COLUMBIA, S.C. Alcohol delivery and Sunday liquor sales in South Carolina would hurt “mom and pop” liquor stores, some critics say. In response, under a proposal, lawmakers removed a hefty fee needed to sell on Sundays for small retailers.
In a renewed push to expand access to alcohol beverages, two proposals — H. 4231 and H. 4364 — sailed through a House Judiciary panel Tuesday, paving the way for consumers to purchase alcohol, beer and wine via curbside pickup or home delivery, including on Sunday, and for micro distilleries to sell alcohol on its premises on Sundays.
Critics have argued the measures would unfairly require small liquor stores to compete with major corporations, such as Diageo.
“Are we gonna be held hostage by four (Diageo) lobbyists, $14 billion in special interest, coming in here and taking our moms and pops out and taking our small business out of South Carolina?,” said state Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, who opposes the bill. “We need to take a stand for the moms and pops that testified in the subcommittee and take a stand for the values that we have here in South Carolina.”
McCravy also said that “moms and pops” oppose the bill because “they’re going to lose money, having to open on Sunday.”
Neither measure, however, requires any store to open on Sunday.
It’s “the retailers’ choice,” said state Rep. Jason Elliott, R-Greenville. “If it makes economic sense for them do it, I suppose they would, and if it didn’t, I suppose they wouldn’t.”