This just in! You can now get alcohol delivered to your door in Georgia! I kid you not. Joining several other states in this pandemic year, according to reports, the Peach State’s Department of Revenue recently gave the green light to training courses on the “How to-s” of making deliveries to hearth and home.
Do you think the fact that Election Day is next Tuesday had anything to do with the decision? Probably not, but hey, the timing is pretty darn good. You have to think that much of the drinking population may well want a libation or two after the results are in. Half will be celebrating while the other half will be looking to take the edge off defeat. And since it’s not always easy right now to gather with others at a local watering hole, having an adult beverage delivered to su casa might become very popular very quickly.
Package stores are apparently taking the lead in this new home delivery initiative. That makes sense given the fact that most of their product line encompasses beer, wine, and liquor. The big three of boozedom make up the bread and butter offerings of such establishments. Those retailers that offer actual bread and butter, as well as other foodstuffs, are supposedly cautiously working through all the logistics involved. (“I’ll have a pound of salami and a pint of Sangria, please.”) I can see the grocery store slogan now: “A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk.”
My how times have changed. It hasn’t been that long ago (roughly nine years) that all retail alcohol sales were banned on Sundays in Georgia. Voters in cities and towns were then allowed to choose and, as it turns out, most communities said Yes to mimosas at brunch, among other alcoholic refreshments.
I wonder how the Bill to negate Georgia’s Blue Laws actually came about. You don’t suppose some lobbyist was hosting a long weekend party for legislators and suddenly realized the refreshments were running low, do you? Perhaps some serious pleading with those in attendance led to the passage of 2020’s new law. Surely there was bi-partisan support for it. I don’t recall the act of hoisting a glass ever being a one-sided issue.
No one probably has any idea as to how the home delivery will affect consumption in Georgia. Even though a state’s ranking as Number One is great for things such as tax breaks or airport passengers or professional sports’ championships, most states, as with most colleges, undoubtedly would not relish the title of “Best Party Place.” (As an aside, it seems that New Hampshire currently has the highest per capital alcohol consumption. Maybe residents drown their sorrows because they’re envious of Vermonters having all that maple syrup sap. Or it could be that New Hampshire consumption levels are high because neighboring Massachusetts has some of the strictest alcohol laws on the books – no Happy Hours, free drinks or beer pong allowed. It’s not far to the Granite State line for Bay State denizens.)
Now that home deliveries are okay (what in the world would the Revenuers of the 1930s think?), surely good ol’ American Capitalism will rise to the occasion. How long before entrepreneurs will be rolling through neighborhoods in trucks that blast “Roll Out the Barrel” and offer residents a cocktail from a little side window? That could provide stiff competition for the traditional ice cream vendors. Although, perhaps they’ll join forces so that while little Jason and Jenny are lined up for a frozen sweet treat, Mom and Dad can join the queue for a gin and tonic or a flavored Jello shot. Depending on what kind of day it’s been, parents might beat the kids to the treat truck when the music is heard. Households can be a little tense these days. Alcohol isn’t the answer, mind you, but maybe the combination of ice cream and iced potent potables might at least bring a smile to more than a few faces.
Ah, well, here in Georgia the whole idea is still kind of in the initial phase, mainly since the big retailers aren’t totally in the game yet. I can’t help but think, though, that the delivery system as it is right now might get quite a workout November 4th. At the very least, virtually everyone will be celebrating the fact that the 2020 campaign season is done. But if there’s no clear winner of the White House? Well, can Amazon drone deliveries be far behind?
©MMXX. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer
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