COLOMBIA – A bill to allow consumers to have beer and wine delivered to their homes along with their grocery orders was submitted to the SC Chamber on February 3, despite opposition from a SLED leader.
Proponents of the bill, which includes the SC Chamber of Commerce, argue that the change would recognize the way more consumers are shopping, especially during the pandemic.
Opponents fear that law enforcement, especially the risk of orders being delivered to minors under 21, will be difficult, if not impossible.
The subcommittee also approved a measure that would allow stores to include beer and wine in orders taken through sidewalk delivery, another purchase option that became much more popular during the pandemic.
Congresswoman Beth Bernstein, D-Columbia, told the Post and Courier that she supported efforts to make beer and wine delivery legal before the coronavirus pandemic changed buying habits.
“The pandemic has shown us that it is even more necessary,” said Bernstein, the sponsor of the House delivery bill.
Bernstein sometimes uses services like Shipt and Instacart to have groceries delivered when she is busy and enjoys convenience, she said.
The coronavirus pandemic means that some consumers are using the services to reduce health risks by avoiding going to stores, she said.
The State Law Enforcement Division will strive to keep an eye on deliveries as they happen, according to Major Frank O’Neal, who oversees the enforcement of narcotics, alcohol and addiction laws for the agency.
The agency is already under pressure to comply with the current requirement to close bars and restaurants at 11 pm, he told a Judiciary subcommittee.
“It’s almost impossible for us,” said O’Neal.
The account requires that those who make deliveries that include beer or wine are at least 21 years old and use technology to verify the IDs used in purchases.
O’Neal said that these supermarket deliveries would be much more tempting for smaller users than other deliveries, like an interstate delivery of a box of wine, which South Carolina now allows.
Representative Kirkman Finlay, R-Columbia, also testified against the bill, saying that, as the father of three young people, he worries about the move making alcohol widely available to minors.
The system is vulnerable because teenagers have a lot of access to false identities, said Finlay. “It will be a problem.”
The move is supported by companies involved in the growing food delivery business, including Shipt, and the SC Chamber of Commerce, which saw it as a way to give consumers what they want using technology that is becoming more commonly used for sales.
“Companies that can offer a beer or wine delivery option should be allowed to do so – safely and in strict compliance with child consumption laws,” said Swati Patel, the chamber’s interim CEO, in a statement.
Shipt regularly listens to consumers who would like to add beer and wine to their grocery orders, according to Evangeline George, director of public relations at the delivery company.
Bernstein understands that the change would face concerns over enforcement of consumer laws, but believes it is time for South Carolina to adopt the way consumers prefer to shop.