In other words, they wanted you, (of age, which they're not so good at checking ID's) to be able to come in there and get five free shots of liquor at no charge.
Now first of all, IF you take five shots of liquor you are considered way drunk according to state guidelines. Secondly, it's ILLEGAL to give away ANY liquor whatsoever. For those of you who want to come back here and compare wine tasting to hard alcohol, there's a massive difference from 20% alcohol in wine verses 80 proof alcohol.
Upon presenting this to the County Council they proposed that they would only have five bottles open at a time. In other words, once those bottles were gone they could open yet another five and so forth and so on.
Sheriff's Deputy Tim Robinson clearly stated that was way too much alcohol so the dispensary then proposed 2.5 shots instead. Mr. Robinson then stated that even then, (2.5 oz of shots) these customers would be over the legal limit.
I'm not so sure what these people are thinking but really, is this the kind of marketing grown adults should even be considering? To me personally, this has gone way too far. One has to wonder, does this mean multiple bottles will all of a sudden disappear from their inventory and this will be their excuse, we gave it away. Nothing was set in stone to the Council that the distributors would be providing this alcohol.
So keep in mind, (should they be giving it away, as they suggest) are YOU the taxpayer paying for it?
Oh, it gets even better! Even though the Sheriff's Office clearly expressed they are fully against this idea, the Council unanimously voted to allow it! And yes, Matt Holloway was one of the members that voted yes. Matt Holloway is the Son of Bob Holloway who represented the dispensary and should have recused himself and he didn't. Council President John Cannon even suggested Holloway recuse himself and he voted in favor of it anyway.
The funny part about ALL of this is, the County Council has NO SAY in this whatsoever. The new trend recently is, bring it to the County Council and get their approval so you can then head to the liquor board showing the actual yes or no vote, other influential people have agreed to their proposal. I'll have more on that later.
So the big question is, do YOU agree or disagree with this proposal? Let's see what the masses/voters have to say about this.
ILLEGAL.
ReplyDeleteafter everyone has there free drinks the police can lock em up for dwi and make the govt some big money
ReplyDelete12:19, I know, right. IF something like this goes through, what's to say privately owned BARS don't DEMAND they get to do the same?
ReplyDeleteIn civilized areas, many liquor stores offer free tastings of both wine and liquor but never full size shots or glasses of wine. They use small plastic cups just bigger than a thimble for liquor and shot glass size for wine.
ReplyDelete12:26, "civilized areas" you can't be serious. So you are suggesting the county is uncivilized? Start telling everyone what those ALLEGED civilized areas are. I'm calling BS on your comment.
ReplyDeletewas this the BIG post you said would be posted at 12:37? damn got my hopes up. yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THIS! I hope the WCSO is sitting close by down the street after they give out all their free shots.
ReplyDeleteHey 12:31, does this post say 12:37, you Idiot?
ReplyDeleteMatt Holloway should have recused himself for starters. Bob Holloway knows how things work and shouldn't have allowed his son to be involved in this.
ReplyDeleteI find it appalling that the Gillis, Gilkerson and now Holloway crowd always tries to circumvent the system to get their way. The Council is TOO SPINELESS to stand up to them and it isn't Council business anyway! Is it because most on the Council are "in their pocket"?
First, this should not be a county operation, but private. Second, why do you need to "sample" liquor???
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is all tied to the fact that Salisbury is trying to become the bar/liquor capital of the Shore.
I am so OVER these people.
Just checking joe. I know you can only read a digital clock lolol
ReplyDeleteReally....Joe you know as well as I do there is PLENTY of free booze in our local bars!!!! All depends on WHO you are there with...enough said on that.
ReplyDeleteI don't think free liquor at the dispensaries is the right or lawful thing to do either, let them offer their volume discounts or SIMPLY LOWER PRICES...
Won't debate wine tasting versus shots...alcohol is alcohol.
Google "total wine" Wine and liquor super stores. Wicomico county and MD have antiquated alcohol laws. So does Pennsylvania. There is a total wine in Wilmington and they have a dedicated wine tasting bar in the store.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the purpose of these tastings?
ReplyDeletefrom pot to liquor Gills is making some big plays.
ReplyDeleteWhen is gillis going to open a casino?
ReplyDelete12:48
ReplyDeleteIt is the same as the free food sample that Sam's club offers in the store. It is marketing. Get people to try something new, they like it, they buy it.
Five shots of hard liquor? Are they nuts?
ReplyDeleteThere are SO many ways this could, and would, go very wrong.
are these people idiots? ah, YES...
ReplyDeleteAs per usual, anything that works well in most of the US will not work here because people refuse to believe in anything other than the way it has been done around here forever. Places that do this don't use full size shot glasses, they are thimble size. Guessing nobody on here has ever been on a distillery tour that offers free samples. Wineries tours do the same thing. Maybe it is just that people are more responsible in other areas and don't over indulge on free samples.
ReplyDeleteI have hosted liquor tastings in Delaware, you have the option to discard sample after tasting and it isn't a full size. Trade shows follow the same practice.
ReplyDeleteLet me start off by stating that I am a liquor rep and work for a large distributor. Here are some things you should know about these tastings. First they are already being done at stores in almost every other county in Maryland. Second, we purchase the bottles from the stores at shelf price so nothing is being given away and the county is not loosing money. The tastings are conducted by a sales rep or promo person. The county employees do not touch the bottles. By law we can only spend a certain amount so these won't be huge drinking events. Usually it is only one brand/type of liquor and the sample is less than an ounce. We then educate the customer on the product It is a chance for us to expose consumers to new products. We do this to add value to the consumers experience and help us and the stores sell more products. This will actually help generate more revenue for the county. If you have any questions feel free to reply to this comment and I will answer to the best of my ability.
