Some of the products in liquor stores operated by the state are currently available at reduced prices.
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Spokesperson Stacy Kriedeman said stores began delisting merchandise last Tuesday. She said the sale will continue until stores run out of the targeted inventory.
Prices on an estimated 400 products have been reduced, Kriedeman said, in an effort to discontinue items which aren't selling. The board might include between 100 and 200 products in such sales a few times a year, she said, but the current large-scale delisting is only held every three or four years.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Colin Kyler
Restocking
Assistant Manager Rhonda Wolfe works with some of the items on sale.
"We pay attention to trends and look at duplication," Kriedeman said. "You don't need eight grape-flavored vodkas."
According to Kriedeman, the delisting makes room for newer products. Most retailers do the same thing, she said, and the efforts are not linked to privatization.
Warren store Assistant Manager Rhonda Wolfe said a lot of customers have been coming in and out and the store is busier then usual. While many hear about the sale through the news, she said others find out when they come in.
Of those delisted, Wolfe said her store carries around 300. The prices are usually reduced to whatever the store paid for the items, she said.
"The board looks at the overall state sales," Wolfe said. "Some products may sell in one store and not another."
Hopefully, Wolfe said, the newer items will be comparable to the ones being discontinued. New vodkas arrive often, she said, and many others are being delisted.
Customers generally expressed approval of the move at Warren's store on Thursday. Michelle Sauers said she first heard about the discounts on television.
"It's awesome," Sauers said. "I never drink and only come in once a year."
For each bottle purchased, Sauers said she saved $4. She said the prices influenced her purchases.
Ted Bleech said he thought it was a pretty good deal. As a fan of dry wines, he said the sale offered an opportunity to try that particular type.
After living in Italy for six years, Bleech said the wines from California come close to those from that country.
Rhonda Parker said she only heard about the delisting when she visited the store. Steven Bilskie said they were not from the area.
"It's pretty cool to have a sale on liquor," Parker said. "I saved maybe $5."
Tricia Nutt said her savings were around $50. In addition, she said the people in the store were fantastic.