New York Could Allow Grocery Stores to Sell Wine and Liquor Under New Proposal

New York May Let Grocery Stores Sell Wine and Liquor — Small Liquor Store Owners Say They Can’t Compete
A proposed New York state Senate bill would allow grocery stores to sell full wine and liquor for the first time. Currently, grocers can only sell beer and wine-based beverages under 6% alcohol. New York is one of only 10 states still enforcing this restriction.
The tension is structural. Supermarkets would add wine and liquor as one category among thousands. Independent liquor stores are built entirely around those two categories — no product diversification to absorb the competition.
“We cannot compete with a grocery store,” said Ramesh Chand, co-owner of Neighbors Wine & Spirits in Wantagh. “They have thousands of other products. We have these two.”
The bill is currently in committee. No vote is scheduled.
Why it matters: The 40 states that already allow grocery wine sales saw independent liquor store closures accelerate in the years following deregulation. If this bill advances, the impact on New York’s small liquor store operators won’t be gradual.