ReplyDeleteYour NOT a BAR.
DeleteNot sure what your point is. More alcohol is sold in stores than at bars. Wouldn't you like to try a sip before you spend $50 on a bottle? Wouldn't you like to hear about the cask the whiskey was aged in, or what part of Scottland the scotch came from, etc
DeleteThank you for putting this in context. The story was not clear out all..this makes much more sense.
Delete2:40, Then why weren't you, (or a representative) at yesterdays meeting?
ReplyDeleteMaybe he wasn't asked to attend and as usual the local politicians don't know what they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteThe county shouldn't be in the liquor business to begin with.
ReplyDeleteGiving out 'free samples' of a drug (yes, it's a drug) is no different than some crack dealer doing the same.
It's WRONG.
He should also allow drinking and driving after midnight.
ReplyDeleteTotally disagree.
ReplyDeleteSeems fishy to me, first they want to grow and distribute pot (which will get and keep people high on the drug), now they want to give away "free shots" (just liquid drug to get people high). There is something extremely wrong with this combination (drugs/alcohol). The sinister thing is to get people hooked on this mess and then the person winds up messing up their life and the lives of others.
ReplyDeleteMatt is over reaching and greed will be his enemy.
If you are a county/state/city official, it is OK, if you are an average citizen....you're going to jail and paying for your 'crime'.
ReplyDeleteI've been to the Wente Vineyards, and tastings are not free.
ReplyDeleteYes but I have seen Wente tastings at stores in Maryland which are free
DeleteContinue to live in the stone ages and keep asking yourselves why the eastern shore is no long thriving. Refusal to accept new ideas has been the downfall of this area for the past 40 years and now there is nothing that can be done to revive it. Joe said in post something along the lines of "why do you think I got out", well he didn't get far enough in my opinion. I bailed on the shore a few years ago and have no regrets.
ReplyDeleteI am tired of giving money to our corrupt county for liquor sales. I now only shop for alcohol at Last Call Liquors. Its locally owned and their prices during the day or "happy hour" are actually cheaper than any county store.
ReplyDeleteBuy alcohol in Delmar and cut out the MD taxman.
ReplyDeleteIt's against the law to give away free liquor. You aren't suppose to even advertise it. If the people want this, then first change the law.
ReplyDeleteThis is not giving away free alcohol. The bottles are purchased by the distributors. These events already occur at bars in Wicomico Co. and have so for years. Promotion people come in and purchase a certain amount of drinks and pass out samples to customers. These events are filed with the state more than a month in advance. This is how companies expose customers to new products. You are correct in the fact that you can't advertise free alcohol but you can sample people. If you walk in to a bar and want to buy everyone in the place a beer is that illegal?
DeleteI believe Matt Holloway had no business voting on this matter. I believe it is a conflict of interest and I hope someone contacts the "Ethical Board" or whatever it is called. But being the County Liquor Dispensary is not a privately owned business it may be what we all know, is one political person doing another political person a favor.
ReplyDelete10:06, You just said it.
ReplyDelete"If you walk in to a bar and want to buy everyone in the place a beer is that illegal?"
NO, it is not. If I buy everyone a round, I BOUGHT the round. It is paid for and the business makes money off each drink. There is a SALE and it is TAXED.
So sam's club should stop giving free samples of pizza and other foods out too?
ReplyDelete10:41, What an Idiot! Is there a Pizza Dispensary Board? Do you have to card customers to make sure they are over 21? Is there a NINE PERCENT TAX on pizza? Go back to your bar stool Otis.
ReplyDeleteIf a distributor purchases from the dispensary, it is SOLD and TAXED. For those that choose to 'get out', there are two bridges - one in each direction. If you would be happier elsewhere, go to where "Civilation' exists. Forty years is a long time to remain somewhere if you are not happy. Readers state the County's problem is resistance to change - they are proposing to change the current way and offer consumers a different experience and it is still met with negativity. In many cases, a glue stick would be much more beneficial than Chapstick!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid in the '50s and early '60s, we used to stop at the local dairy to pick up a gallon of milk direct from the farmer's milk house. My parents would take their empty gallon bottles in and leave them and take filled gallons, leaving the correct change on the honor system (milk was 50 cents a gallon). During the week before Christmas, the dairy farmer would leave a fifth of whiskey in the milk house with some little Dixie cups. Patrons were encouraged to have a shot (one drink) on him on their way home.
ReplyDeleteTim Robinson was incorrect. 2.5 one ounce shots of 80 proof whiskey would elevate the average persons blood alcohol concentration to approx. .0375. Not prima fascia evidence of intoxication. All that aside, this debate - this type of issue- is what comes about when the government is involved in something usually reserved for the private sector.
ReplyDeleteThe main point here is the COUNTY government is making these proposals. The government should not be in the liquor business and most certainly not be promoting drinking in public, which would violate the state's drinking and driving laws.
ReplyDeleteThe county should open up a bar.
ReplyDeleteJoe, are you some sort of teetotaler that don't like the liquor?! Let the liquor flow and they can give out 10 shots if they want. I be there for my 10 shots and walk home. I'm sure the homeless will take them up on it.
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeletePLEASE DO THIS.
On the day that the liqour board is giving away free shots, you should co-ordinate a bus trip for SBY readers to all go to there and take shots. It would be great we could all get together and take our tax dollars back in the form of booze at the same time.