New law legalizes home delivery of beer
Before I became a teacher, I practiced law for about seven years. It was, to say the least, a failed experiment. The hours were horrible, the work was dull, and the pay was crappy.
Yeah I said it. One of the great myths of the world is that all lawyers are rich, and this simply could not be further from the truth. If you go into a Big Firm, well, sure you'll make a lot of money but at the expense of your time. If you were like me, and wanted a better schedule, you will find yourself working for a small firm, a sole practitioner or on your own. When you sit down and figure out how much you are really earning per hour, you will pull your eyes out your head. Or you will switch careers like I did.
But I'm not here to talk about my miserable experiences in law (although I do have an anti-law school manifesto if anyone cares to read it)...I'm here to talk about a wonderful law that the legislature passed last year.
The link to the law, snazzily titled MCL 436.1203, can be found here.
You will want to direct your attention to subhead 11. Essentially, it says that retailers with merchant licenses, brewpubs and microbreweries can deliver "beer and wine to the home...of a consumer..." if the following occurs:
a) the beer/wine is delivered by an employee of the (little e) establishment and not a third party;
b) the person making the delivery verifies that the person receiving the beer/wine is 21+
c) the employee making the delivery has gone through a server training program.
According to the March/April issue of the Michigan Beer Guide, no training programs have yet been approved by the Liquor Commission. So, for now, the Commission only requires subheads a and b.
I have to admit that I am rather enticed by the thought of calling one of my local breweries and having the beer show up like magic! You can get your pizza, your Netflix and now beer delivered to the comfort of your own home! Heck, I might never leave the house again!
Patti Smith is grateful every single day that she switched careers. She blogs at http://palateofpatti.wordpress.com/. She enjoys drinking beer.
Comments
David Bardallis
Wed, Apr 14, 2010 : 12:28 p.m.
So how did SakeBombs Depot do this all that time... just kinda sorta remaining under the radar?
Patti Smith
Tue, Apr 13, 2010 : 3:35 p.m.
Joel, that's a great perspective...never thought of it that way! TTC, same thing...I hadn't even thought of it in terms of independent contracting.... Thanx, both of you :)
treetowncartel
Tue, Apr 13, 2010 : 1:41 p.m.
In order for this to happen you will have to pay a lot more for the beer than you would at a party store. Sending an employee to drop off a few cases or a keg in residential neighborhoods is not as proitable as delivering larger quantities to retailers. Too bad the legislature made it an "employee", I'm sure a few businesses could develop if they allowed the delivery people to independent contractors.
Joel Goldberg
Sun, Apr 11, 2010 : 6:03 a.m.
Funny how where you stand depends on where you sit. They passed a similar law for wine back in 2008, and Michigan wine consumers saw this as a huge loss. Since most retailers don't deliver beyond their local areas, this bans the ability of consumers to call up a store, either elsewhere in Michigan or in another state, ti order some hard-to-find wine that's not locally available and get it delivered by FedEx or UPS.
Patti Smith
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 9:59 p.m.
I know, right?!? Just gotta hope that some of the local breweries jump on this :)
Theresa Taylor
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 9:29 p.m.
Seriously - this is brilliant. I am ALL about it! :D
Jack
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 3:19 p.m.
This truly is a great day!