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Originally posted by Gundam:
Exactly same here in British Columbia !
Just to list a few ridiculous ( prices in CAD )

Yellow Tail Shiraz $12.99
Avalon Napa Cab $27.99
Grey Goose Vodka $50.99
Remy Martin VSOP $88.95
Beringer P. Reserve 04 $160
2005 mouton rothschild $1100

I can buy a bottle of Mouton in Washington, spend a weekend there (Lodging Cost, food, gas, entertainment all inclusive) and still save money compare to BC LDB price.

Wow, you really are bending over and taking it in the shorts. You should at least get a hug and a kiss after they do that to you.

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Originally posted by Jasong:

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Originally posted by Gundam:
Exactly same here in British Columbia !
Just to list a few ridiculous ( prices in CAD )

Yellow Tail Shiraz $12.99
Avalon Napa Cab $27.99
Grey Goose Vodka $50.99
Remy Martin VSOP $88.95
Beringer P. Reserve 04 $160
2005 mouton rothschild $1100

I can buy a bottle of Mouton in Washington, spend a weekend there (Lodging Cost, food, gas, entertainment all inclusive) and still save money compare to BC LDB price.

Wow, you really are bending over and taking it in the shorts. You should at least get a hug and a kiss after they do that to you.

Nah, their shorts are somewhere in the vicinity of their ankles. Where wouild you suggest the hug and kiss be planted?

Slan once mentioned that the arguments pro and con privatization are purely utilitarian and I agree with him on that statement. As far as pricing goes, Rhone, Italian(barolo, brunello, supertuscan) are actually on par if not cheaper in Canada, once you factor in the exchange rate and taxes.

Bordeaux, Cali Cabs and some australian wines are more expensive here. So are Spanish. If it is a hot item, it is cheaper in Canada as there is no market fluctuation with monopolies.

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Originally posted by The Economist:

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Originally posted by Gigond Ass:

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Originally posted by The Economist:

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Originally posted by Gigond Ass:

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Originally posted by Dave Canada:

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Originally posted by on the wine:

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Originally posted by mitPradikat:
It would be like me bringing raw chicken back to the supermarket because I bought too much for last week's barbecue. Mmm...restocked chicken...

Bit over the top, don't you think? Difference is that the government doesn't have a monopoly on raw chickens ... Oh wait, the goverment does control the supply and pricing of raw chickens through marketing boards ... So maybe they should give me a refund for any unused dead chicken.

(that's why I love this pinko-commie country!)

The sad thing for me is that there are some really good product consultants out there that know there stuff but the other staff simply bring them down....they don't understand that the LCBO is a business and as such they should treat their customers with a little respect.

Please explain to this confused capitalist how a government run monopoly is a "business"?

It is a legally-legitimized entity that provides a good/service (in this case both) to a consumer in exchange for legal tender or store of value. Just because it's a poorly-run, state-owned business doesn't mean it's not a business; a state-owned monopoly, though, is at odds with free market capitalism, but that's a whole different topic... The John Galt / Dagny Taggart models is unfortunately not welcome here .

Uhhhhhh..... no. That's just a taxation system.

Any you call yourself "The Economist".

Sorry, GA, I didn't understand your point about taxation. I guess the wines and spirits are taxed but they're taxed everywhere... what were you referring to?

You're kidding, aren't you?

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Originally posted by Mimik:
Slan once mentioned that the arguments pro and con privatization are purely utilitarian and I agree with him on that statement. As far as pricing goes, Rhone, Italian(barolo, brunello, supertuscan) are actually on par if not cheaper in Canada, once you factor in the exchange rate and taxes.

Bordeaux, Cali Cabs and some australian wines are more expensive here. So are Spanish. If it is a hot item, it is cheaper in Canada as there is no market fluctuation with monopolies.

Here's the problem with the mimik utopia. "If it's a hot item it's cheaper".

Sure. If you want to stand in line and maybe get some of what you want, or maybe get none of what you want.

In a true free market, I can buy virtually any wine I want. Really. Any wine at any time. Does the law of supply and demand affect the price? Undoubtedly. But I can still get whatever I want, whenever I want if I make the decision that I'm willing to pay the price for it.

The guvmint doesn't dictate what I can and cannot buy and when I can or cannot buy it.

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Originally posted by Mimik:
Slan once mentioned that the arguments pro and con privatization are purely utilitarian and I agree with him on that statement. As far as pricing goes, Rhone, Italian(barolo, brunello, supertuscan) are actually on par if not cheaper in Canada, once you factor in the exchange rate and taxes.

Bordeaux, Cali Cabs and some australian wines are more expensive here. So are Spanish. If it is a hot item, it is cheaper in Canada as there is no market fluctuation with monopolies.

Maybe at SAQ but not LCBO. Italian wines hasn't been cheaper here for a couple of years. Take the 2006 Brancaia Il Blue offered in the last Classics Catalogue for $79 CDN. I can get this wine in the US today for $48 US. Using today's exchange rate and assuming 7% State tax, this translates to $56 CDN equivalent. So LCBO is $23 more expensive after exchange and taxes! You can do the same for most Brunellos and Barolos and Ontarians gets screwed.

Many Rhones are also no longer the good deals they once were. Take the most recent LCBO release of 2006 Vieux Lazaret CdP priced by LCBO at $35 CDN. I can get this in the US today for $26 US. After exchange and taxes, this translates to $30 CDN equivalent or $5 less than LCBO.

And GA is 100% right that while some hot items may be cheaper, but pratically impossible to get. Again, take the last Classics Catalogue, where the 2006 Ex Machina was listed at $119 which is a very good price. However, there were thousands of orders for 180 bottles which was all LCBO had. You can have better odds in Vegas! So, yeah, the prices for this hot wines are good, but just don't expect to get any!

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Originally posted by Gigond Ass:
Sure. If you want to stand in line and maybe get some of what you want, or maybe get none of what you want.

In a true free market, I can buy virtually any wine I want. Really. Any wine at any time. Does the law of supply and demand affect the price? Undoubtedly. But I can still get whatever I want, whenever I want if I make the decision that I'm willing to pay the price for it.

The guvmint doesn't dictate what I can and cannot buy and when I can or cannot buy it.

For the U.S., this is only true as a matter of consequence. (i.e., Liquid secondary markets which are regulated but largely unenforced.)

Not exactly true. Depending upon individual state laws (not in states with a guvmint run monopoly) direct purchases from wineries, out of state retailers, and in fact purchases from out of the country, when done through a licensed importer are all possible.