Why I'm buying my beer at a new place

A few years ago, after a trip to Germany, I switched from drinking wine exclusively to also drinking beer, and with my kids coming of age I've found myself buying more beer than wine these days.  

At the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney, I'm going to tell a little story.  For more than 25 years I've shopped at the same liquor store in Waltham, even when it moved across the street to a larger location, buying wine and beer mostly.  It's a good-sized store with a good selection.

But, unlike buying wine, with beer I have returnable bottles and cans that need to be redeemed.  Under state law, stores that sell deposit bottles have to redeem them -- any brand and size they also sell.  The store I went to has a redemption center with a handful of machines taking cans, glass, and plastic returnables. Since I only bought my beer there, I should be able to redeem the deposits there.  

That's the theory.

The reality however is quite different.  The redemption center's hours are shorter than the stores so often when I go to shop, the redemption center is closed.  When it is open, the machines are often out of order or full.  Or the machines would reject my empty bottles incorrectly saying the store didn't sell that brand (remember, I only bought my beer at that store).  

When I'd go inside the store to let them know about the machines being full they were never enthusiastic about helping.  And, they would sometimes redeem my bottles at the counter in the store, but they'd treat me like I was some sort of criminal and sometimes they would tell me I had to wash them because they were smelly and they had the right to reject them.  The were right.  They did smell.  Like beer.  Imagine that!

I realize if you're a liquor store, what gets you up in the morning isn't the prospect of redeeming bottles and cans.  But, it's not just the law, it's good business. Customers buy the beer and you are required to redeem the empties. Make peace with that.  These guys never did.  And, now they've lost my business for good.

So, I'm voting with my wallet.  I'm done shopping there.  For anything.  There are plenty of places to buy beer and wine.