Pennsylvania Training Its State Liquor Store Employees To Be Nicer
If you buy your devil juice from Pennsylvania, you might notice a difference in the way you're treated starting later this month. Pennsylvania is spending $173,000 to train employees of its state-owned liquor and wine stores to be more polite, reports PhillyBurbs.com: "The board wants to make sure clerks are saying 'hello,' 'thank you' and 'come again' to customers coming in for wine and liquor."
The chairman of the state liquor board defends the decision, pointing out, "the reality is that, in stores around the country, customer service is inconsistent and uneven." We won't argue with that. We do think, however, you could solve any rudeness problem faster by setting out a cheap bottle of vodka next to each register along with a sign that says, "If our Associate doesn't greet you with a smile, take a free shot!"
"Pa. liquor board tries to improve worker manners" [PhillyBurbs.com via 9-to-Fried]
(Photo: swearinglibrarian)
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I live in Philadelphia and it really is hit or miss. I've stopped going to the store closest to me because they never have more than one register open and it's always busy. I'll drive the extra little bit for the store farther away but with more employees working.
If we nationalize healthcare this is what we'll get.
Screw training, just offer them a nice bonus if they actually do it.
Very easy to actually check, just pose as customers.
Devil juice? I thought we were calling it Jesus juice?!
The only thing that would make this more excessive/ridiculous is if this were a pet project in the stimulus bill.... kind of sounds like one.
Honestly, are there no unemployed smiling faces out there?
Holy crap! What a coincidence. I'm from Southern Cali (LA) and have travelled to Pennsylvania many times. I have noticed the rude state liquor store employees.
I hate going, because of the stupid liquor laws they have there. I'm not used to those draconian liquor rules they have there. I want to buy beer and booze in the SAME store dammit! ;)
On the other hand, I discovered an awesome beer I have only seen in Phil, Yuengling. Good stuff!
It's time for a sip of Ohhhhh be joyful!!!!
If I want decent wine at a decent price, I'll drive to NJ.
And then I'll play "Eastbound and Down" on the CD player all the way back to PA
Albear;
Yuengling has distribution up and down the East Coast. We've got it here in Florida. And I agree; it is a pretty good beer.
As for politeness in industry, I'll say that when you've got no competition, there's no incentive to... well, basically do anything other than what you must. Think Lily Tomlin's "We're the phone company. We don't care," bit from SNL. So it's natural that PA's liquor stores have crappy customer service.
Maybe someone can shed some light here, but can you only buy liquor from state run stores in Pennsylvania? I understand the State has a monopoly on distribution but am not clear on government's role at the point of sale.
The real story here is not that Pennsylvania spent a ridiculous amount of money on what should be common sense, it's that the firm being paid $173,000 just so happens to be owned by one of the LCB's top-level employees.
Anyone think this company DIDN'T have inside information, including the budget??
@Jesse: Yes. Beer is sold in 24ct cases in one store. Wine and hard liquor in another store.
You can buy beer in 6 packs from a bar/sandwich shop, but you usually pay outrageous prices.
yes, they have a monopoly on sales.
Why does the state own liquor stores?
@rpm773: And then I'll play "Eastbound and Down" on the CD player all the way back to PA
Umm...isn't PA _WEST_ of NJ?
@rpm773: Er.. the beer store and liquor stores are state-run, or at least state controlled (if that wasn't clear).
I think the product is actually bought by the state and the resold, but I don't know all of the specifics. I have a client running trains of wine out of WA and CA, and they ship to the PA LCB.
I'm from Pittsburgh and the store I usually went to had very friendly employees, and very knowledgeable too.
I still do not understand why you have to buy it from state run liquor stores..it is the same thing in WA.
In WA they are never nice either..and they have the worst hours ever! 12-6 M-F, 12-8 S and closed on Sunday.
@Natrix964909 (sorry, reply button still not working):
Pennsylvania's liquor sales are controlled by the PA Liquor Control Board. You can only get liquor from one of these stores, which are not open on Sundays and usually not open past 9 at night (if you're lucky). The first time I ever went to Florida, I was amazed that Wal-Mart sold kegs of beer and I was also amazed that NYC convenience stores had Heineken for sale at the register!
"state-owned liquor and wine stores"?! What kind of goofy shit is this?
@Ninja007: Nationalizing health care makes liquor-store employees polite? Boy, this economy stuff sure is complicated.
@HiPwr:
Relics of the temperance movement.
