Winebits 773: Cutting prices, alcohol delivery, weed delivery

This week’s wine news: One more failing consumer business cuts prices to attract customers, plus a wine delivery update and some Canadians get weed delivery

• Crappy season: The blog has noted the similarities between baseball and wine; the core demographic for each is an aging and mostly white population; younger people could care less. Baseball, for all of its many failings, recognizes this and has made a variety of efforts to expand its base. And even one of its most hidebound and money grubbing teams – my once beloved Cubs – has acknowledged that no one wants to watch boring losers whose owners don’t seem particularly concerned about winning. Hence, the Cubs are cutting ticket prices by five percent for next season. This is mind-boggling, given that the Ricketts family, which owns the Cubs, is so insensitive that it has been accused of cheating the disabled. So the WC must ask: If the movies and even the Cubs, when wine?

• Not so fast: DoorDash, the home delivery service, wants to expand its booze delivery with a service called Drinks with DoubleDash. There’s a ctach, of course, reports Supermarket News. Retailers are “poised to jump on the alcohol delivery bandwagon — but whether they’re allowed to go along for the ride depends largely on what states and sometimes even the county courthouse will let them do.” This is not news to regular readers of the blog, but it is a reminder of how how draconian three-tier is in most of the country. DoorDash, for example, can only deliver in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The DoorDash official quoted in the story is cautiously optimistic about changing local laws to make delivery easier. Guess he’ll find out differently soon enough, yes?

• It’s your weed delivery: If you live in Toronto, Uber Eats can now set up a legal marijuana delivery. Take that, three-tier system! The CBC reports that the delivery service will process pot orders through online marijuana marketplace Leafly, using three Toronto dope shops. Consumers, who must be 19 or older, place orders on the Uber Eats app, which sends the order through Leafly to the retailer. A certified retailer employee will deliver the Mary Jane. Interestingly, says the story, “Uber positioned the partnership as a way to tackle the illicit cannabis market, which licensed pot producers have long blamed for curbing sales.”

Photo: Marijuana slang in neon at cannabis shop in Oregon (2017).jpg” by Steve Morgan is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.