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The Beer Store’s Bag it back success

Welcome to The Beer Store, the Brewery merchants that wound up holding the bag on Bag it back and managed to make a success of the recycling program anyway.

A 77-percent return rate after four years of offering return on deposit for LCBO beverage alcohol empties is pretty darned good. Too bad the LCBO did nothing to promote the initiative, but still takes credit for it success. Having it both ways, in fact all ways, is a hallmark of the province’s Crown Agency in charge of “discover the world” of booze and BS.

Environmental leadership cannot be parsed from profit it seems. It’s important to note The Beer Store has been rewarded with millions of government dollars for taking on the recycling initiative four years ago. Also, their consortium of international owners continue to operate in a liquor law playing field that lets them sell 80 percent of the beer purchased in the province.

As the primary distribution and sales channel for beer in Ontario, their customers can choose from more than 350 beer brands, in 440 retail stores, from 90 brewers from around the world.

We might say, “cheers, Ontario,” were it not for the fact that The Beer Store has a virtual strangle hold on deciding which brands to carry, whether to tinker with prices to increase sales and navigating volume discounts from their many suppliers.

Why don’t we ask The Beer Store what they think about making beer available in convenience stores since they’ve had the cost benefit of that figured out for years.

Meanwhile, Ontarians would gladly forego a trip to the “In and Out” stores, many of which look like lumber nail supply outlets, if they could get a selection of ales, lagers, porters, stouts at the corner store.