I bet it also illegal for ducks to wear pants in those states.
@Ninja007:
When did this place become a haunt for Rush Limbaugh Followers?
Do you have anything to contribute to the comments that isn't mindless right wing garbage?
I never thought I'd say this, but where are conservative, but intelligent people like Bladefist when you need them?
Is this what comes with a Consumer Reports affiliation? If so, I'm willing to ignore these folks for the sake of keeping Ben & co. living in the manner to which they've become accustomed.
@esd2020: it officaly goes as far as southern CT. I've tried to get it in MA to no dice. I resort to road trips now and then.
But nothing beats it from the tap
how about we start with not forcing a 'Go Eagles" sign in every story. Including the ones in greater Pitt
I'd be happier if they just get rid of the frickin state stores and let us buy at the grocery store like every other state in this country. They jack the prices up here so much on everything because of our crappy alcohol laws.
$173,000 for lessons in manners?
@huginn: Actually, the alcohol content of dear old Vitamin Y makes it illegal in certain states.
Which is a damn shame because it's so much better than those macrobrews that used to be wholly owned by American companies. Damn you Molson, InBev and whoever glommed on to Miller.
The PA government has been trying to dismantle the state stores for some time, but the union is too strong.
Go figure.
@rpm773: The PLCB directly sells wines and spirits via the "state stores" while regulating beer and malt beverage sales via the distributors.
There's also a 192 fl oz restriction per purchaser per bottle/six-pack shop trip, meaning that's the MOST you can buy and leave the store with any amount of beer equal to that amount before you can go back and get more. Made college beer runs quite the pain in the ass when the keg got kicked.
@huginn: Remember, the former mayor of Philly is still governor for another two years, so expect that crap to continue.
I worked for a company in the service industry and it sent our customer satisfaction ranking straight to the bottom of the list compared to the competition. Treat your employees like crap and they will treat the customers accordingly.
A novel idea. I wish more companies would follow this lead and teach their employees to have some manners.
@headhot: Looking at Wikipedia, the stores make a profit (albeit small) for the state, so this is one case where unions seem to be working well. Any dismantling would probably involve setting up liquor stores, which would just divert the profits to a private quasi-monopoly.
@Batwaffel: Many states limit grocery stores to selling beer or wine; some only allow a certain number of private liquor stores.
@Ninja007: Yeah, because there are no angry or bitter healthcare professionals in our privatized landscape....
Um sure it makes a small profit, but then again, private stores could potentially move more product, and thus higher alcohol tax revenue.
@Batwaffel: I've never noticed a price difference between PA and other states.
The only difference I've noticed is that cases of beer are harder to get in other states and selection is much lower.
Sure you can get a 6pack of Coors at every gas station. I've never bad luck finding anywhere with a decent selection of craft beers.
Times are starting to change in PA though...several supermarkets I know of are directly connected to a Wine & Spirits store so you don't need to exit the building (still got to check it out separately though).
Wegmans markets has been fighting for years to sell beer (2 6-pack limit) in their stores and are finally being approved one by one.
I sure am glad I live in New Orleans. Whatever booze you want, any time, and pretty much anywhere.
You can't believe how bad the clerks at these Pa. stores are--rude, dumb, thoroughly unhelpful. Exactly what you'd expect from a monopoly. My mother lives in Pa.--now when I visit I bring my own booze.
my guess is that works out to *less* then ten bucks a store.
I don't know about the rest of the state, but the liquor store employees I've dealt with around the Pittsburgh area have been friendly and helpful.
I guess we can tax the liquor stores and then pay medicaid to do liver transplants because of the cirosis. Makes sense to me. Just like Nevada, legalize prostitution in a few places and tax it... medicaid can pay for STD treatments, AIDS cocktails and unplanned babies. Really smart!
@Jake Muha: Yuengling is amazing, but it is only in the immediate areas surrounding their brewery(ies). I used to think it was only in the PA area until I moved to Ohio, No Luck.... But now that I've moved to FL, we have it here, and I am about as happy as a pig in poop.... That being said, I've heard its because there is a Yuengling brewery in Orlando.
The employees at the stores around here are really nice. We've got a really nice store in Reading that's open on Sundays and I think until 10 most weeknights. As an added bonus, there's a beer distributor right next to it so you don't have to drive to two places for wine and beer.
I think this great motivational speech works better round these times... "Do it, or you're fired, and remember, there are 10 people willing to do it for less."