BILLS ON TAP

Children in liquor stores, golf course and marina provisions to be considered

Legislators are working on bills that would allow beer to again be sold at golf courses and marinas

After historic changes to the alcohol industry took effect in October, legislators and retailers are seeking additional changes.

Two concerns for the industry this legislative session are restrictions placed on who is allowed in liquor stores, as well as what can be sold at golf courses and marinas.

Minors currently are not allowed in liquor stores, a point of frustration for many liquor store owners. At the golf courses and marinas, the disappearance of 3.2 alcoholby-weight beer in the state limits the quantity of beer a golfer or boater can purchase under current laws.

Some liquor store owners are frustrated because State Question 792, which passed in 2016, allowed for the sale of most full-strength beers and wine in convenience stores and grocery stores but did not amend the restrictions on minors entering a traditional liquor store. Business owners contend adults seeking wine or strong beer may opt to shop at a grocery store if they are accompanied by their children. This hurts business, and is the reason House Bills 2325 and 2404, as well as Senate Bill 820, include language allowing children to enter liquor stores in the company of adults.

“It does solve a bit of a problem for liquor stores because people come and leave their kids unattended in a car, and we have to remind them they can't leave their kids unattended in the car,” Byron's Liquor Warehouse General

Manager Blake Cody said.

Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, authored SB 820, but is also hoping the legislature can solve the golf and marina conundrum.

Under current legal definitions, beer that is not 3.2 ABW is considered an alcoholic beverage the same as spirits.

Vendors can only serve two drinks to one individual at a time, and they must be in open containers, Bice said.

This causes trouble for golf courses and marinas that traditionally sold a bucket of beers or more for consumption away from the clubhouse or marina.

Senate Bills 114 and 723 provide some provisions to allow for services consumers expect.

“It's just some nuances with 3.2 licenses and how it's enforced,” Bice said.

The need to address these issues surprised Bice as it had not been discussed in the years leading up to SQ 792 and the two years before implementation.

“No one ever came to me about either one of these things until the law passed in October and I had people really upset about it,” she said.

Beyond the adjustments for minors in liquor stores, and golf course and marina alcohol sales, there is a desire to see satellite wine rooms and samples in retail.

The satellite wine rooms would allow wineries to sell their products in locations other than the winery property.

This would be particularly beneficial for rural wineries wanting to set up a satellite location in more urban areas, Bice said.

Cody hopes to see some sort of retail sample allowance passed before the end of the session. Similar to a food sample in a grocery store, some states allow retailers to provide consumers small samples of products in store.

“It's definitely a customer convenience thing because they can try it right there,” Cody said.

Samples are also a powerful sales tool for retailers, Cody said. Samples help increase sales on new or seasonal items, lowering opportunity costs for potential consumers if they are able to taste a product before purchase.