Question 3 on Your Mass. Election Ballot Addresses Liquor Licenses

It’s a battle over booze - Massachusetts Ballot Question 3 addresses several issues involving alcohol sales. 

The state limits the number of liquor licenses town by town.  According to the Massachusetts Package Store Association, about 800 small stores have sold their licenses over the past four years.

"The stores that have been picking up a lot of those licenses are the super chains.  It’s the Targets.  It’s the Walmarts.  It’s the Total Wines," Rob Mellion, the executive director of the association, said.

The part of Question 3 most hotly contested would increase the number of liquor licenses one business or person could own but does not increase the overall number.

Gary Park owns Gary’s Liquors in Chestnut Hill. 

“This allows them to have up to 18 but 18 existing so we’re not going to add any more licenses.  If your town hassix licenses you’re still going to have six,” he said.

And it limits the number of licenses one could own to sell all alcoholic beverages to seven. 

That would mean many large stores could sell only wine and beer - no hard liquor.  Total Wine and More is leading the opposition to Question 3, arguing it limits competition and benefits big stores.  In a response to an email Total Wine and More replied, in part… “The proponents of Question 3 have singled out Massachusetts package stores, including Total Wine and More, for a reduction of licenses as a means of stifling competition.  Less competition only harms consumers.”

“Our members have no issues with competition. In fact our members are competing against each other," Mellion said. 

“Our prices are the lowest in the state.  We’re cheaper than all the big box stores.  Club stores.  We beat NH on a regular basis so from a competition basis I’m not worried about it hurting me as a single store owner," Park pointed out.

Question 3 would also allow sellers to accept out-of-state IDs for alcohol sales, and it would prohibit self-checkout sales.