Board looks to re-vamp liquor stores in Pa.

by Mara Wishingrad | Friday, September 5, 2008 at 1:00 am

Liquor stores in Pennsylvania, like Wine and Spirits located at 41st and Market streets, will undergo renovations this year. (Andrew Gardner/DP Staff Photographer)

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While enticing people to visit a liquor store might not seem like a challenge on a college campus, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is launching a major effort to get more Pennsylvanians over age 21 to do just that.

In the coming year, the PLCB will be re-branding its 621 stores to "create a whole new shopping experience for Pennsylvania consumers," Patrick Stapleton, chairman of the PLCB, said in a statement.

The efforts will aim to modernize the displays, unify the appearance and names of the stores and improve employee education, according to Stapleton's statement.

These initiatives will help staffers "provide the service our customers deserve," he said.

Wharton senior Charley Lu said a change in the appearance of a liquor store would "probably not" influence his liquor-buying habits. He said he finds that all liquor stores, including the stores in his home state of New Hampshire, "pretty much look the same."

Knowledgeable clerks, Lu added, would also not make him more likely to go into a liquor store.

"I know what I want," he said.

Wharton senior Eric Fernandez said he would appreciate the planned renovations because when a liquor store is well-organized, it's easier for him to find what he is looking for.

Fernandez said that he "absolutely" cared about whether liquor-store employees were well-educated because there are "so many options, especially when you are buying wine."

Appearance, Fernandez said, is also important. In Florida, where he is from, the liquor stores "look better," he said.

The employees are also more helpful because Florida liquor stores are not run by the state, so stores are "more competitive," he said.

The PLCB is still waiting for a final report from Landor Associates, the firm that is assisting with the renovations, so it might be a few months before the initiatives go into effect.

"I don't think customers will see any changes until latter this year at the earliest," said Francesca Chapman, the deputy press secretary for the PLCB.

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