Surprising Selection at Rite-Aid

[PhilsFan]

Inspired by Chuck Cowdery's recent posting of a drug store liquor ad, I thought I'd check out the Rite-Aid Pharmacy about 2 miles from my home.

I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of Bourbon...they had Blanton's, KC, WT, Ezra Brooks and lots more in a good variety of price ranges. They had AAA 10 yr and VOB bib at the best price I've seen it,
$10.49, which is about a dollar lower than the current price of VOB bib at Liquor Barn.

Certainly they don't have the selection of a Liquor Barn or a Party Outlet,
but it's a good selection at what seems like pretty fair prices, so if there's a Rite-Aid in your area that sells liquor, it's worth checking out.

-Joe

[thedrivel]

I go to the Rite Aid by my house all the time. It's the one at Gardiner Lane.

[bluesbassdad]

"Surprising" indeed! Especially to this former California resident (until 2004). In Long Beach our nearby Rite-Aid had Wild Turkey, Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's, and it went downhill from there.

On the plus side they often ran specials on WT 101 at $12.99 for 750 ml.

Your [Kentucky] Rite-Aid has better selection than my local Liquor Barn here in Outback, AZ. It's not their fault; it's just demographics. Three years ago I had them order Kentucky Spirit for me. The proprietor decided to get two more bottles for the shelf. It took a year and half for them to disappear. (At a price of $55 I found it easy to resist.)

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[cowdery]

God Bless Kentucky.

When I lived there I lived in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. The closest liquor store was a tiny storefront on Brownsboro Road. Not sure if it's still there or not, and I'm sure it has changed, but 30 years ago it had this amazing bourbon selection, but that's Kentucky. As I have said many times, the worst bar or liquor store in Kentucky has a better selection of bourbons than the best bar or liquor store anywhere else.

[callmeox]

I got my first bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel at a CVS in Ashland, Kentucky in August '07 for the obscene price of 28 bucks. I wish I had gotten a few more. I wasn't educated enough to look at any other labels while I was there, but I imagine that I would drop a few more bucks there if I was visiting in August of '08 instead.

[Josh]

When I was in grad school the best source for liquor & microbrews in town was the Phar-Mor. It always sold at state min. prices too, unlike the liquor stores in town.

I learned you always throroughly investigate any possible source of good booze in town. You never know what you might find even at a Drug or Grocery store!

[cowdery]

Remember that during Prohibition, the pharmacy was the only place that could sell liquor legally. It was a good business and after Repeal, many drug stores decided to stay in the business. This was long before places like grocery stores, where legal, got into it.

Today it varies. Walgreens, for example, once sold liquor chain wide but now sells it in only a few stores. I don't know if there are any states where drug stores still have any kind of legislated advantage over other types of licensees.

In general, and depending on your age and what state you're in, you probably remember buying liquor in drug stores in the past, but rarely do so today.

[bluesbassdad]

Chuck,

Here in Yavapai County, Arizona one, very old-fashioned Walgreen's in nearby Prescott sells liquor. I even picked up a bottle of Russell's Reserve there back in 2005. However, the brand new store in Chino Valley (our only drug store) does not.

I assume the situation is similar to that of the cats-and-dogs brands of bourbon. They keep at it where it exists and makes money but won't invest in it for the future.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[cowdery]

I assume the situation is similar to that of the cats-and-dogs brands of bourbon. They keep at it where it exists and makes money but won't invest in it for the future.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

That's the gist. It was even characterized to me more as, "we're getting out of it except where we can't afford to." Based on that policy, I'm guessing the Prescott store does a hell of a business.

[bluesbassdad]

That's the gist. It was even characterized to me more as, "we're getting out of it except where we can't afford to." Based on that policy, I'm guessing the Prescott store does a hell of a business.

I'm guessing the same thing. I also have a guess as to why. This area reminds me of my small-town upbringing in some ways. In my youth it was common to hear self-righteous folks mention that they'd seen so-and-so's car at a drinking establishment. I suppose others were sensitive to that sort of thing. I can imagine that someone who wouldn't park in front of a Liquor Barn (really more of a hut than a barn -- they exist in Prescott, Prescott Valley and here in Chino Valley) might pick up a bottle of liquor in a Walgreen's, where only he and the store clerk know the secret.

I used to think that drive-through windows existed for the same reason. However, the one at our Liquor Barn is on the street side of the building.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield