Every year New York retailers go through this anxiety ridden period, when the big box stores lobby our state government to allow the sale of wine in grocery stores. This coincides with the annual state budget process, because their claim is that this move will significantly increase state revenues. What they conveniently leave out is how many retailers would be forced to close and lay off their employees, thus lengthening the unemployment lines and costing the state lots of bucks in unemployment benefits. Fortunately we are well-organized, and every year we launch our own massive counteroffensive.
This month, as in numerous past attempts, they threw in the towel and abandoned their efforts, realizing that they had little, if any, support with the lawmakers. So we dodged another bullet, and this is reason for celebration. You can relax now. Your wine selections are in the safe hands of people who really know what they’re doing, all of us who devote our lives to finding the best of the best and bringing it to you.
I don’t jump on too many bandwagons, but this is important not only to me and my employees, but to you as well. I know that I wouldn’t want my supermarket chain choosing what I’m going to enjoy tonight with dinner. So here’s to a win for quality and excellence. No doubt we’ll be back at war this time next year, but for now we can enjoy yet another victory for all of us. Cheers!
