I lived in Canuckia I was a regular at the local U-Brew microbrewery. The beer worked out to be about a buck a pint - and a lot tastier than the commercially-brewed stuff.

[spiral78]

I could buy California wine in the Netherlands at lower prices than you can buy it in California (or Canada) because the taxes are so much lower. It was a big shock when we relocated to Canada and there's no such thing as a half-way decent bottle of wine for less than $10.

[denise]

Well, here in Oman not only do you need to go to special shops, but you also need a special license. You can get a decent bottle of wine for $10. A lot of people buy wine in boxes--my guess is that it's because it's such a pain in the butt to have to make a trip to the liquor shop. There aren't any in my town, so it's an automatic 90-minute drive to the capital. Boxed wine, while it may be poo-pooed by connoisseurs, simply lasts longer because you get 5 liters per box.

Or we can go to ritzy hotels, which are affordable on the salaries here. (The bars and restaurants, at least.)

d

[dmb]

When I first came to Turkey in the early 90s a beer was about 50 cents in a bar. Now the price is on par with the UK. I wonder if there is any correlation between the price of a beer and economic growth.

[Stephen Jones]

[jonniboy]

[MELEE]

I live in a place with virtually no government control over the sale of alcohol. And IMHO, Canada is doing the right thing. I'm an early riser and hit the downtown streets at 6 am--any day of the week--and you will find 5 or more men passed out in the street. People drink away their income, their sorrows, their happiness, their families, and their health. Drunks easily turn from happy to raging in a matter of seconds anytime of the day. I won't give money to old men beggars because I know they've got families and they are only begging because their family won't give them any money because they as soon as they've got 7 pesos (about US$0.75) they will go get their half liter water bottled filled with aguardiente at the nearest shop.
I would gladly go to an off licence shop to buy my wine.

[nomadder]

Your posts have jogged my memory on a few things. Remember going to the convenience store in Copenhagen at approximately 8pm and being surprised to find the the beer fridge locked for the night. Had seen workmen on the street having beer at lunch time.

Czech Republic had some really dirt cheap beer(even at a pub)-maybe cheaper than some 3rd world countries I'd been to. Panama seemed to have some cheap stuff too-including American beer I believe. Melee's post reminds me of seeing the poorer country folk in Peru with their homebrewed stuff-kinda scary. Forget the name or what it was made of.
At least home brew is cheap here but the beer is soso. Red wine can be OK though. Think it isn't even taxed which is surprising. You can also fill up wine bottles from a tap at the liquor store for a cheaper price.

[gaijinalways]

Beer here in Japan is relatively expensive, about 5/beer and up in a bar, and imported beer at the supermarket runs about 2-3 dollars a bottle US (if you can find it). Surprisingly, the Japanese beer is expensive by US standards, running about 1 dollar and up for regular lager. Hong Kong used to be not too bad as the restaurants and the convenience stores carried large bottles of Tsingtao (maybe 1.5 liters) at fairly good prices.

I remember someone telling me they bought a lot of beer in The Phillipines from a nearby San Miguel brewery, something like 20 cents a beer!

[nomadder]

And we must mention that Japan sells beer and other things from vending machines till 10pm generally. Is it all night at convenience stores?