Thanks for your thoughts. One point I’d like to clarify, though. You mention that Washington stores have less beer selection than California stores, but that’s not the fault of three-tier system because California also has a three-tier system that is at least somewhat similar to your own state’s. I think you’re right about state liquor stores, though. I grew up in Pennsylvania, which also has state stores, and they’re mis-managed abominations. Again, I would argue for reform over throwing the baby out with the bathwater, which is what I believe Costco was trying to do.

You’re absolutely correct that the NBWA is as selfishly profit-minded as Costco, or indeed any large corporation. It’s actually rare that I agree with the NBWA on much of anything, but in this instance I do believe it’s better to have some regulations in place rather than none. What Costco was — is — trying to do is dismantle the three-tier system, not for the consumer’s benefit, but for their own. So while I don’t think the three-tier system is flawless (it’s clearly not) it does at least accomplish some of its goals, the most important of which in my opinion is that by not allowing big companies huge advantages over small ones it has the effect of letting the little guys flourish (or at least doesn’t as quickly doom them to extinction). If the Costco ruling had stood, I can pretty much guarantee it would not have meant more variety of beer in the marketplace or more profits going directly to brewers. The fact alone that Costco’s trying to sell their actions by repeating over and over again that it’s to lower the price of beer and wine should tell you all you need to know. I do think that changes are necessary to almost every state’s liquor laws and I’d be all for reform of three-tier system. But I continue think it’s a grave mistake to just throw them all and see what happens.

This is an interesting topic, particularly to me as a WA resident. I for one buy the Costco claim that prices would be lowered; I know it’s all theory until proven in practice, which, alas it appears won’t happen. I also believe that the less that Nanny Washington State controls the better for its residents’ pocketbooks generally.

The WA state liquor stores have a monopoly and manage it as well as they manage the problem plagued ferry system. Those stores feature all too little choice vs the retailers in CA for example; same with their beer selections there, though, to be fair, they have no monopoly on beer sales- thankfully.

I doubt that the structure of alcohol sales significantly affects alcohol consumption; again, a matter of opinion only. I can see how that structure, however, presents a barrier to entry for smaller operations, be they sellers or brewers of beer, so I for one would like WA out of the alky biz.